| Rodrigo Valdés | |
| Office: | Minister of Finance |
| President: | Michelle Bachelet |
| Term Start: | 11 May 2015 |
| Term End: | 31 August 2017 |
| Predecessor: | Alberto Arenas |
| Successor: | Felipe Larraín Bascuñán |
| Birth Date: | 26 November 1966 |
| Birth Place: | Santiago, Chile |
| Party: | Party for Democracy |
| Otherparty: | New Majority |
| Alma Mater: | University of Chile Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Rodrigo Osvaldo Valdés Pulido (born 26 November 1966) is a Chilean economist and politician who served as minister of finance from May 11, 2015 to August 31, 2017 under president Michelle Bachelet.[1]
Valdés has an MBA and degree in economics from the Universidad de Chile as well as a doctorate in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).[2]
Before becoming Minister of Finance, Valdés served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee of state-run bank Banco del Estado de Chile. He also worked as chief economist for the Andean Region and Argentina at Brazilian investment bank BTG Pactual (2012-2014); as Deputy Director of the European Department, Deputy Director of the Western Hemisphere Department and mission chief for the United States at the International Monetary Fund (2009-2012); and as chief economist for Latin America at Barclays Capital (2008-2009), among other jobs.[3]
Valdés was appointed to the Bachelet government during a political crisis triggered by corruption scandals that, at the time, had seen the President’s popularity ratings sink to record lows. Early in his term as, he embarked on a reform agenda that he saw himself forced to water down shortly after because of an economic slowdown.[4] He also led the government’s efforts to reform the pension system.[5] Along with his deputy Alejandro Micco and economy minister Luis Carlos Cespedes, Valdés resigned shortly ahead of the 2017 elections; he was replaced by Nicolás Eyzaguirre.[6]
In 2018, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde appointed Valdés to the External Advisory Group on Surveillance, a group mandated to review the Fund's operational priorities through 2025.[7]