k6https://funpacifico.cl/en/quienes-somos/khttps://funpacifico.cl/en/quienes-somos/PASO

About us

The Chile Pacific Foundation (the Foundation) is the only public-private organization in Chile aimed at facilitating synergies focusing on policies aligned with the country’s projection towards the Asia Pacific region. It is against this backdrop that the Foundation hosts Chile’s National Secretariat for both the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC). These two councils formally bring up the voices of the Asia Pacific business and research communities into the APEC system.

The Foundation is legally linked to the Chilean State through the Undersecretariat of International Economic Relations, which is a government body under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It carries out a variety of activities throughout the year to bring about public debate on strategic topics. International trade of goods and services, policies to upgrade the country’s output potential, new trends of the economy, challenges and opportunities for foreign investment, the geopolitics of the Asia Pacific, the development and implementation of ESG standards, aspects impacting on global value and supply chains and prospects for the renewable energies industry, among several others topics, have been part of the Foundation’s agenda over the last few years, just to name some. Growing the knowledge among general public of cultural and political traits of Asia Pacific countries is also in the Foundation’s events.

Moving forward an across-the-board agenda

A significant number of businesses operating in the country, both local and foreign -including several leading multinationals- support the Foundation’s unique role by becoming members and participating in board sessions, as well as in public/private dialogues organized by the Foundation. Government officials, including the Vice-Minister of Trade (officially, Undersecretary of International Economic Relations) and the head of Chile’s exports promotion agency (ProChile), also have a sit on the board.

Different event formats are used to carry through the Foundation’s working program, including face-to-face and online activities, which incorporates closed-doors events depending on the nature and sensitivity of the topics. Additionally, the Foundation commissions and edits research and reports to delve into matters related to Chile’s economic and social development priorities. In many cases, it does so against the backdrop of development experiences across the Asia Pacific, which makes the Foundation one of the most influential institutions in Chile to bring closer and spread best practices from the region among decision-makers and influential opinion leaders.

Digital activities have been a strong line of work over the last several years, featuring the ad-honorem participation of world-class panelists. These events have enhanced and further boost the Foundation’s positioning as a bridge for engagement and communication between the public and private worlds in the country.  

Committed to a multi-stakeholder approach

As a result of an active, high-profile, multi-stakeholder approach initiated almost three decades ago, the Foundation has been able to build and strengthen networks with policymakers, opinion leaders and experts on a wide and growing range of strategic 21st century-related issues. Moreover, the Foundation has also built up an active network of followers that is currently composed of around 10,000 people, both locals and foreigners, including a large group of businesspeople (from CEOs to outstanding entrepreneurs), members of the academia, investors, high-level advisors, ambassadors and government officials.

The Foundation actively participates in the APEC/ABAC activities, including summits and general assemblies with privileged access to authorities and influential representatives from Asia Pacific governments and business community leading representatives. It has developed strong relationships with peer organizations, business committees and bilateral business councils between Chile and Asia Pacific countries, as well as with the most influential national business associations (CPC and SOFOFA) and chambers of commerce of Chile’s largest trading partners. The ABAC Chile members are highly recognized entrepreneurs and/or representatives of the business world invited by the President of the Republic of Chile to play this capacity.

The Foundation also closely follows the work of the Pacific Alliance Business Council (PBAC) and, among other things, organized the first formal meeting between ABAC and CEAP, which was held in October 2021. Regular engagement with diplomatic representatives of Asia Pacific countries is an important component of the Foundation’s work program as well.

You can have a look at the Foundation’s webinars and hybrid events here:

https://funpacifico.cl/en/webinars/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-6h3mmsGi52sgKkjSwFHMQ

History

Chile has been intensifying its relationship with Asia Pacific countries since the first half of the 1990s. In 1990, the country joined the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), while in 1994 became an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economy. The structure of these organizations -which are the most relevant in the region- required the participation of government, businesspeople, the academia and members of the civil society, so that it was clear that a broad taskforce was required to advance Chile’s involvement.

