Carlos Miguel Gutierrez (originally Gutiérrez; born November 4, 1953) is an American former CEO and former
United States Secretary of Commerce
The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...
. He is currently a Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of EmPath. Gutierrez is a former Chairman of the Board and
CEO of the
Kellogg Company
The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toas ...
.
[Strong Praise for Carlos Gutierrez]
He served as the 35th U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 2005 to 2009.
Early life and education
Gutierrez is of Spanish descent. He was born in
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. ,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, the son of a
pineapple
The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...
plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
owner. As a successful businessman, his father was deemed an enemy of the state by
Fidel Castro's regime.
[ Faced with the expropriation of their property following the ]Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution ( es, Revolución Cubana) was carried out after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état which placed Fulgencio Batista as head of state and the failed mass strike in opposition that followed. After failing to contest Batista in co ...
, Gutierrez's family fled for the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in 1960, when he was six years old, settling in Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
.
When it became apparent they would not be returning to Cuba, Gutierrez's father accepted a position with the H. J. Heinz Company
The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six contin ...
in Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
and later started his own business.[Answers.Com]
/ref> Gutierrez learned his first words of English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
from the bellhop at the hotel where they initially stayed and, some years later, he and his family acquired United States citizen
Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
ship.[Official biography at the Department of Commerce]
Gutierrez studied business administration at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education
Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) ( en, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education), also known as Tecnológico de Monterrey or just Tec, is a secular and Mixed-sex education, coeducational private ...
campus in Querétaro but never received a degree, making him the most recent U.S. Cabinet member without a college degree.
Kellogg Company
Gutierrez joined Kellogg's in Mexico in 1975, at the age of 22, as a sales representative and management trainee. One of his early assignments was driving a delivery-truck route around local stores.
Gutierrez rose through the management ranks. In January 1990 he was promoted to corporate vice president of product development at the company's headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan, and in July of that year, he became executive vice president of Kellogg USA. In January 1999, he was elected to the company's board of directors. In April he was appointed president and CEO, succeeding Arnold G. Langbo, becoming the only Latino CEO of a Fortune 500 company.[From Exile to Corporate Leadership]
/ref> Gutierrez was also the youngest CEO in the company's nearly 100-year history.[
In 1999, Kellogg faced a global decline or stagnation in cereal sales. Gutierrez's strategy, known as "Volume to Value," was to increase sales by focusing resources on higher-margin products. Higher-margin products targeted specific markets and included products such as ]Special K
Special K is an American brand of breakfast cereal and meal bars manufactured by Kellogg's. The cereal was introduced to the United States in 1955. It is made primarily from grains such as lightly toasted rice, wheat and barley. Special K used ...
, Kashi
Kashi or Kaashi may refer to:
Places
* Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India
**Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas
**Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi
* Kashgar, a cit ...
, and Nutri-Grain
Nutri-Grain is a brand of breakfast cereal and breakfast bar made by the Kellogg Company. In Australia and New Zealand Nutri-Grain is a breakfast cereal made from corn, oats, and wheat. The pieces are shaped like bricks.
In the United States, C ...
bars. Extra income would fund advertising, promotions, and R&D, which would encourage further high-margin sales growth. "Volume is a means to an end--not an end," he said. "What counts is dollars."[The Man Who Fixed Kellogg]
/ref>
In September 2004, Fortune Magazine dubbed Gutierrez as "The Man Who Fixed Kellogg", and attributed his success to "taking the slick salesmanship, financial discipline, and marketing savvy that he learned in his youth and blending it with disarming charisma, steely resolve, and an utter lack of pretension that you wouldn't expect in one so nattily dressed." The magazine also added that, "He even makes golf shirts look debonair."
Secretary of Commerce
On November 29, 2004, Gutierrez was chosen by President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
to become Secretary of Commerce, succeeding Donald Evans
Donald Louis Evans (born July 27, 1946) is an American businessman. He was the 34th U.S. Secretary of Commerce. He was appointed by his longtime friend George W. Bush and sworn into office on January 20, 2001. On November 9, 2004, the White Hou ...
. On the same day, Kellogg's board of directors accepted Gutierrez's resignation as chairman of the board and CEO, to be effective upon his confirmation by the Senate and swearing-in. On January 24, 2005, Gutierrez was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate; he was sworn in on February 7, 2005.[Gutierrez Sworn In]
/ref>
As Secretary of Commerce, Gutierrez also served as co-chair of the U.S. Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba.[U.S Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba]
Secretary Gutierrez was actively involved in U.S.-Cuba policy alongside Co-Chair Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Gutierrez was also one of the President's point men working with Congress to pass comprehensive immigration legislation, an issue he sees as one of the greatest domestic social issues of our time. He believes a successful immigration solution must focus first on securing our borders, but must also address immigrants' contribution to our economy and the importance of American unity.[
Gutierrez played a key role in the passage of CAFTA-DR, a landmark trade agreement that expanded opportunities for U.S. exports throughout Latin America.][GPS Biography]
Gutierrez was also instrumental in promoting the Colombia Free Trade Agreement. In 2006 Gutierrez called for Congress to “work with us and pass the pending Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, Korea and Panama, so we can have fair, two-way trade with our allies and friends.”[Commerce Department Press Release]
He also led the first-ever domestic trade mission to the Gulf region in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.[Secretary Locke Unveils Official Portrait of Former Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez]
/ref>
In December 2007, Ken Silverstein
Ken Silverstein is an American journalist who worked for the ''Los Angeles Times'' as an investigative reporter, for The Associated Press in Brazil, and has written for ''Mother Jones'', ''Washington Monthly'', ''The Nation'', ''Slate'', and ...
