Masisa loses top executives in Chile and Mexico

19 May 2015

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This year has seen two senior executives of Latin American panel group Masisa stand down from their posts and leave the company.

At the end of March, Leo Schlesinger, the high profile managing director of Masisa's Mexico business, which is soon to launch its first MDF plant, departed after more than eight years with the group.

The Chilean-American has played a key role in transforming what was Masisa's small northern outpost in Durango state into a sustainable world scale panel production base set to serve the big, import-reliant Mexican market.

Mr Schlesinger has been replaced by Ramiro de Léon, formerly chief financial officer at Masisa Mexico since May 2008.

Meanwhile, long serving executive Jaime Valenzuela, CEO of Masisa Andina who has worked for the Chilean group for 33 years, also stepped down. He played a major role in the 'internationalisation' of Masisa during the 1990s, at Masisa Argentina as CEO from its formation in 1992 to 2007.

Mr Valenzuela has also "successfully led the competitive transformation of Masisa Chile", said group ceo Roberto Salas who thanked him for his dedication and commitment to Masisa. Its corporate business development manager Marcos Bicudo has replaced Mr Valenzuela.