Fernando Echeverría
Fernando Echeverría | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Energy | |
| In office 18 July 2011 – 21 July 2011 | |
| President | Sebastián Piñera |
| Preceded by | Laurence Golborne |
| Succeeded by | Rodrigo Álvarez Zenteno |
| Intendant of Santiago Metropolitan Region | |
| In office 11 March 2010 – 18 July 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Igor Garafulic |
| Succeeded by | Cecilia Pérez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 September 1953 |
| Party | Renovación Nacional |
| Spouse | Francisca Alcaíno |
| Children | Three |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Politician entrepreneur |
| Profession | Civil engineer |
Fernando Echeverría Vial (born 19 November 1961) is a Chilean civil engineer and politician who served as Minister of Energy during the first government of Sebastián Piñera.[1]
Biography
Early life and education
He studied at Colegio San Ignacio in the Santiago commune of El Bosque and later pursued a degree in civil engineering at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) between 1972 and 1978.[2][3][4][5] He later obtained a diploma in business management from the University of Chile.
Although politically independent, those close to him describe him in his youth as opposed to the government of the Popular Unity (1970–1973).[4] It is noted that in that context his stance "clashed" with that of one of his brothers, Bernardo, who at the time was an active socialist militant.[4]
Professional career
In 1978,[6] shortly after graduating from university, he founded a construction company with two classmates, Francisco Javier Silva and Álvaro Izquierdo.[3][5] They began by building swimming pools and renovating homes until Pierre Lehmann, one of the owners of the construction firm Delta, commissioned them to build his retreat in Farellones.[2] This was followed by the renovation of the Embassy of Australia in Santiago and branches of Santiago Bank and Banco de Crédito e Inversiones.[2][5]
In 1982, he faced the severe economic crisis of that year from within one of the industries most affected nationwide. With no projects for a year and a half, he returned to salaried work, joining the Central Bank of Chile.[2] There he met his future wife, Francisca Alcaíno.[5] Three years later, the earthquake in central Chile generated strong demand for construction works, revitalizing the sector, after which he returned to his company.[5]
His involvement in business associations dates back to 1998, when he became vice president of the Contractors Committee of the Chilean Chamber of Construction (CChC). After that experience he remained active within the institution, serving as director, vice president of its affiliate Caja de Compensación Los Andes, and finally president of the trade association between 2002 and 2004, following the first competitive elections in three decades.[3][4][5]
His tenure as president was marked by controversy and involvement in what were described as "national issues".[4] First, when he demanded that Minister of Public Works Javier Etcheberry annul a multi-million-peso road tender;[2] later, during the so-called Gate Case, regarding 100 million pesos paid by contractor companies of the MOP for an environmental impact study that had no commercial value.[4] Echeverría publicly described the situation as "unacceptable".[5]
In 2001 he completed the Stanford Executive Program at the business school of Stanford University in the United States.
In December 2004 he unsuccessfully sought the presidency of the Confederation of Production and Commerce.[7]
Among his closest friends are the businesspersons Juan Ignacio Silva, Andrés Santa Cruz, José Cox, and the lawyer and politician Andrés Allamand.[4][5]
Political career
As a member of Renovación Nacional (RN), he was appointed in 2010 as Intendant of Santiago Metropolitan Region by the new President of Chile.[8] He left that position in July 2011 to assume office at the Ministry of Energy, where he remained for only three days, citing a potential conflict of interest.[9][10][11]
In 2012, as chairman of the board, he led the stock market debut of Echeverría Izquierdo on the Santiago Stock Exchange.[12]
References
- ^ "Fernando Echeverría renuncia al Ministerio de Energía por posible "conflicto de intereses"". La Tercera. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Capital (Santiago), 27 February 2003, p.46
- ^ a b c Estrategia (Santiago), 6 December 2004, p.32
- ^ a b c d e f g La Tercera (Santiago), 14 November 2004, p.20
- ^ a b c d e f g h Qué Pasa (Santiago), 13 November 2004, p.22
- ^ "Echeverría Izquierdo". Echeverría Izquierdo (in Spanish).
- ^ "El Mercurio (Santiago), 13 de diciembre de 2004, p.B2". El Mercurio (in Spanish). 13 December 2004. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^ "Designación de intendentes del nuevo gobierno". Emol (in Spanish). 4 March 2010.
- ^ "Nuevo gabinete de Piñera: Lavín a Mideplan, Golborne al MOP y Longueira a Economía". La Segunda (in Spanish). 18 July 2011.
- ^ "Echeverría renuncia a Energía por conflicto de interés y empaña cambio de gabinete por falta de prolijidad". El Mostrador (in Spanish). 21 July 2011.
- ^ "Recién nombrado ministro de Energía renuncia ante eventual conflicto de interés". Emol (in Spanish). 21 July 2011.
- ^ "Echeverría Izquierdo debuta en la Bolsa de Santiago con una recaudación de US$ 87 millones". Emol (in Spanish). 3 August 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2015.