In-Country Media Sources for Chilean Earthquake Recovery

NEW YORK and SANTIAGO, Chile, April 21 /PRNewswire/ --

    
    
      The Impact of the Feb. 27 Earthquake on Chile's Business Environment
                            and Global Services Industry
    
                                   Hernan Orellana
          Secretary General, Association of Chilean ICT Companies (ACTI)
                                   Santiago, Chile
    
                                     Raul Rivera
                             Chairman of Foro Innovacion
                                   Santiago, Chile
    
                                   Mohit Srivastava
                          Country Manager, Evalueserve Chile
                                   Valparaiso, Chile

Seven weeks after the 8.8 earthquake shook Chile on February 27, initial concerns about the impact on Chile's strong economic growth and development of the past two decades has been replaced by optimism and global awareness of the country's resilience and financial prudence.  Although Santiago and the twin cities of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar - approximately 200 miles from the earthquake's epicenter - experienced strong tremors and aftershocks, life in these leading business hubs returned to normal within a few days of the earthquake.

Despite the earthquake's strength, thanks to Chile's stringent building codes, these cities experienced relatively little structural damage.  At the same time, Chile's disaster preparedness and quick response time ensured that critical infrastructure – including electricity, water, transportation and telecom – was restored in both cities within 72 hours of the quake, enabling businesses to quickly return to normal operations.

Business executives Hernan Orellana Hurtado (Secretary General, ACTI), Raul Rivera (Chairman, Foro Innovacion) and Mohit Srivastava (Country Manager, Evalueserve Chile)- the first two Chileans, the last an Indian running the multinational's operations in Chile – all experienced the earthquake first-hand, and are available to provide their own perspective on the event, recovery efforts and the earthquake's short- and long-term impact on business in Chile.

If you are seeking in-country commentary on Chile's business environment, and the global services industry in particular, and its prospects for continued economic growth in the wake of the earthquake, please do not hesitate to contact InvestChile-CORFO.  In addition to general in-country commentary on the earthquake, Hernan, Raul and Mohit can provide unique insight into:

• The private sector in Chile and the effects the earthquake has had on their businesses
• The minimal impact on the global services sector
• How quickly business operations were up and running after the earthquake
• The impact of the earthquake from a non-Chilean investor's perspective

Hernan Orellana Bio

Hernan is the Secretary General at ACTI, the Chilean Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) industry association, and has more than 20 years of experience in ICT industries. He leads several initiatives related to ICT public policies and government strategies for increasing digital penetration. He is also Director of the ICT School at the AIEP Institute and member of the Board of the Fundacion Educacional Montessori Pucalan and a member of the Executive Committee of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Circle at ICARE, a Chilean association that promotes business competitiveness.

Raul Rivera's Bio

Raul Rivera is the founding Chairman of the Innovation Forum, a nonprofit established by Chile's private sector whose aim is to promote the country's economic development through competitive innovation in business, education, and government.  He is a member of the Private-Public Strategic Council for Global Services, where he has actively supported the development of the offshoring industry in Chile.  Formerly, he was a partner of The Boston Consulting Group, directing BCG's expansion into Latin America.  Rivera is also President of the telecom expense management company TNX, with presence in Chile, Argentina, Mexico and Brazil.

Mohit Srivastava's Bio

Mohit Srivastava established Evalueserve's Latin American research center in Chile in 2006.  The center provides research and analytics services to the company's global client base and has grown to more than a hundred and fifty professionals in three years.  Mohit has been working in the KPO industry for the last decade and is a regular speaker on the outsourcing and offshoring industry.

SOURCE InvestChile-CORFO