Luis Felipe Gazitúa recognized as engineer of the year
At its annual ceremony, the Chilean Engineers Association honored the CMPC Chairman with the institution’s highest award in the “Person” category. The other winners were Schwager in the “Company” category and José Orlandini, president of Sonda, in the “Management” category.
In an emotional ceremony in front of more than 150 people, the Chilean Association of Engineers gave the 2024 engineer of the year award to CMPC Chairman Luis Felipe Gazitúa. The institution recognizes the engineer, company or organization that has been most outstanding in areas such as the development and introduction of new materials, methods, new techniques and quality in construction as well as works executed, services rendered, studies or projects carried out that contribute to the development of the country and the standard of living of its residents, among others.
In addition to Gazitúa in the “Person” category, this year Schwager was recognized in the “Company” category and José Orlandini, president of Sonda, in the “Management” category. The awards were presented at the offices of the Chilean Engineers Association in Providencia.
In his speech, and before the attentive gaze of family, friends and other outstanding engineers at the national level, CMPC Chairman Luis Felipe Gazitúa, said regarding this award, “I accept this not in recognition of my career, but as recognition of the impact of the professional activities I have pursued over the last 46 years together with countless people, loyal and committed teams, who have come along with me, taught me and proved to me that the greatest progress is always achieved together. I feel there is an implicit commitment in this recognition, which I truly value, to remain committed to sustainably managing companies and contributing with quality jobs, investment and growth.”
“I’ve always liked engineering and found it very interesting, not only the subjects I studied, but also machinery in general. Working in productive industries using machines that were created and run by engineers enable us to extend the reach of human capabilities and create the kinds of conditions for development never seen before in the history of mankind,” explained the CMPC Chairman.
President of the Engineers Association, Hernán de Solminihac said, “Giving these awards is important because it helps spread awareness about the professional contribution of two engineers and one company to the development of Chilean engineering. In addition, the work carried out by the award winners has positioned Chile and its national talent at the highest international level. By honoring them, we inspire other engineers and the next generation of youth. Finally, engineering is is made visible by the people that are part of it. Without people and companies, there is no engineering.”
The National Prize of the College of Engineers has been awarded since 1992. Past winners include Ernesto Ayala, historic former president and former CEO of CMPC; Sergio Jiménez, who received the distinction in 2023; as well as Gloria Hutt, Sergio Bitar, Carlos Massad, Roberto de Andraca, and others.
This new award for Luis Felipe Gazitúa, who has been chairman of CMPC since 2016, is the latest in addition to those he received in 2023 from EY as “Executive of the Year”, an award that honors the executive of a company recognized by the market, who has stood out for leading changes in that company or industry for an extended period of time, and another from the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of Chile when he was added to the FEN Alumni 2023 Circle of Honor, highlighting the professional excellence of its most prominent and noteworthy graduates on the national scene.
