Alacero – Bogota, Colombia – May 13, 2014. The Board of Directors of Alacero, the Latin American Steel Association, appointed Dr. Rafael Rubio as the new General Director of the institution to replace Guillermo Moreno, during its semi-annual meeting that took place today in Bogota, Colombia.
During the event, the Board of Alacero also recognized and acknowledged Mr. Moreno´s contributions to the institution. Guillermo Moreno will remain close to Alacero in the role of senior consultant. The appointment of Rafael Rubio responds to Alacero’s need to continue and strengthen its essential objectives: 1 ) promote the industrialization of Latin America, a process in which the steel value chain plays a crucial role, 2 ) advocate for fair international trade conditions in the region that enable the local industry to compete and develop, and 3) promote the advantages of steel as a material in its various applications and the contributions of the industry to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the region.
With a 25-year career in the steel industry, before his arrival to Alacero, Dr. Rafael Rubio worked in the area of Institutional Relations of Ternium Mexico. His extensive experience includes the participation in many industry-related and international trade institutions, including his roles as President of the Foreign Trade Commission of the National Chamber of the Iron and Steel Industry (Canacero) and Chairman of the Economy and Institutional Relations Committee of the Latin American Steel Association (Alacero). He also contributes actively in the North American Steel Trade Committee (steel trilateral North American organization), the North American Staff Group of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) and the Economic Committee of the World Steel Association (worldsteel). He is a member of the Board of the Mexican Council for Foreign Trade (Comce Northeast), the Chamber of the Transformation Industry of Nuevo Leon (Caintra) and the Committee of Foreign Trade of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers of Mexico (Concamin).
He has also participated in several international negotiations of the steel industry and has represented the sector in all the free trade agreements signed by Mexico; including the coordination of the negotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA 1993). Currently, he represents the Mexican Private Sector in the Trade Remedies Chapter that negotiates the Trans-Pacific Economic Partnership (TPP). Rafael Rubio is Ph.D. and Master in Economics from Cornell University (USA) and has a degree in Economics from the Institute of Technology and Superior Studies of Monterrey (Mexico).
About Alacero
Alacero –Latin American Steel Association- is the organization that brings together the Steel Value Chain of Latin America to promote the values of regional integration, technological innovation, corporate responsibility and social and environmental sustainability. Founded in 1959, Alacero is formed by 48 companies of 25 countries, whose production –of about 70 million annual tons- represents 95% of the steel manufactured in Latin America. Alacero is a Special Consulting Organization to the United Nations and is recognized as International Non-Government Organization by the Republic of Chile, host country of Alacero´s headquarters.