Colonel Mata joined the Army in 1982. In 1984, having completed

his studies at the Military Academy in Zaragoza, he was transferred

to the Guardia Civil Academy, where he was promoted in 1987 to

the rank of Lieutenant.

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In his early career he was in charge of several police stations along

the Spanish territory, where he gained valuable experience in

general security management, direction of criminal and

administrative investigations, administrative and fiscal regulations

and penal and procedural laws.

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In 1992 he was promoted to Captain, and he was posted as head

of the Group of Reserve and Security nº 3. This was a special unit

with the main missions of intervention in dangerous scenarios, such

as riots, provide security in special events and support departmental

units in their task of crime prevention.

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In 1999, with the rank of Major, he was transferred to the Guardia Civil Head Quarters of the province of Toledo, where firstly he carried out the duties of Head of the Support Area, and then Head on the Operational Area. Both positions gave him a good experience in the management of human and material resources and the direction and coordination of all police services inside the area of responsibility, including crime prevention and research.

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As Lieutenant Colonel, in 2009 he was appointed as Technical Secretary of the Coordination and Studies Office, which is the organ of support and advice through which the Secretary of State for Security carries out its role of coordinating and supervising the performance of State Police Forces. This Office is responsible for drawing up operational plans relating to public security, overseeing its implementation, periodically prepare and submit crime statistics, design and develop common training activities for members of the Security Forces, and auxiliary the Secretary of State for Security in its role as responsible of the National System for Critical Infrastructure Protection. He remained there until 2018, when he moved to Tel Aviv as Home Affairs Counsellor in the Embassy of Spain.

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He holds a Master degree in Management and Direction of Security issued by the University “Carlos III” of Madrid and several diplomas and certificates in leadership and management.