Débora Adriana Giorgi (born October 21, 1959) is an Argentine economist, formerly the nation's Minister of Industry.

Life and career

Giorgi was born in

Balvanera Balvanera is a barrio or neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Origin of name and alternative names The official name, Balvanera, is the name of the ''parroquia'' (parish) centered around the church of ''Nuestra Señora de Balvanera'', erected ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, in 1959 and graduated with honors from the

Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy O ...

with a degree in

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

, later publishing numerous academic articles in her specialty. She entered the world of high finance as an arbitrageuse and, in 1989, co-founded Alpha Economic Studies, a financial consulting firm contracted by then- Argentine Central Bank President

Javier González Fraga Javier González Fraga (born May 12, 1948) is an Argentine economist and businessman. He served as President of the Central Bank of Argentina from 1989 to 1991, and was nominated as running-mate by Ricardo Alfonsín for his 2011 campaign for the ...

, a prominent conservative figure. She married Javier Ordóñez, a lawyer, in 1986, had one son and later bought a home in Buenos Aires' upscale Belgrano section. Giorgi left Alpha Economic Studies in 1999 to accept a prominent post as Secretary of Commerce (a sub-Cabinet-level position) at the hand of newly elected President

Fernando de la Rúa Fernando de la Rúa (15 September 19379 July 2019) was an Argentine politician and a member of the Radical Civic Union (UCR) political party who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1999 to 21 December 2001. De la Rúa was born in ...

's first Economy Minister,

José Luis Machinea José Luis Machinea (born October 5, 1946) is an Argentine economist and United Nations official. He was Minister of Economy and President of the Central Bank. Career Machinea was born in Buenos Aires, and earned a degree in Economics from the ...

. Later named Secretary of Energy and Mining, she was transferred to the powerful post of Secretary of Industry by Economy Minister

Domingo Cavallo Domingo Felipe Cavallo (born July 21, 1946) is an Argentine economist and politician. Between 1991 and 1996 he was Economic Ministry of Argentina during Carlos Menem presidency. He is known for implementing the ''Convertibility plan'', which es ...

. Following President Fernando de la Rúa's resignation in December 2001, she returned to Alpha, whereby she was invited as Director of the International Negotiation Center of the

Argentine Industrial Union The Argentine Industrial Union ( es, Unión Industrial Argentina, or, UIA) is the leading industrial employer federation and advocacy group in Argentina. The UIA is a member of the International Organisation of Employers. History Early developmen ...

(UIA), Argentina's leading manufacturers' lobby. Giorgi was appointed Minister of Production of the

Province of Buenos Aires Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...

(Argentina's largest) by Governor

Felipe Solá Felipe Solá (born 23 July 1950) is an Argentine agricultural engineer and politician. He previously served as Governor of Buenos Aires Province, from 2002 to 2007, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship under President Alberto Fernánd ...

in 2005. In that capacity, she reopened the Undersecretariat of International Economic Relations, making the pursuit of

foreign trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy) In most countries, such trade represents a significant s ...

avenues central to her department's policy. She was also instrumental in the adoption of sizable tax cuts in the province during her tenure. The

2008 Argentine government conflict with the agricultural sector The 2008 Argentine agrarian strike refers to the conflict between the Argentine national government and the 4 entities that represented the agriculture sector. The crisis began in March 2008 with four agricultural sector employers organizations tak ...

helped lead to the reinauguration of the Production Ministry at the urging of UIA President

José Ignacio de Mendiguren José Ignacio "Vasco" de Mendiguren (born 23 August 1950) is an Argentine industrialist and politician. He was chairman of the Argentine Industrial Union, director of the National Bank of Argentina, and Minister of Production during the presiden ...

. The powerful Economy Ministry transferred a number of influential Secretariats to the new Cabinet-level position (''see "external links," below''), which would have oversight over much of the

Argentine economy The economy of Argentina is the second-largest national economy in South America, behind Brazil. Argentina is a developing country with a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Ar ...

's goods-producing sector in its purview. Recommended by Buenos Aires Province Governor

Daniel Scioli Daniel Osvaldo Scioli (, ; born 13 January 1957) is an Argentine politician, sportsman, and businessman. He was Vice President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007 and Governor of Buenos Aires Province from 2011 to 2015. From 2020 to 2022 he was Argen ...

, Débora Giorgi was sworn in as Production Minister on November 26, 2008. By way of further steps to improve her strained relations with the important

agrarian sector Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

, President

Cristina Kirchner Cristina is a female given name, and it is also a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Cristina (daughter of Edward the Exile), 11th-century English princess *Cristina (singer), Cristina Monet-Palaci (1956–2020), American s ...

transferred the Production Ministry's farm policy portfolio into a new Ministry of Agriculture, renaming the former post as the Ministry of Industry. Giorgi implemented numerous measures in support of

import substitution industrialization Import substitution industrialization (ISI) is a trade and economic policy that advocates replacing foreign imports with domestic production.''A Comprehensive Dictionary of Economics'' p.88, ed. Nelson Brian 2009. It is based on the premise that ...

during her tenure, and presided over a marked shift toward domestic supply among a growing number of sectors previously dominated by imports.

External links

Debora Giorgi TwitterDebora Giorgi Facebook PageArgentine Ministry of Industry

Industrial Districts Registry

Secretariat of Industry, Commerce and Small and Medium Business

National Investment Development Agency

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giorgi, Debora 1959 births Living people People from Buenos Aires Argentine people of Italian descent Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina alumni Argentine economists Ministers of industry of Argentina Women government ministers of Argentina