The son of a prominent centrist politician, Pinera was a Harvard-trained economist who made his fortune introducing credit cards to Chile in the 1980s.

 

He was also a major shareholder in the flagship airline formerly known as LAN, local soccer team Colo-Colo, and a television station, although he sold most of those holdings when he took over the presidency in March 2010. As of 2024, he was ranked 1,176 on Forbes' global rich list, with a net worth of $2.7 billion.

 

Known for a driven and competitive personality, one friend described Pinera as someone who could be a bully, reluctant to delegate responsibility.

 

He was also a risk-taker who enjoyed deep-sea diving.

 

Running for election to the presidency after a spell as a center-right senator, he wooed moderate voters by portraying himself as the leader of a new right and an entrepreneur who made his fortune with hard work.

 

At the same time, he distanced himself from the 1973-1990 rule of General Augusto Pinochet, when more than 3,000 suspected leftists were killed or "disappeared."

 

He lost his first attempt at the top job in 2005 to popular center-left leader Michelle Bachelet, but she was barred constitutionally from running for a second consecutive term and in 2009 he beat ex-president Eduardo Frei by a small margin.

 

That ended the 20-year rule of the center-left and fended off the bitter memories of Pinochet's bloody dictatorship that had hurt the right in past elections.

 

His honeymoon with the electorate was short-lived, though, and his stiff manner contrasted with the more amiable Bachelet, who both preceded and succeeded him as president.

 

Despite plaudits for his government's economic record, many Chileans felt he did not do enough to tackle deep inequality or address inadequacies in the country's education system.

 

Pinera and his wife Cecilia Morel had four children.