José Ángel Gurría
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
José Ángel Gurría Treviño (May 8, 1950, Tampico, Tamaulipas) is a Mexican economist and diplomat. He is the current secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) since 1 June 2006.
Gurría graduated with a bachelor's degree in Economics from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and undertook postgraduate studies at the University of Leeds, in the United Kingdom and at Harvard University, in the United States. He served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs (1994 – 1999) and as Secretary of Finance (1999 – 2000) in the Ernesto Zedillo administration. In Foreign Affairs he opposed the Helms-Burton Act and in Treasury he restructured the foreign debt. He also negotiaged the NAFTA and requested financial aid during the 1994 crisis.
Gurría has also been President and CEO of the National Development Bank (Nafin) of Mexico and President and CEO of the Foreign Trade Bank (Bancomext). From 2003 to 2005 he was a chair member of the Inter-American Development Bank's External Advisory Group.
He was the architect of the economic stabilization of the economy, partially by cutting government spending six times during the Zedillo administration. The effect of his work has been felt during Vicente Fox's administration who nominated him to lead the OECD in July 2005.
Gurría speaks six languages: Spanish, French, English, Portuguese, Italian and German.
