Carlos M. Gutierrez

Carlos M. Gutierrez was appointed as the 35th Secretary of Commerce, Department of Commerce, on November 29, 2004, by President George W. Bush. His nomination was sent to the Senate January 4, 2005, and he was confirmed January 24, 2005.

"Secretary Gutierrez is the Chairman of the Global Political Strategies division of APCO Worldwide Inc., a global communications and public affairs consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. From February 2005 to January 2009, Secretary Gutierrez served as head of the U.S. Department of Commerce under President George W. Bush. Prior to his government service, Secretary Gutierrez was with the Kellogg Company for 30 years. He became Kellogg's President in 1999 and was Chairman of the Board from 2000 to 2005. He is a member of the boards of United Technologies, Corning Incorporated and Lightning Science Group. In addition to serving on the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the University of Miami, Secretary Gutierrez is a visiting scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami and a member of the board of ImmigrationWorks USA, an organization dedicated to achieving comprehensive immigration reform."


 * Director, Occidental Petroleum

Profiles
Carlos M. Gutierrez is the former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Kellogg Company.

According to his November 29, 2004, personnel announcement:


 * "Gutierrez began working for Kellogg in Mexico City, Mexico nearly 30 years ago. In 1982, he was promoted to Supervisor for Latin American marketing services and transferred to the corporate headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan. Two years later, Mr. Gutierrez was named General Manager of Kellogg de Mexico. In 1989, he was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Kellogg Canada, Inc.


 * "Mr. Gutierrez went on to serve as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Kellogg USA and then President of Kellogg Asia-Pacific. In 1998, he was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer. He was elected to the company's Board of Directors and was named President and Chief Executive Officer in 1999.


 * "Mr. Gutierrez is a co-trustee of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation Trust. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Colgate-Palmolive Company and Grocery Manufacturers of America."

"Secretary Gutierrez was sworn into office on February 7, 2005. Born in Havana, Cuba in 1953, he came to the United States with his family in 1960. In 1975 he joined Kellogg as a sales representative. Rising to president and chief executive officer in 1999, he was the youngest CEO in the company’s nearly 100-year history. In April 2000, he was named chairman of the board of Kellogg Company," according to his official DoC biography.

"Secretary Gutierrez studied business administration at the Monterrey Institute of Technology in Queretaro, Mexico. He and his wife, Edilia, have three children, Carlos, Erika and Karina." 

Related Sourcewatch

 * Bush administration