Economic policy isn't made in one place
En marzo de 2023, el Instituto Peruano de Economía confió su dirección operativa a Carlos Gallardo Torres, economista formado entre Lima, Cambridge y Washington, con quince años de tránsito por los corredores de la política pública peruana. Su nombramiento no marca una ruptura sino una transición ordenada: su antecesor, Diego Macera, permanece en la institución como director, preservando la memoria institucional en un país que rara vez puede darse el lujo de perderla. En Gallardo convergen la academia, la burocracia y el pensamiento sobre el desarrollo regional, una combinación que el IPE parece haber buscado deliberadamente.
- El IPE necesitaba un liderazgo que pudiera hablar con igual fluidez ante un ministro de Economía y ante un organismo multilateral, y Gallardo acumula credenciales en ambos registros.
- La salida de Macera de la gerencia general podría haber generado un vacío de dirección, pero su permanencia como director convierte el cambio en relevo antes que en ruptura.
- Quince años de política pública —desde la Sunat hasta el Consejo Nacional de Competitividad— le dan a Gallardo un mapa interno del Estado peruano que pocos economistas de think tank poseen.
- Su coautoría en 'Ruta Perú en Desarrollo Nacional' anticipa una agenda centrada en descentralización y servicios públicos, temas que definen si el crecimiento económico llega o no a las regiones.
- El IPE se posiciona así para influir en el debate de política económica desde una base técnica renovada, en un momento en que Perú enfrenta turbulencias políticas que exigen anclas institucionales sólidas.
Carlos Gallardo Torres asumió la gerencia general del Instituto Peruano de Economía en marzo de 2023, relevando a Diego Macera, quien no abandonó la institución sino que pasó a ocupar el cargo de director. Ese detalle importa: el IPE eligió continuidad sobre renovación radical, apostando por mantener la memoria institucional mientras incorporaba un nuevo liderazgo operativo.
Gallardo es economista de la Universidad del Pacífico con maestría en Harvard, becario Fulbright y ex fellow del Banco Mundial y del Banco de Japón. Su trayectoria dentro del Estado peruano es extensa y variada: asesoró al gabinete ministerial, dirigió la Dirección General de Asuntos de Economía Internacional, Competitividad y Productividad del Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas, presidió el Consejo Nacional de Competitividad y Formalización, y antes de eso asesoró a la Sunat y dirigió política de desarrollo productivo en el Ministerio de la Producción. Sus primeros años profesionales los pasó como especialista tributario en Economía y como asistente de investigación en el Center for Global Development en Washington.
Inmediatamente antes de llegar al IPE, Gallardo pasó dos años en IPAE Acción Empresarial, donde codirigió la publicación 'Ruta Perú en Desarrollo Nacional: Descentralización y servicios públicos para la ciudadanía', un trabajo conjunto entre IPAE y el propio IPE. Ese texto funciona como una declaración de intenciones: su mirada apunta hacia cómo el desarrollo económico se traduce —o no— en servicios concretos para los peruanos fuera de Lima.
El perfil de Gallardo combina rigor académico, exposición internacional y conocimiento de primera mano del aparato estatal peruano. Es precisamente esa combinación la que el IPE parece haber buscado para conducir una institución que actúa como puente entre el análisis económico y las decisiones de política pública.
Carlos Gallardo Torres stepped into the role of general manager at Peru's Instituto Peruano de Economía in March 2023, taking over an institution that shapes economic policy conversation across the country. He is an economist trained at the Universidad del Pacífico with a master's degree from Harvard, and his résumé carries the marks of someone who has moved through Peru's policy machinery at senior levels—fellowships from the World Bank, the Bank of Japan, and a Fulbright scholarship among them.
The appointment represents a transition rather than a break. Diego Macera, who held the general manager position before Gallardo, did not leave the institution but shifted into the role of director, suggesting institutional continuity at a moment when Peru's economic challenges demand sustained institutional attention. Gallardo replaces him in the operational leadership seat.
Over fifteen years, Gallardo has built a career assembling and leading teams across government and private sectors, designing and implementing public policies and institutional projects. His path through Peru's bureaucracy is instructive. Between 2019 and 2021, he served as an adviser to the ministerial cabinet and held the title of general director for International Economic Affairs, Competition, and Productivity within the Ministry of Economy and Finance. He also ran the National Council for Competitiveness and Formalization during that period. Before that, from 2016 to 2019, he advised the superintendent of Peru's tax authority, the Sunat. Earlier still, between 2014 and 2015, he directed productive development policy at the Ministry of Production. His deeper background includes work as a tax and international economics specialist at the Finance Ministry from 2008 to 2012, and research assistance at the Center for Global Development in Washington, D.C., from 2006 to 2008.
Most recently, before taking the IPE position, Gallardo spent two years as manager of national development at IPAE Acción Empresarial, a business-focused organization. In 2022, he co-authored a publication titled "Ruta Perú en Desarrollo Nacional: Descentralización y servicios públicos para la ciudadanía"—a collaboration between IPAE and the IPE that focused on decentralization and public services. That work hints at where his attention may turn as he settles into his new position: the question of how economic development reaches beyond Lima, how public services function in Peru's regions, and what decentralization means in practice.
Gallardo's appointment fills a leadership role at an institution that functions as a kind of economic think tank and policy advisor to Peru's government and private sector. His combination of academic credentials, international exposure, and deep experience inside Peru's economic ministries positions him to navigate the technical and political dimensions of that work. The fact that his predecessor remained within the institution, rather than departing, suggests the IPE's board saw value in maintaining relationships and institutional memory even as it brought in new operational leadership.
Notable Quotes
Gallardo brings 15 years of experience leading multidisciplinary and inter-institutional teams for the design and implementation of public policies and institutional projects in both public and private sectors— Institutional background (paraphrased from source)
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What does it mean that Macera moved to director rather than leaving entirely?
It suggests the board wanted continuity without stagnation. Macera had institutional knowledge and relationships; moving him up rather than out keeps that intact while bringing fresh operational energy.
Why does his background in decentralization matter for an economic think tank?
Peru's economy is heavily concentrated in Lima. If the IPE is advising on policy, understanding how development actually reaches the regions—how services work, where investment flows—becomes central to credible economic thinking.
He's moved between government and private sector repeatedly. What does that pattern suggest?
He's comfortable in both worlds, which matters. Economic policy isn't made in one place. You need people who understand how government thinks and how business operates, and can translate between them.
The Harvard degree and World Bank fellowship—are those just credentials, or do they signal something?
They signal he's been trained in international economic frameworks and has seen how other countries approach these problems. That matters when you're advising Peru on competitiveness and productivity.
What's the actual work of the IPE?
They research, publish, advise. They're not government, but they're close to it—trusted enough that ministers listen, independent enough to push back. Gallardo's job is to keep that balance working.