• The Board of Directors of Fundación Chile (FCh) today ratified and formalized the appointment of Julio Pertuzé Salas as the institution’s new president, following his nomination by the President of the Republic, José Antonio Kast.

The engineer, academic and former Undersecretary of Economy takes on the role at a particularly symbolic moment for FCh, as in 2026 the organization marks five decades of promoting innovation, sustainable economic development, and collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Julio Pertuzé holds a degree in Industrial Civil Engineering from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, as well as an M.Sc. in Technology and Policy and a Ph.D. in Engineering Systems from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His career has been closely linked to innovation, technology transfer and entrepreneurship. In 2018, he led the Future Economy Unit at Chile’s Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism, and between 2020 and 2022 he served as Undersecretary of Economy and Smaller Enterprises. He is currently an associate professor at the School of Engineering of Universidad Católica and director of the university’s Master’s in Innovation program.

In the academic and international spheres, he has served as a member of the Conicyt Council, visiting professor at Cornell University, and member of UNESCO’s network of experts on the ethics of artificial intelligence.

Fundación Chile’s CEO, Hernán Araneda, welcomed Pertuzé’s appointment: “Julio’s arrival is excellent news for Fundación Chile. His track record in innovation, productive development and public policy, together with his deep knowledge of the scientific and technological ecosystem, will be a major contribution to projecting the institution’s work toward the challenges Chile faces.”

Araneda also referred to the State-appointed board members who officially began their work today: Carmen Luz Assadi, Raúl Figueroa and Bracey Wilson, together with Corfo’s Executive Vice President, José Ignacio Mujica, and the Director of the National Agency for Research and Development, Alejandra Pizarro. “The incorporation of the new board members strengthens the diversity of perspectives and capabilities that characterize our organization. Their experience will be essential to continue bringing stakeholders together around the major challenges of national development”.

Fundación Chile is a private-law, non-profit corporation with a public-private structure in terms of its partners, which are the State of Chile and BHP, through Minera Escondida Ltda. Accordingly, its Board of Directors is composed of twelve members: six appointed by the State of Chile and six appointed by Minera Escondida Limitada. The latter are René Muga, Cecilia Azar, Juan Carlos Román, Mariano Pola, Pamela Chávez and Celia Alvariño.

A global context redefined by artificial intelligence

Fundación Chile’s President, Julio Pertuzé, said he is taking on this new leadership role with enthusiasm: “I feel deeply honored to take on this major challenge. Fundación Chile is a unique organization in the country, one that has been key in anticipating challenges, promoting innovation and building solutions that have contributed to Chile’s productive, technological and social development.”

He added: “At a time when Chile needs to accelerate its growth and increase its competitiveness, Fundación Chile is placing at the country’s disposal a combination of technical expertise, execution capacity, multisectoral coordination and long-term vision.”

He also shared his vision for the future, stating: “We are facing a national and global context that is very different from anything we have known in the past, one that is being redefined by artificial intelligence. In this context, and given its impacts on employment, productivity, talent and other areas, Chile must urgently identify where the opportunities lie and which capabilities need to be strengthened. For 50 years, Fundación Chile has helped the country address the challenges of each era; today, it must fulfill that role with the same commitment and serve as a strategic partner for Chile in this new context.”