Francisco Pérez Mackenna
Francisco Pérez Mackenna | |
|---|---|
Pérez Mackenna in 2026 | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs | |
| Assumed office 11 March 2026 | |
| President | José Antonio Kast |
| Preceded by | Alberto van Klaveren |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 March 1958 Santiago, Chile |
| Party | Independent |
| Relatives | Rodrigo Pérez Mackenna (brother) |
| Alma mater | Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (BBA) University of Chicago (MBA) |
| Occupation | Economist |
José Francisco Pérez Mackenna (born 16 March 1958) is a Chilean economist, business administrator, businessman, academic, consultant, researcher, and business association leader.
He previously served as president of the Chilean Association of Pension Fund Administrators (Asociación de AFP), which represents the companies that manage the country’s private pension system. On 20 January 2026, he was nominated as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the incoming government of President-elect José Antonio Kast, a post he is scheduled to assume on 11 March 2026.[1]
Early life and education
Pérez Mackenna is the eldest of four siblings.[2][3] His father, Francisco Pérez Concha, was a business administrator, and his mother, María de la Luz Mackenna Dávila, worked as a secretary at Codelco during the period of Anaconda Copper.[2][3][4]
He attended Saint George's College and later the Colegio Tabancura, where he completed his secondary education.[2] In 1980, he graduated as a business administrator (ingeniero comercial) from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where he received the Óscar Balic Award as the top graduate of his class.[2][3][5]
He later pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Chicago in the United States, where he received the Henry Ford II Award as the top graduating student and the Wall Street Journal Award in finance.[2][3]
Marriage and family
Since 1978, Pérez Mackenna has been married to María Teresa Ojeda Acuña. The couple has eight children.[3][6]
Professional career
After returning to Chile, Pérez Mackenna worked as a full-time professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.[7] He later co-founded a consulting firm with Juan Bilbao and Alfredo Moreno. He subsequently joined Citicorp Chile and later Bankers Trust, where he became Manager of Administration and Finance at AFP Provida.[2][8]
In 1991, he entered the real sector after being recruited by Andrónico and Guillermo Luksic. He became CEO of Compañía Cervecerías Unidas (CCU), a position he held until 1998. In July of that year, he was appointed CEO of Quiñenco, the holding company for the industrial businesses of the Luksic Group.[2][9]
Public career
During his youth, Pérez Mackenna was affiliated with the center-right party National Renewal, having joined at the invitation of Jaime Guzmán prior to the founding of the Independent Democratic Union.[3] He later resigned from party membership upon assuming the presidency of the AFP's Association of Chile, a role in which he developed his profile as a business association leader.[10]
References
- ^ "Un biministro, una atleta olímpica y la hermana del arzobispo Chomali: El gabinete de José Antonio Kast". Teletrece (in Spanish). 20 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Estrategia". Estrategia (Santiago). 21 March 2005. p. 20.
- ^ a b c d e f "Estrategia". Estrategia (Santiago). 29 October 2007. p. 26.
- ^ "Genealogía de la familia Pérez". Genealog.cl. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- ^ "El Mercurio". El Mercurio (Santiago). 1 February 2004. p. B1. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ "Genealogía de la familia Pérez". Genealog.cl. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- ^ "El Mercurio". El Mercurio (Santiago). 1 February 2004. p. B1.
- ^ "El Mercurio". El Mercurio (Santiago). 1 February 2004. p. B1.
- ^ "El Mercurio". El Mercurio (Santiago). 1 February 2004. p. B1.
- ^ "Presidentes de la Asociación". Asociación de AFP. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.