, the Washington editor of Harper's Magazine, reported that Gutierrez had Adnan Oktar
Adnan Oktar (; born 2 February 1956), also known as Adnan Hoca or Harun Yahya, is a Turkish religious sex cult leader, creationist/ anti-evolutionist, conspiracy theorist, preacher and pamphleteer.Filiu, ''Apocalypse in Islam'', 2011: p.171 I ...
's '' Atlas of Creation'', a book that advocates Islamic creationism and blames Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended ...
for modern terrorism, including the 9/11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commerci ...
, for display on a stand at the entrance to his U.S. government office. Gutierrez's office did not respond when asked whether the book had been purchased or mailed unsolicited to his office.
Post-Bush administration
Gutierrez was the founder and chairman of ''Global Political Strategies'', an international strategic consulting service and a division of APCO Worldwide
APCO Worldwide is a independent global public affairs and strategic communications consultancy. With 680 employees in 35 worldwide locations, it is also the fifth largest independently owned PR firm in the United States. Headquartered in W ...
, a Washington-based global communications firm.[Global Political Strategies]
/ref>
In February 2009, Gutierrez was named a Scholar at the University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...
’s Institute For Cuban And Cuban American Studies.[The University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies]
In April 2009, he joined the university's board of trustees.[National Trustee to the University of Miami]
/ref> He is also Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Meridian International Center, as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Wash ...
[Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars]
and the Bipartisan Debt Reduction Task Force.
On February 21, 2009, the ''Wall Street Journal'' reported that Gutierrez remained unemployed, along with a significant majority of George W. Bush's 3,000 political appointees who were seeking full-time employment.[CNBC]
/ref> According to the article, 25% to 30% of those officials had found new jobs, a statistic notably lower than when Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
left the White House. The article notes that "at least half those presidents' senior staffers landed employment within a month after the administration ended." Gutierrez commented that, "This is not a great time for anyone to be job hunting, including numerous former political appointees." He added that he hopes to run a company like Kellogg again because "I have a lot of energy."[Jobs Still Elude Some Bush Ex-Officials]
/ref> However, according to a press release from United Technologies Corporation
United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, aerospace systems ...
,[Carlos M. Gutierrez, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, joins United Technologies Corp. Board of Directors]
/ref> Gutierrez joined the company's board of directors on February 9, several days prior to the publication of the ''Wall Street Journal'' article.
/ref>
According to press releases, Gutierrez also serves on the Board of Directors of Occidental Petroleum,[Occidental Petroleum Corp.]
/ref> GLW Corning,[GLW Corning]
/ref> and Intelligent Global Pooling Systems.[Gutierrez Joins IGPS Press Release]
[Reuters IGPS Press Release]
/ref> He is also a television news contributor for the business news television channel CNBC
CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
. In March 2010, Gutierrez said he would not like to return to a CEO spot at a foodmaker, because as commerce secretary, he had something different to do each day, whereas, "Business is pretty one-dimensional."[Ex-Kellogg CEO not seeking to run another foodmaker]
/ref>
In December 2010, Gutierrez became a vice chairman of Citigroup in the Institutional Clients Group and member of the Senior Strategic Advisory Group. He left the company in February 2013
Gutierrez served as a member of the Debt Reduction Task Force at the Bipartisan Policy Center
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank that promotes bipartisanship. The organization aims to combine ideas from both the Republican and Democratic parties to address challenges in the U.S. BPC focuses on is ...
.
In 2012 Gutierrez lead the creation of the SuperPAC Republicans for Immigration Reform
Republicans for Immigration Reform is a SuperPAC which aims at pushing for immigration reform in the United States and improving the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party’s standing among Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hispanics.
Pr ...
; he said he believed that "the far right of this party has taken the party to a place that it doesn't belong".
In 2013, Gutierrez was a signatory to an amicus curiae brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage during the Hollingsworth v. Perry case. On October of that same year, Time Warner elected him to its board of directors.
In August 2016, Gutierrez endorsed Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
for president, stating that Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
's economic policies were a "disaster". In 2020, he endorsed Joe Biden for president.
Personal life
Gutierrez and his wife Edilia have one son, Carlos Jr., and two daughters, Erika and Karina.[
]
See also
* List of foreign-born United States Cabinet members
there have been 23 members appointed to the Cabinet of the United States who had been born outside the present-day United States.
Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers who signed the United States Constitution, was the first Cabin ...
References
External links
*
Icons of Business: An Encyclopedia of Mavericks, Movers, And Shakers, Volume 1 by Kateri M. Dexler
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gutierrez, Carlos
1953 births
21st-century American politicians
American chief executives of food industry companies
American politicians of Cuban descent
American politicians of Spanish descent
Cuban businesspeople
Cuban emigrants to the United States
Florida Republicans
George W. Bush administration cabinet members
Hispanic and Latino American members of the Cabinet of the United States
Kellogg's people
Living people
Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education alumni
People with acquired American citizenship
United States Secretaries of Commerce
Warner Bros. Discovery people