RODOLFO ÁLVAREZ RAPAPORT
Apoquindo 3039 8th Floor, Las Condes
913 9600 (09) 9337-0855
Summary
Civil Industrial Engineer and MBA with broad experience in Management and Administration of Operations and Tech DevelopmentatEl Mercurio S.A.P(Newspapers & Media). Leadership in complex and demanding operations, studying and implementing challenging projects as well as the successful management of the associated processes of changeandcompliancerelatedcorporate goals. Strengths in strategic analysis, conceptualization, innovation, and structure creation as distinctive factors in order to improveefficiency and increase the competitive advantages of the business. Skills to train and lead multi-disciplinary teams, create innovation environments as well as motivating, delegating and building confidence.
Professional Experience: El Mercurio S.A.P. (1980-2010)
Operations Manager (1991-2010)
Management and Administration of Operations, macro-processes, projects andR&Doftechnologies:commercial, Web & IT’s.Responsible of proposing, studyingand managingall the technical investments of the Company to accomplish the objectives of sustainability and development of the Organization.
▪ Management of Operations,IT’s & Web services (content and ads), amidst permanent challenges, business changesand pressures of journalistic, commercial and technical contingency, achieving risk management, meeting quality, service and opportunity targets with an efficient structure capable of responding to the multiple internal market demands: readers and clients.Size of Operation:500 people.
▪ Maintenance of a reliable and high quality operation working 24/7, protecting the difficultsynchronism amongst an operation ofexcellence and integrity,asides from the pressure and contingencies of an extremely demanding process, in terms of public scrutiny and the fulfillment of rigorous standards of publishing web and printed products and services.
▪Strategic Planning and management of architecture, conceptual modeling of IT development and business processes. Analysis of market trends and its impacts in order to suggest strategies, targets or process changes or, refocusing the sales force, customer service or improving products.
▪ Management andcoordinationof theassemblyandpublicationof variousissuesof national importanceandveryrigorousin contentwhich arerequiredbygovernment agenciesto informthe citizenship: Patents(SII), PSU(University Selection Exam),Boards of Elections/Members of a Polling Station, among others.
▪ Managethe study and implementation of multiple projects of great magnitude and complexity, concluding successfully, with attractive IRR rates, which were essentialtomodernize, control and increase efficiency and organizational performance. Examples: projectSAP –ERP, CRM, BW’s, ISMedia (Logistics) and Web services– (SAP successful case) and the tech development of Emol, the most visited web site in Chile.
▪ Research, Design and development of diverse solutions or technological improvements where it is of vital importance understanding the relationship between different disciplines and the requirements of clients, commercialarea and/or users.
▪ Complete Optimization ofCommercial and Administrative processes, leading multi-disciplinary and transversal teams to improve productivity, business margins and the quality of services.
▪ Reengineering of several processes of change, always striving for continuous improvement and search for synergies, accomplishing sustained savings of 4% per year in theOperations expenses in the last 4 years, throughout productivity and efficiency increases in a positive working environment and agreements.
▪ Leadership and training of teams of different areas and occupations, creating commitments and ecosystems of innovation to motivate, assume challenges, achievement oriented thinking and facilitating coordination or decisions that add value.
▪ Successful goal achievement in the expenses budget (USD50 million per year) and of the investments budget (USD8 to 25 million), with the additional responsibility of proposing the best relationship between new projects and those that would assure the operational continuity in the Company.
▪ Ability to negotiate with technological suppliers, articulate contracts and attain partnerships of strategic cooperation with internal and external agents at a national and international level.
▪ Favorable negotiations with trade unions accomplishing theorganization objectives and with a good work environment, integrating all of the management teams that have dealt with negotiations in the last years.
Assistant Operations Mgr.(1985-1991)
Administrationof productive operations (contents & advertising) and commercial publishing, engineering projects, research and Development of manufacturing technologies and the publishing process of the El Mercurio S.A.P. newspapers. The main achievements were marked by: increased communication across areas, opening the productive processes inwards and outside of the Company, to increase the plant and equipment, improve productivity and extend services and the use of color towards the Sales Department and Advertising Agencies. FurthersupporttheSalesAreasto improvetheir processesinternally andwithcustomers.
Financial Studies Engineer (1983-1984)
Conceive models, perform financial and economic analysis, creating diverse programs to analyze and predict states or behavior of critical accounts in crisis times and to control the Cash Flow and budgets for concept based expenses. The result was to provide accurate information for the executive decisionmaking and to negotiate and fulfill the future commitments acquired with the Banks.
Project Engineer (1981-1982)
Assistant Director of Engineering and responsibleof coordinating Architects, Specialized Engineers and all of the Contractors and Foreign Technicians that worked in the different stages of the project:“New Building, Plant and Equipment, El Mercurio S.A.P.”, being an active part of the team that made it possible to develop the activities successfully, synchronizing time and cost.
Education
1997–1999MBA, Universidad Católica de Chile
1981–1985Civil Industrial Engineer, Universidad de Santiago de Chile
1985Bachelor of Engineering Sciences, Universidad de Santiago de Chile
1974–1981Mechanical Engineer, Universidad de Santiago de Chile
1965–1972Elementary, Middle and High School, Instituto Nacional
Professional Training
Creativity and Innovation: “2009 Corporate Entrepreneurship Program− Fundación Chile – University of CaliforniaBerkeley, Haas School of Business”.
Languages
English; good level of vocabulary and interaction.
Memberships
Member of the Chilean Engineers Institute(IICH).
Member of the Board of WAN-IFRA (Association for Newspaper and Media Publishing).
Honorary Volunteer of the Fire Fighters Departments of Santiago.
Other Activities
Editorial Columnist for a some years of the newspaper “La Segunda”.
Participation in many Research and Development Committees and Strategic Analysis of foreign companies in the IT field of newspapers.
1 / Rodolfo Álvarez - (09) 9337-0855