Rodrigo Álvarez Zenteno

Rodrigo Álvarez Zenteno
Member of the Constitutional Convention
In office
4 July 2021 – 4 July 2022
PresidentSebastián Piñera
Constituency28th District
Minister of Energy
In office
22 July 2011 – 27 March 2012
Preceded byFernando Echeverría
Succeeded byJorge Bunster
Undersecretary of Finances
In office
11 March 2010 – 22 July 2011
Preceded byMaría Olivia Recart
Succeeded byJulio Dittborn
President of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
11 March 2010 – 22 July 2011
Preceded byFrancisco Encina
Succeeded byAlejandra Sepúlveda
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
11 March 1998 – 11 March 2010
Preceded byVicente Karelovic
Succeeded byMiodrag Marinovic
Constituency60th District
Personal details
Born (1966-07-30) 30 July 1966
PartyUnión Demócrata Independiente
Other political
affiliations
Acción Republicana[1]
SpouseFrancisca Alcaíno
Children3
Alma mater
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionLawyer

Rodrigo Álvarez Zenteno (born 30 July 1966) is a Chilean lawyer, academic, and politician.

A member of the Independent Democratic Union, he served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile for the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region between 1998 and 2010, including as President of the Chamber from 2009 to 2010.

He later served as Minister of Energy between 2011 and 2012 during the first administration of President Sebastián Piñera. Then, he was vice-president of the Constitutional Convention.[2][3][4]

Early life and family

Álvarez was born on 30 July 1966 in Punta Arenas, Chile.[5] He is the son of Manuel Álvarez and Lucía Zenteno.[5]

He is married to Pamela Serra Freire and has five children.[5]

Education and academic career

Between 1972 and 1979, Álvarez completed his primary and secondary education at Colegio Miss Sharp and Colegio San José in Punta Arenas, later graduating from Liceo Salesiano San José in 1983.[5]

He studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, qualifying as a lawyer on 28 May 1990.[5] In 1993, he obtained a PhD in Law from the University of Navarra, Spain, with a doctoral thesis titled The Venture Capital Financing System: Legal and Business Aspects.[5]

Between 1996 and 1997, he completed a Master of Laws degree at Harvard University.[5]

Álvarez developed an academic career at the Faculty of Law of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where he taught Commercial Law (1993–2009), Tax Law (1994–2000; 2006), and Competition Law (1996; 1998–2006).[5] He also served as academic secretary of the postgraduate and Master’s programs in Business Law at the same institution.[5]

He additionally taught at the Austral University of Chile, University for Development, Finis Terrae University, Adolfo Ibáñez University, University of Atacama, and Alonso Ovalle University.[5]

Professional career

Between 1990 and 2003, Álvarez practiced law and advised companies on tax, commercial, and competition law matters.[5] From 1995 to 1997, he worked in the Legal and Tax Advisory Department of Price Waterhouse.[5]

Between 2000 and 2003, he was a partner at the law firm Passano, Álvarez y Compañía.[5] From 2007 onward, he joined the law firm Pérez de Arce Abogados.[5]

He has served as president of the Association of Food and Beverage Industries of Chile (AB Chile) and as a board member of the Society for Industrial Development of Chile (SOFOFA).[5] In 2017, he presented his candidacy for the presidency of SOFOFA but later withdrew.[5]

Political career

Álvarez began his political activity in 1987 as president of the Student Council of the Faculty of Law at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.[5] In 1988, he joined the Independent Democratic Union, where he served as vice president of the party’s youth wing.[5]

Between 2006 and 2008, he was a member of the national leadership of the Independent Democratic Union, serving as vice president of the party.[5]

He was elected as a deputy for District No. 60 of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region, serving three consecutive terms between 1998 and 2010.[5] On 19 March 2009, he was elected President of the Chamber of Deputies, holding the position until 10 March 2010.[5]

In March 2010, Álvarez was appointed Undersecretary of Finance.[5] On 22 July 2011, he was appointed Minister of Energy by President Sebastián Piñera.[5] He resigned from the position on 26 March 2012, a resignation that was accepted by the President.[5]

In the December 2010 parliamentary elections, he ran for re-election as a deputy for District No. 21 of the Metropolitan Region but was not elected.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Partido Republicano de Kast se lanza el lunes: dos diputados, cuatro regiones y las parlamentarias en la mira". La Tercera. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Rodrigo Álvarez, vicepresidente de la Convención Constitucional: "Creo que el principal problema ha sido visiones muy refundacionales, muy extremas en determinadas posiciones"". Plataforma Contexto. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Rodrigo Álvarez, vicepresidente CC: «Se formó un cuadro de desconfianza que hace imposible que Rodrigo Rojas Vade siga en su cargo»". Radio Concierto. 6 September 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Constituyente Rodrigo Álvarez (UDI): "La nueva Constitución no es para un Presidente, sino que para las próximas cuatro décadas"". El Líbero. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Rodrigo Álvarez Zenteno". Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-01-04.