Antonio Walker
Antonio Walker | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait (2020) | |
| Minister of Agriculture | |
| In office 11 March 2018 – 6 January 2021 | |
| President | Sebastián Piñera |
| Preceded by | Carlos Furche |
| Succeeded by | María Emilia Undurraga |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 June 1961[citation needed] |
| Spouse | Andrea Lecaros |
| Children | 6 |
| Parent(s) | Ignacio Walker Concha Isabel Margarita Prieto Vial |
| Relatives | Matías, Patricio and Ignacio (brothers)[1][2][3][4] |
| Occupation | Politician |
José Antonio Walker Prieto (born 28 June[citation needed] 1961) is a Chilean politician and lawyer.
Biography
[edit]He is the son of Ignacio Walker Concha and Isabel Margarita Prieto Vial, and the fifth of nine siblings of the Walker Prieto family. He is the brother of former senators Patricio Walker and Ignacio Walker, and of senator Matías Walker. He has been married since 1991 to Andrea Lecaros, with whom he has six children: Antonio, Andrés, Vicente, Martín, Raimundo and Matías.[5]
He studied at Saint George's College and Colegio San Ignacio El Bosque in Santiago. He later graduated from INACAP as an agricultural technician and subsequently completed a Fruit Science major at the California State Polytechnic University.[6]
Professional career
[edit]He devoted his career to agriculture and is the founder of the agricultural company Wapri, dedicated to fruit production and export for more than two decades. He served as its general manager and, in 2004, reached the milestone of exporting its 200 millionth box of fruit.[7]
He was also a prominent trade association leader in the Maule Region and nationally. In 2010, he was elected president of Fedefruta, serving until 2012, and was also president of Fruséptima, a trade association representing fruit producers in Maule.[8]
He served as director of the National Agriculture Society (SNA) and is a member of the Productivity Commission of the Confederation of Production and Commerce (CPC).
Political career
[edit]An independent politician close to Political Evolution (Evópoli).[9]
He was invited to join the first administration of President Sebastián Piñera, which he declined.[10] During Piñera’s second administration, however, he accepted the proposal and became Minister of Agriculture.[11]
He has been recognized for promoting cooperativism among small-scale farmers and for supporting legislative initiatives, including the so-called “Ley Arbolito,” a bill aimed at protecting urban trees in Chile.[12]
He resigned from office on 6 January 2021 in order to run for a seat in the Constitutional Convention representing District No. 17 in the April 2021 election, but was not elected.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ "El hermano de los Walker que llega al gabinete de Piñera". Canal 13. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "El "independiente" del clan Walker que asumirá en Agricultura bajo el Gobierno de Sebastián Piñera". Emol. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "Los negocios privados del nuevo equipo económico de Piñera". Ciper. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "Lecciones de vida: Antonio Walker, ministro de agricultura". Revista Capital. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- ^ "Anales de la República; Antonio Walker Prieto". Anales de la República (in Spanish). 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Antonio Walker Prieto". Consejo Nacional de Innovación para el Desarrollo (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ^ "Privatización del agua: la causa de la crisis sanitaria detrás de los aluviones". Radio Universidad de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ "Antonio Walker Prieto, el empresario agrícola que estará a cargo del ministerio de Agricultura". El Desconcierto (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ^ "Lecciones de vida: Antonio Walker, Ministro de Agricultura". Capital (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ^ "El hermano de los Walker que llega al gabinete de Piñera". T13 (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ^ "El "independiente" del clan Walker que asumirá en Agricultura bajo el Gobierno de Sebastián Piñera". Emol (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ^ "Proyecto "Ley Arbolito" seguirá recogiendo opiniones de expertos antes de ser presentado". Radio Agricultura (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ^ "Candidato constituyente Antonio Walker sobre el agua". Radio Duna (in Spanish). 14 January 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
External links
[edit]- Antonio Walker on X