Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal
Mr. Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, on April 19, 1957. He obtained his B.A. in Economics at the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon, and later pursued graduate studies in Economics at the Arizona State University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Guajardo was Chief Economist of the Brazil Section, and Associate Economist in the Fiscal Affairs Department at the International Monetary Fund (1988-1991), before becoming Director of the North American Free Trade Agreement Affairs Office, based at the Embassy of Mexico in Washington, D. C. (1994).
At the Federal Government, Mr. Guajardo has held different positions. From 1994 to 1997 he was Chief Clerk at the Foreign Affairs Ministry; in 1997 he became Undersecretary of Tourism Development; and in 1998 he was appointed Technical Secretary for Planning, Communication and Liaison for the Trade and Industrial Development Ministry, positioned he held until 1999.
Mr. Guajardo was elected Federal Deputy in the LVIII Legislature (2000-2003), before being appointed in Nuevo Leon as Head of the Governor's Executive Office (2003-2006). In 2006, he ran as candidate for Congress for the First Local District of Monterrey, position that he won, becoming leader of the Minority Group of the Nuevo Leon State Congress, in the LXX Legislature.
His latest positions were as Federal Congressman for the Second District of Nuevo Leon; Chairman of the Economics Commission; Member of the Treasury and Public Credit Commission; and President of the Mexico-U.S.A. Friendship Group at the LXI Legislature of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies; Coordinator of the Entrepreneurial Liaison in the Presidential Campaign of Mr. Enrique Pena Nieto; and Vice Coordinator of Political Economy in the Transition Team of President-elect Mr. Enrique Pena Nieto.
He has been a full time Professor at the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon; and Assistant Professor at the Arizona State University and the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania.
On December 1st of 2012, Mr. Guajardo Villarreal was appointed as Secretary of the Economy by President Enrique Pena Nieto.