With the aim of strengthening the country’s ties with the Asia Pacific region, during the government of President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, former Minister Secretary General of the Presidency Edgardo Boeninger was commissioned to create an organization to build bridges between the public and private sectors as to the matters pertaining the country’s interest in the Asia Pacific region. It was against this backdrop that the Chile Pacific Foundation was born in 1994. A Foundation scheme facilitates the participation and donations of all the parties involved.

Legal Background

The Chile Pacific Foundation was created by public deed on November 2, 1994. Under a decree issued by the Ministry of Justice published in the Official Gazette under the number 13,468, the Foundation was granted legal personality. The Foundation’s statutes were approved on December 19, 1994, while the first session of the board of directors was held on December 19, 1994.

The Chile Pacific Foundation has been tasked with hosting the National Secretariat of some Asia Pacific fora. It also serves as a public-private institution out of a specific mandate by the Government of Chile, supporting long-term action pertaining to the strategic interests of Chile in the Asia Pacific region.

La Primera Sesión de Consejo Directivo se realizó el 19 de diciembre de 1994. El acta correspondiente se redujo a escritura pública con fecha 28 de diciembre de 1994, ante el Notario Público de Santiago,
don Álvaro Bianchi Rosas.

Se desempeña como Secretaría Nacional en algunos foros regionales en los que Chile participa, al tiempo que sirve como unidad operativa complementaria, consecuencia de la delegación y mandatos expresos del Gobierno de Chile, apoyando una actuación institucional y de largo plazo.

Board of Directors

Claudia Sanhueza, Undersecretary of International Economic Relations

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Ignacio Fernández, General Director of ProChile

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Manuel Agosin Truper, Former Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Chile.

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Charles Kimber, Vice President of People and Sustainability at Arauco

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Mario Larenas, Country Manager Chile at Freeport McMoRaN

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Iván Arriagada, Executive President of Antofagasta Minerals

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Ramón Jara, Director of Antofagasta Minerals S.A

Alternate Board Member of

Iván Arriagada ver biografía
Ricardo Briggs, Senior Partner at Deloitte Chile

First Vice president and Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Matías Concha Berthet, general manager at Marítima de Inversiones and Quemchi

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Gina Ocqueteau, Director of SQM, APCC, and Image Foundation of Chile

Alternate Board Member of

Patricio Contesse ver biografía
Patricio Contesse, Vice Chairman at SQM

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Amparo Cornejo, Vice President of Teck South America

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Carolina Musalem, Sustainability & External Affairs at Teck Resources

Alternate Board Member

Amparo Cornejo ver biografía
Ignacio Cueto Plaza, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Latam Airlines

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Juan José Tohá, Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at LATAM Group

Alternate Board Member of

Ignacio Cueto ver biografía
Jeffrey J. Dawes, Former CEO of de Komatsu Mining corp.

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Montserrat Galimany, Advisor to the President of Mitsubishi Chile

President and Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Luis Felipe Gazitúa Achondo, President of CMPC

Second Vice president and Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Guillermo José Turner Olea, Manager of Corporate Affairs of Empresas CMPC

Alternate Board Member of

Luis Felipe Gazitúa Achondo ver biografía
Óscar Hasbún, General Manager of Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores S.A.

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Cristián Lefevre, Market Segment Leader and President of EY Chile

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Janice Stein, Partner Latam China Investment Network Leader at E&Y Chile

Alternate Board Member of

Cristián Lefevre ver biografía
Vice Admiral Mr. Jorge Ibarra Rodríguez, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies of the Chilean Navy

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Rear Admiral Otto Mrugalski Meiser

Alternate Board Member

Vicealmirante Sr. Jorge Ibarra Rodríguez ver biografía
Pedro Lyon, Partner of Guerrero Olivos

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Ivan Marambio, President of ASOEX

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Marcello Marchese, CEO Gildemeister

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Enrique Marshall Rivera, Former Vice President of the Central Bank of Chile

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Máximo Pacheco, Chairman of the CODELCO board of directors

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Ambassador Pablo Arriarán, Head of the Asia Pacific Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Eduardo Rodríguez Guarachi, Former Ambassador of Chile

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Alberto Salas, President of INACAP

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Juan Enrique Rassmuss, President of CAP

