PRESIDENT ENRIQUE PEÑA NIETO APPOINTS TWELVE AMBASSADORS AND CONSULS

The Foreign Ministry reports that President Enrique Peña Nieto, by virtue of the powers conferred upon him by Article 89 of the Mexican Constitution, has appointed twelve new ambassadors and consuls to various posts abroad.

The appointments, which have been submitted to the Senate for ratification, are:

Juan José Bremer de Martino as ambassador of Mexico to Cuba. He received a law degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). In his diplomatic career, he has been Mexico’s ambassador to the UK, the United States, Spain, Germany, the Soviet Union and Sweden. He was also Chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies. He is the author of The End of the Cold War and the Wild New World and Times of War and Peace.

Luis Alfonso de Alba Góngora as ambassador to Austria, concurrent to the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Slovenia (subject to approval by those countries). He will also serve as Mexico’s Permanent Representative to the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), the United Nations Office in Vienna, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency, based in Vienna, Austria.

De Alba is a career diplomat. He joined the Mexican Foreign Service in 1983 and in 2001 was promoted to the rank of ambassador. He studied in the Institut d'Etudes des Relations Internationales in France. He has served, among other positions, as Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York and to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland. He was also Alternate Representative to the Organization of American States in Washington, DC.

Jaime Manuel del Arenal Fenochio as ambassador to Ecuador. He received a law degree from the Escuela Libre de Derecho and a Master of Law degree from the University of Navarra. During his diplomatic career, he has been posted in Spain as both the Director of the Mexico Institute and the embassy’s cultural counselor. He is the author of ten books, two anthologies, two collections of laws and about 70 articles on legal history. He was awarded the Primera Palma de Oro for 28 years as a professor at the Escuela Libre de Derecho.

Agustín García-López Loaeza as ambassador to France and, concurrently and subject to approval, to the Principality of Monaco. He holds a Master's degree in economics from Columbia University. He joined the Mexican Foreign Service in 1989. During his diplomatic career, he has served as ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Executive Director for Mexico and the Dominican Republic to the Inter-American Development Bank and the Inter-American Investment Corporation. He was Director General of International Financial Affairs in the Finance Ministry and Director General of International Economic Cooperation in the Foreign Ministry.

Jose Ignacio Madrazo Bolivar as ambassador to Denmark and, concurrently and subject to approval, to Iceland and Norway. He is a career diplomat, having joined the Foreign Service in 1987 and attaining the rank of ambassador in 2011. He studied at El Colegio de Mexico and holds a certificate in European Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science. During his diplomatic career, he has served as Director General for Europe at the Foreign Ministry, Deputy Head of Mission at Mexico’s embassy in Canada, Secretary to the ambassador in the United States and Head of the Political Section and Congressional Relations in Mexico’s embassy in the U.S.

Mariano Palacios Alcocer as ambassador to the Holy See. He holds a PhD in Law from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). During his diplomatic career, he has served as Mexico's ambassador to Portugal. He was also Governor of Queretaro; Mayor of Queretaro City; Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare; Attorney General for Environmental Protection and Chair of the SEDESOL Advisory Council. He has also been a professor in the Division of Graduate Studies at the UNAM Faculty of Law.

Norma Bertha Pensado Moreno as ambassador to Finland and, concurrently and subject to approval, to Estonia. She graduated with a degree in economics from the UNAM and entered the Mexican Foreign Service as a career diplomat in 1991. She became ambassador in 2006. During her diplomatic career she has served as ambassador to Sweden; Undersecretary for Latin America and the Caribbean; Director General for Latin America and the Caribbean; Director General for Europe; Counselor of Mexico’s delegation to the OECD in Paris and Deputy Representative to Mexico’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Vienna, Austria.

Julian Ventura Valero as ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. He is a career diplomat who joined the Foreign Service in 1990 and rose to the rank of ambassador in 2006. He studied history at the University of British Columbia. During his diplomatic career, he has served as Undersecretary for North America; Deputy Head of Mission in Mexico’s embassy in the United States; Alternate Representative to the OAS; Political Affairs Officer in Cuba; and Director General for Asia Pacific. He has had various responsibilities related to Mexico’s bilateral relationship with the People's Republic of China.

Francisco Eduardo del Rio Lopez as Consul General of Mexico in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He is a career diplomat, having joined the Foreign Service in 1977 and rising to the rank of ambassador in 1998. He received a degree in economics from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). During his diplomatic career, he has served as ambassador to Argentina and Nicaragua; Director General of Protocol; Director General of Latin America and the Caribbean; Private Secretary to the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs; Alternate Representative in Belgium and the European Union; and Deputy Head of Mission in the United States, Spain and France.

Francisco Javier Diaz de Leon as Consul General of Mexico in Raleigh, North Carolina (United States). He is a career diplomat who joined the Foreign Service in 1991 and was promoted to Minister in 2012. He has a degree in International Relations from the Iberoamericana University and a Master’s degree in International Conflict Analysis from the University of Kent. During his diplomatic career, he has served as Executive Director of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad; Adviser in the Office of the Undersecretary for North America; Head of Migrant and Hispanic Affairs at Mexico’s embassy in the U.S.; Deputy Consul in San Diego and New York and Economic Officer in Australia.

Claudia Franco Hijuelos as Consul General of Mexico in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She is a career diplomat who joined the Foreign Service in 1980 and was promoted to Minister in 2008. She holds a PhD from The Johns Hopkins University and a degree in International Relations from El Colegio de Mexico. During her diplomatic career, she has served as Alternate Representative of Mexico to the OECD; Minister for Political Affairs in the European Union; and Technical Secretary to the Foreign Secretary. She has also been International Affairs Coordinator in the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare.

Roberto Rodriguez Hernandez as Consul General of Mexico in Phoenix, Arizona (United States). He is a career diplomat who joined the Foreign Service in 1977 and rose to the rank of ambassador in 2002. He received a law degree from the National Autonomous University of Morelos. During his diplomatic career he has served as Director General for the Protection of Mexicans Abroad; Director General for Consular Affairs; Consul in El Paso, Texas; in Nogales, Arizona; and in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Deputy Chief of Mission at the Mexican embassy in Hungary and Deputy Consul in Laredo, Texas and San Francisco, California.