Kenneth Peter Pugh Olavarría (born 22 October 1959) is a Chilean naval officer and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who currently serves as

Senator of Chile The National Congress of Chile () is the legislative branch of the Republic of Chile. According to the current Constitution (Chilean Constitution of 1980), it is a bicameral organ made up of a Chamber of Deputies and a Senate. Established by law ...

. During his senatorial term (2018–2026), Pugh has been recognized for promoting diplomatic ties based on

cybersecurity Computer security (also cybersecurity, digital security, or information technology (IT) security) is a subdiscipline within the field of information security. It consists of the protection of computer software, systems and networks from thr ...

. Similarly, national media have cited him as a relevant player in cybercrime and digital security.

Biography

He is the son of Kenneth Pugh Gillmore, a

Chilean people Chileans (, ) are an ethnic group and nation native to the country of Chile and its neighboring Insular Chile, insular territories. Most Chileans share a common Culture of Chile, culture, History of Chile, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry ...

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

descent, and María Teresa Olavarría Sanhueza. He is married to María Victoria Valdovinos Izue and has four children. Pugh studied at

The Mackay School The Mackay School, a Chilean school located in Reñaca, Region of Valparaiso, Chile. Of Scottish origin; it was founded in 1857 by Scottish immigrants. It is considered one of the best academic institutions in the Valparaíso Region. Currently it ...

Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (; meaning "Vineyard of the Sea") is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune on Zona Central, Chile, central Chile's Pacific coast. Often referred to as ("The Garden City"), Viña del Mar is located withi ...

and later entered the Arturo Prat Naval Academy, graduating as a second lieutenant on January 1, 1979. He holds a degree in Naval Armaments Engineering with a major in Electronics. He holds a Master's degree in Naval and Maritime Sciences with a minor in Strategy from the

Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso The Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso () (PUCV), also known as ''Universidad Católica de Valparaíso'' (UCV), is one of six Catholic universities in Chile and one of the two pontifical universities in the country, along with th ...

(PUCV). In that institution, he also earned a Diplomas in Finance. Similarly, he completed another diploma on Health Institution Management from the

Andrés Bello National University The Andrés Bello University (; UNAB) is a Chilean private university founded in 1988. Rankings UNAB is ranked 56th among Latin American universities in 2022, and Andrés Bello University currently ranked 8th among Chilean universities accord ...

. For his more than 13 years of seagoing appointments, he has served in DLH Almirante "Latorre" and DLH "Cochrane", PFG "Condell", TS "Esmeralda" and LM "Chipana". He was Commanding Officer LM "Papudo" in 1997, PFG "Ministro Zenteno" in 2002 and the Flag Ship, DLH "Blanco Encalada" in 2003, Naval Attaché to the Chilean Embassy in Canada from 2004 to 2005, Chief of Staff of the Fourth Naval Zone from 2006 to 2007 and Director of the Naval Hospital "Almirante Nef" in 2008. From 2004 to 2005, Pugh served as Defense Attaché at the Chilean Embassy in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. From 2006 to 2007, he was Chief of Staff of the Fourth Naval Zone. On June 18, 2009, President

Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (; born 29 September 1951) is a Chilean politician who served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018, becoming the first woman to hold the presidency. She was re-elected in December ...

promoted him to the rank of Rear Admiral of the Navy and simultaneously assumed the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Fourth Naval Zone. The following year, he became Director of Navy Intelligence. In January 2012, President

Sebastián Piñera Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique (; 1 December 1949 – 6 February 2024) was a Chilean businessman and politician who served as President of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. The son of a Christian Democratic Party (C ...

promoted him to the rank of Vice Admiral of the Navy. That same year, he became Director General of the Navy Personnel. He completed his duties at the end of 2013 and retired in 2014.

Political career

In the 2017 parliamentary elections, Pugh successfully ran as an independent candidate for senator for

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

with the support of the National Renewal (RN) party. On June 12, 2024, Pugh received from

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

the National Orden of Merit.

References

External links

BCN Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pugh, Kenneth 1959 births Living people The Mackay School alumni Arturo Prat Naval Academy alumni Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso alumni Senators of the LV Legislative Period of the National Congress of Chile Senators of the LVI Legislative Period of the National Congress of Chile