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Ricardo Krause, Former President of CAP

Alternate Board Member of

Juan Rassmuss ver biografía
Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel Dunker, Economist

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Francisco Silva Silva, former president of Security

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Diego Yarur Arrasate, Corporate and International Development Manager at Bci

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Claudia Rivera, Regional Commercial Manager of Large Companies at BCI Bank

Alternate Board Member of

Diego Yarur Arrasate ver biografía
Wolf von Appen, Businessman, former President of Ultramar

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Henry Manzano, President at Tata Consultancy Services Latam

Regular Board Member

ver biografía

Executive Board

Montserrat Galimany, Advisor to the President of Mitsubishi Chile

President and Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Ricardo Briggs, Senior Partner at Deloitte Chile

First Vice president and Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Luis Felipe Gazitúa Achondo, President of CMPC

Second Vice president and Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Loreto Leyton

Executive Director

ver biografía

Manfred Wilhelmy von Wolff, Former Executive Director of Fundación Chilena del Pacífico

Honorary Advisors

ver biografía
Roberto de Andraca Barbas, Former President of CAP

Honorary Advisors

ver biografía
Ambassador Octavio Errázuriz Guilisasti

Honorary Advisors

ver biografía

Work areas

APEC Business Advisory Council

The Chile Pacific Foundation was early considered to played the role of National Secretariat of the Chilean chapter of ABAC (APEC Business Advisory Council). ABAC is an organization under the APEC system aimed at providing advise to the leaders of APEC, which is a forum of an economic nature, on issues pertaining to the overall business landscape in the Asia Pacific region. Since its inception in 1994, ABAC’s agenda has been incorporating the most relevant issues for the promotion of economic and social development in the region, from free trade and the expansion of the digitalization of the economy to climate change, among many others.

The members of ABAC are entrepreneurs and/or representatives of the business community invited by the President of the Republic. ABAC Chile operates with three full members and the same number of alternate members.

The host economy of APEC also chairs ABAC. ABAC moves his agenda forward throughout the year and hosts four annual meetings alongside a number of other sectorial, smaller meetings, workshops and the like. The most significant event is the ABAC Dialogue with Leaders, the only one of its kind in the world, which takes place after the fourth annual meeting. At this event, ABAC members and APEC leaders discuss the recommendations agreed upon in ABAC.

 

Regular ABAC Members

Ramón Jara, Director of Antofagasta Minerals S.A

Alternate Board Member of

Iván Arriagada ver biografía
Mónica Retamal, Executive Director of Kodea Foundation ver biografía
Cristián Lefevre, Market Segment Leader and President of EY Chile

Regular Board Member

ver biografía

Alternate ABAC Members

Charles Kimber, Vice President of People and Sustainability at Arauco

Regular Board Member

ver biografía
Patricia López, CAP Group Infrastructure Manager, President of the boards of Puerto Las Losas S.A. and Tecnocap, and Director of Aguas CAP ver biografía
María Olivia Recart

Director of Aclara – Lundin Mining – Santander Chile – Essbio/Esval

ver biografía

Related Publications

Press Release

Felicitamos a Cristian Lefevre, presidente de EY Chile -institución socia de la Fundación- por su nombramiento por el presidente Gabriel Boric a integrarse como miembro del Consejo Asesor Empresarial de APEC de Chile (ABAC, por sus siglas en inglés). El Sr. Lefevre se une al Consejo integrado por Monica Retamal, directora ejecutiva de Fundación Kodea; […]

See more

APEC Press Release: Second meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC II) en 2024

Descarga el comunicado.

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Press Release

The Chile Pacific Foundation / ABAC Chile is pleased to share with you the membership of Raimundo Page, president of CHILETEC – Association of Chilean Technology Companies, and Francisco Mardones, director of that same organization, to the Digital Trade Connect network (DTC), an initiative coordinated by the Asia Pacific Financial Forum (APFF), an organization part […]

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Annual Memories

Annual Memories

Annual Report 2023

Annual Report 2023

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Annual Memories

Report 2022

Ver Memoria

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Annual Memories

(Español) Memoria 2021 de la Fundación

Ver Memoria 2021

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