President Piñera appoints new Chilean Ambassadors abroad

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Roberto Ampuero, informed that the President of the Republic, Sebastián Piñera, has appointed new Chilean Ambassadors abroad.

These are Enrique Barriga Larraín in Honduras; Jaime Chomalí Garib in Vietnam; Mauricio Hurtado Navia in Cuba; Patricio Pradel Elgueta in the Czech Republic; Luis Schmidt Montes in the People's Republic of China and Renato Sepúlveda Nebel in El Salvador. All of them have already received their respective approvals.

Enrique Barriga Larraín

Ambassador Barriga is a public administrator and graduate of the Diplomatic Academy "Andrés Bello". He holds a Master's degree in International Humanitarian Law and Criminal Justice from the Universidad Obertat de Catalunya, Barcelona and a postgraduate specialization in the European Union from the Universidad Obertat de Catalunya.

He is currently Consul General of Chile in San Francisco. In addition, he was Consul of Chile in La Paz, Nairobi, Canberra and Kuala Lumpur. He has also worked at the Chilean Embassies in Denmark, Germany and Sweden.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he served in the Directorate of Consular Affairs and Immigration, the Diplomatic Academy, the Asia Pacific Directorate, the Directorate of European Affairs, the Directorate of South American Affairs and the Directorate of the Middle East and Africa.

Jaime Chomalí Garib

Ambassador Chomalí is a career diplomat, a graduate of the "Andrés Bello" Diplomatic Academy. He studied Law at the University of Chile and graduated in Legal Sciences at the University of Alcalá de Henares.

He has served in the Chilean Embassies in Spain, Italy, France and Brazil. Prior to this appointment, he served as our country's Ambassador-designate to China. Previously, he was Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has worked in the Consular Legal Department and in the Office of the Undersecretary. He has also been diplomatic coordinator of the Ministry of Public Works and the Presidency.

Mauricio Hurtado Navia

Ambassador Hurtado is a lawyer from the University of Chile and a graduate of the Diplomatic Academy. He has served at the Chilean Embassies in Indonesia, Brazil, China, Singapore and the United States. He was Programme Director at the Secretariat of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum.

In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has served as Deputy Director of Ceremonial and Protocol, in the Congressional Liaison Office and as Head of the Climate Change Department in the Environment Directorate. In addition, he was Chef de Cabinet to the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

Patricio Pradel Elgueta

Ambassador Pradel holds a degree in Law and Political Science from the University of Panama and has a law degree from the University of Chile. He is also a graduate of the "Andrés Bello" Diplomatic Academy. He has been Ambassador of Chile to Germany, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay.

During his diplomatic career he also served at the Chilean Embassies in Cuba, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Panama. He worked in the Chilean Mission to International Organizations in Geneva and as Consul General of Chile in Milan.

In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he was Deputy Director of Planning, Deputy Secretary of the Pro-Tempore Presidency of UNASUR, Head of the United Nations Department in the Directorate of Multilateral Affairs, Adviser in the cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Head of Cabinet of the Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

Luis Schmidt Montes

Ambassador Schmidt is a Mechanical Civil Engineer from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He was Chile's Ambassador to China during the previous administration of President Sebastián Piñera.

He was also President of the National Society of Agriculture and the National Federation of Fruit Producers. Also, Director of Fundación Chile, President of the Rural Sector Social Development Corporation (CODESSER) and Director of the National Training Institute (INACAP).

He also served as Director of CEPRI (Institución de Fomento Productivo de CORFO) and as a member of the board of the National Council for Cleaner Production.

Renato Sepúlveda Nebel

Ambassador Sepulveda studied Business Administration at Miami Dade College, holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Miami and pursued doctoral studies in Latin American Affairs at the University of Liverpool. He was Ambassador to El Salvador in the previous administration of President Sebastián Piñera.

He has been general manager and partner in several companies. From 2014 to date, he was Director of Community Development of the Municipality of Vitacura.

He was founder and General Secretary of the National Union Party (1985-1989). He later founded and held various posts in the National Renewal Party, including Secretary General and Acting President. He was a founding member of the Libertad Institute.