President Piñera appoints new ministers of Social Development, Health, Energy, Public Works, Finance and Foreign Affairs
The President reiterated the government’s commitment to economic development, in order to keep Chile moving forward, to strengthen public safety and to protect the middle class and low-income sectors.
On Thursday, President Sebastián Piñera appointed new ministers of Social Development, Health, Energy, Public Works, Finance and Foreign Affairs.
Sebastián Sichel Ramírez was appointed Social Development and Family Minister. He holds a law degree and a master’s degree in Public Law from the Universidad Católica and has served as Assistant Director of the National Tourism Service, Executive Director of Giropaís and, more recently, Executive Vice President of the Production Development Corporation, Corfo.
Dr. Jaime Mañalich Maxi, who holds a medical degree from the Universidad de Chile and also completed graduate studies abroad, returns to the post of Health Minister, which he held from 2010 to 2014.
The administration’s new Energy Minister will be Juan Carlos Jobet Eluchans, a commercial engineer with a degree from Universidad Católica who attended graduate school at Harvard University. Jobet has been the Chief Advisor to the Interior and Public Safety Minister, Undersecretary of Housing and Urban Development and Labor and Social Welfare Minister. He is currently the General Manager of the Infrastructure Fund.
Alfredo Moreno Charme, who until today had been the Social Development and Family Minister, has been appointed Public Works Minister. He holds a degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Chicago. He has worked as the President of Fundación Teletón, Foreign Affairs Minister and President of the Confederation of Industry and Trade.
The Finance Ministry will be directed by Juan Andrés Fontaine, a commercial engineer with a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Chicago who was serving as Public Works Minister. Fontaine has previously served as Finance Minister, Research Manager for the Central Bank, a board member for several firms and has taught at prestigious universities.
Finally, the new Foreign Affairs Minister is Teodoro Ribera Neumann, an attorney who holds a Doctorate of Law from Julius Maximilian University (Wurzburg, Germany). He has been a Congressman and rector of the Universidad Autónoma de Chile, a member of the Constitutional Court, a professor of Law at the Universidad de Chile and Justice Minister.
“I have listened to the concerns and worries of all Chileans, and my administration has three basic priorities: to keep our economy moving so that it continues to grow and create jobs; to improve the protection of our middle class and low-income sectors; and to increase public safety and ensure that our families live in peaceful communities”, President Piñera stated.
“I also want to express that I am fully committed, as is my entire administration, to continuing to dedicatedly seek out paths towards dialogue and agreements, which are the most productive for achieving the goals of all Chileans”, he added.