Álvaro Saieh Bendeck (born September 14, 1949) is a Chilean academic, economist, and businessman. He is the chairman of CorpGroup, one of Chile’s largest conglomerates.
Married to Ana Guzmán Ahnfelt, they have five children: Jorge Andrés, María Soledad, Francisca, Catalina y Consuelo.
As of 2016, Forbes listed him as the 810th wealthiest person in the world, and 7th in Chile.
Early life
Álvaro Saieh was born on September 14, 1949, in Villanueva (La Guajira), Colombia. Of Arabic ancestry, his parents are Chilean José Saieh and Colombian Elena Bendeck.
At the age of three his family moved to Talca, Chile, where they started Casa Saieh, a family business that offered from electrical appliances to clothing. In this city, he started his education, finishing high school at Liceo Abate Molina. At 17 years old he moved to Santiago to pursue a degree in commercial engineering at Universidad de Chile, from which he graduated in 1972. In 1973 he started a postgraduate degree in Economics at the same university. Later, he attended The University of Chicago, were he pursued a master´s degree in arts (1976) and a PhD in economics.
His first years as a professional he worked in the public sector, being an economic adviser for the Ministerio de Vivienda y Urbanismo and the Ministerio de Obras Públicas. He was also an economic adviser for the Banco Central de Chile and delegate of the Superintendencia de Bancos at Banco Continental.
| Álvaro Saieh Bendeck | ||
|---|---|---|
| Personal details | ||
| Born | Álvaro Andrés Saieh BendeckSeptember 14, 1949 (age 67) Villanueva, Colombia | |
| Residence | Santiago, Chile | |
| Nationality | Chilean | |
| Spouse | Ana Guzmán Ahnfelt | |
| Children | Jorge Andrés, María Soledad, Francisca, Catalina y Consuelo | |
| Alma mater | Universidad de Chile | |
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