Who is who: how power is shared within the state oil company

The new power map within YPF brand two leading figures: the next president Pablo Gonzalez and the CEO, Sergio Affronti. There are also other relevant names: Alexander Lew (CFO, Chief Financial Officer), Carlos Alfonsi – Vice President of Services- and Santiago “Patucho” Alvarez, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Communications and Marketing, and a sort of representative of the Kirchner family in the company.

González, who has not yet assumed or been appointed, comes from being Vice Governor of Alicia Kirchner in Santa Cruz. Nestor Kirchner’s sister would have had a greater influence than supposed in this appointment, in tune with her nephew Maximum Kirchner (head of the Frente de Todos bench) and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

He is a man of the “project”, as Kirchnerism likes to call itself. Own and others recognize him capacity for work and willingness to conciliate. In union conflicts between YPF and the unions in Santa Cruz, he was seen as someone who collaborated rather than criticized, according to former YPF executives.

Student in the Diploma in Hydrocarbon Law from the Austral University, It is estimated that he will have a green card from the Executive Power. “I don’t see it in a presentation before the SEC or before investors, a quality that (Guillermo) Nielsen could have,” says another interlocutor who negotiated with González.

In the market they believe that González will try to defend the provinces, so that they benefit from YPF’s policy and that helps it in its image. “You know the Gulf basin and Tierra del Fuego”, Details someone who is not from his political space. The policy already reads that this blessing to González in YPF as a prelude to present himself as candidate for governor in Santa Cruz. The same augurs for Darío Martínez, the Secretary of Energy, from Neuquén, who would aspire to be president there.

Sergio Affronti is the CEO, responsible for the day-to-day running of the company. Miguel Galuccio, former president of YPF, proposed him as part of a shortlist of candidates for consideration by Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Affronti took over and had to head a debt restructuring, a voluntary retirement plan and other measures to weather losses: during this year, YPF notes a negative operating result of US $ 1,460 million.

Affronti took over and implemented a controversial measure -el “Creole barrel”, a support price for local oil production – which Affronti endorsed and Nielsen declined to endorse. It also displaced most of the management that had worked with the previous president, Miguel Gutierrez.

His knowledge of the industry is certified by his peers.

Alejandro Lew took center stage in recent days. He is the CFO, Director of Finance, and oversees the attempted new debt swap. His brother, Sergio Lew, was until weeks ago the CEO of the Argentine branch of Banco Santander. And Alexander was Vice President of JP Morgan, Managing Director of HSBC and CFO of Genneia. “He had a very successful career, so he has a good financial position. He is doing this because he wants to help YPF ”, describes another businessman who knows him.

Carlos Alfonsi works at YPF since 1986. His position is Vice President of Services. Know all the details of the company, almost like nobody. He has had relationships with all the most important executives over 25 years and there is no person at YPF who is unaware of his influence. When the current administration removed Daniel González (who was CEO in the previous administration), several believed that Alfonsi was going to be appointed to that position.

Santiago “Patucho” Alvarez is Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Communications and Marketing. Manage the advertising box of the largest company in the country. He was the owner of Télam in the second term of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. He is a camper completely aligned with Máximo Kirchner.

Another career executive at YPF is Fernando Giliberti. It arrived in 2012 by the hand of Galuccio. He continued in relevant positions in the oil company during the administration of Cambiemos. In 2020, he dedicated himself to reduce contract costs that YPF had with its suppliers. He was vice president of Supply Chain, but was transferred to Special Projects. He is also one of those who understands the corridors of the Puerto Madero tower – the one that is now for sale – like few others.