This chapter focuses on Ecuador’s executive branch, specifically on freely appointed and removable authorities during the government of Rafael Correa (2007–2017). The central research question is: What reasons do the appointed actors themselves identify for their nomination? To address this question, a qualitative research design is employed, emphasizing data gathered through interviews and framed by a theoretical approach that mobilizes two key concepts: relationship with the president and job competencies of the individuals. Interviews were conducted with eight high-ranking authorities—ministers and deputy ministers—who were directly appointed by the president and were responsible for several politically significant reforms during Correa’s administration. The concept of relationship with the president refers to the personal, political, or professional ties between the appointees and the head of state. This concept is particularly relevant to the study of cabinets formed by outsider or populist presidents who emerge outside traditional party systems or in response to their crisis, as in the Ecuadorian case. The concept of job competency combines prior education and professional experience with individual attributes typically associated with political entrepreneurship. In this way, the study contributes to the literature on public appointments by offering an in-depth analysis of a Latin American case—a region less frequently examined in this field—and by proposing a theoretical framework that integrates the agent’s perspective while engaging with broader debates on ministerial cabinets and political entrepreneurship.