Franco González is President of the PMI Santiago Chile Chapter for the 2009-2010 term. He has over 20 years of professional experience in project management, providing professional services in major companies in private and public sector such as the Instituto de Fomento Pesquero, Banco Concepción, Corpbanca, Banco Estado Micro empresas, and Once Once Ingeniería, in project management, developing information systems and business process engineering areas. He currently serves on the Banco Estado, in the operations and systems division, leading projects for Bureau of Compliance

Franco is an Industrial Engineer and holds a Master in Business Administration from the University of Chile, Masters in Financial Economics at the University of Santiago de Chile, and candidate for the Master of Science in Engineering and Management of Information Systems, of the Stockholm University/KTH- Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm, Sweden. Born in Santiago de Chile, is fluent in English and Spanish.

In this interview for PM World Today, Franco gives us his particular vision of the present and future of Project Management in Chile, and the actions leading to the Chapter in promoting the profession of Project Management.

PM World Today (PMWT): More than a year ago you started as president of the PMI Santiago Chile Chapter. Now, what is your vision regarding the status of Project Management profession in Chile?

Franco González: Project management in Chile as a product is at a stage of growth, with low market share but with great potential. In the local economy, the main opportunities for PM are in vertical integration projects in the field of industries based on natural resource exploitation, such as copper extraction, forest, services and Information technology industries.

Also there are many Universities and academic institutions were is possible to include the PM like program studies. Today, we feel there is a main interest by knowing the PMI, the PMP certification and the requirement to get it. The companies are looking PMPs as well as training is collaborators in techniques, tools and PM knowledge. The academic institutions are asking PM content to include in their academics programs. The leading institution in this matter is the Universidad Católica del Norte who has a Master Degree in PM based on the PMBOK.

Certainly, I think that in the next four year the growing of PM in Chile will be relevant.

PMWT: What role should the Chapter play in this scenario?

González: We must strengthen the community of PMs, generating opportunities and benefits for professionals and providing space to meet, recognize and generate the opportunities for our professional participate in congress, public papers and conduit researches.

The three steps we must take are:

• Set the chapter and the PM in the leaders and decision makers in the country.,

• Encourage and support the leadership of PMP and chapter members through volunteer projects.

• Support and encourage the active participation in seminar and congress local and international.

PMWT: Chile is the world's longest country measured from north to south. We have a PMI chapter in Santiago and a branch in Antofagasta. What are the medium-term plans for that branch to become a Chapter?

González: The far north regions of our country, Tarapacá and Antofagasta, are the global centers of two different types of industries…

To read entire Interview click Here ( English) or (Spanish)


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