Gabriel Calzada is the founder and president of Universidad de las Hespérides, a Spanish institution rooted in the classical liberal tradition. He previously served as president of Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala and has also presided over the Mont Pelerin Society and the Association of Private Enterprise Education. In Spain, he was the founding president of the Instituto Juan de Mariana, recognized as one of the most influential think tanks in the Spanish-speaking world. He currently serves on the boards of the Rising Tide Foundation and Students for Liberty. His research and commentary have appeared in leading international outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Newsweek, The Economist, Expansión, and Il Corriere della Sera. He has been invited to testify before the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Senate, and the Parliament of the Canary Islands. Behind his entrepreneurial spirit and love of academia lies another passion: film.

Gabriel has acted in both short and feature films, co-founded the Film School at UFM, and serves as a professor of film semiotics. With deep familiarity with both the art and theory of cinema, he brings a distinctive perspective that merges rigorous economic thought and libertarian philosophy with the expressive power of moving images.

When not working, he enjoys hiking and surfing in Gran Canaria with his wife, Karen, and their three daughters.