Javier Gila holds a degree in Political Science and Sociology from the UCM, a degree in Business Management from the European Business School, and a Master’s degree in Management, Organisation, Communication and the Activities of Non-Governmental Organisations from the Madrid Association of Political Scientists and Sociologists; he has been working in the field of development cooperation since 1994. He has worked as a volunteer for Spanish development NGOs and at UNESCO. He worked in consultancy and later served as the FPSC’s representative in the Middle East. He worked in business cooperation at ICEX and was a technical adviser to the AECID in Vietnam. A co-founder of the Aida Association (Aid, Exchange and Development), he was elected chair of the board of directors in 2003 and appointed director of the Association in 2005.