Mauricio Cárdenas Santamaría is a Colombian economist with experience in academia and public policy. He has been Minister of Finance (2012-2018), Economic Development (1994), Transport (1998-1999), Mines and Energy (2011-2012), head of the National Planning Department (1999-2000) and twice Executive Director of the study center Fedesarrollo.

He was also board member at Ecopetrol, ISA, Telefónica, Isagén, and the Colombian Stock Exchange, as well as part of the Task Force led by Michael Bloomberg and Lawrence Summers.

He has written numerous publications, including the book "Introduction to Colombian Economics" and several articles on employment, inequality and poverty, the effect of the conflict on the economy, economic growth, and capital movements, among others. He was also a columnist for the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo.

He earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley.