Carlos Felipe Barrera

Role at ACBC: Board Member

Company: John Boyd
Role at Company: PRESIDENT ACBC

Carlos Felipe Barrera is a Managing Director of South America at John T. Boyd Company, an international mining and geological engineering firm located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has over 20 years of experience in the mining sector having worked for supply companies, junior listed investment companies and consultancy experts throughout the region. Mr. Barrera has participated in technical Due Diligence for multiple companies in Colombia, he has also been Project Manager for numerous technical and strategic government projects in the mining industry. 

A Registered Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Mr. Barrera holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University Of Western Sydney (Australia) and a Master’s Degree in Commerce and International Business from the University of New South Wales (Australia) in addition to negotiation courses in Harvard University (USA), Project Management for Mining in Colorado School of Mines (USA) Oil, Gas & Mining Governance Programme Oxford University (UK).

Jes Schroeder

Role at ACBC: Vice President

Company: The Ideas Factory
Role at Company: CEO & Founder

Passion. Energy. Creativity. A born problem solver, Jes Schroeder loves to watch her clients’ dreams come to fruition and be their ‘go-to’ for fun creative ideas.

From humble beginnings as a Human Movement student, to finding her super power in sales and marketing with some of the world’s biggest sporting brands and organizations such as PGA Australia, Melbourne Football Club and Callaway Golf, Jes is a born salesperson.

Then challenging the norm Jes moved from Australia to Medellin, Colombia, South America in 2012 and started working remotely as the Sales and Marketing Manager for one of Australia’s leading promotional agencies whilst launching her own creative marketing consultancy with Dannie Cadavid called The Ideas Factory (TIF).

The Ideas Factory was established in 2016 with a distinct goal to use marketing for the greater good, challenge creativity, help businesses transform and have impact. With offices in Medellin and Sydney, TIF is made up of a  multicultural team with  over 30 staff members from all over Colombia and the world. There are no markets that they can’t develop through our unique, creative, yet strategic approach.

TIF currently works with the Australian, Queensland, Canadian and Colombian governments, associations such as the Institute of Americas (USA), B2B companies such as Australian Turntables (AUS), Railquip (USA), IMEXHS (AUS/COL), Casacol (USA/COL), The Functionary  (USA) and kickstarts startups with their brand identity and gives them a strategic approach to marketing.

With over 22 years of experience working with different global entities and living abroad for over 10 years, Jes has gained a global perspective on how to help businesses navigate their sales and marketing using customized branding and transformative marketing and growth strategies.

Jes lives to give great ideas to great companies to do great things.

Mark De Castro

Role at ACBC: Former President (2024) – Board Member

Company: Orica 
Role at Company: Area Business Manager Colombia & Caribbean

Michael Cullen

Role at ACBC: Ex President & Founder – Board Member

Company: FTI Consulting
Role at Company: Head of Latin America

Mr. Cullen regularly works with clients to resolve cross-border conflicts and crises involving Latin America on the most favorable legal, financial and reputational terms. Drawing on a combination of expert witness work, privileged consulting, investigative fact-finding and public relations and message management, Mr. Cullen develops multidisciplinary strategies and tactics to successfully achieve the client’s legal and commercial objectives. This includes commercial litigation, class actions, regulatory disputes, and international arbitrations. Mr. Cullen regularly uses this multidisciplinary approach to help clients manage and respond to risks and crises that might arise in their Latin American operations, including around corruption, fraud, political disruption, labor and social unrest, and other related reputational risks and challenges.

 Alberto Jose Mejia Ferrero

Role at ACBC: ACBC Honorary Chairperson 

Company: Former Ambassador of Colombia to Australia and New Zealand. 
Role at Company: Former Commander of the Colombian Military Forces

El General Alberto José Mejía Ferrero fue Comandante del Ejército Nacional de Colombia, y posteriormente de las Fuerzas Militares. Su carrera militar le permitió acumular amplia experiencia en operaciones especiales, guerra irregular y contraterrorismo; así como distinguidos títulos académicos y prestigiosas condecoraciones nacionales y extranjeras. Luego de casi cuatro décadas de servicio, llegó al cargo más alto de su profesión en un momento complejo para la historia de Colombia.

Durante su mandato, el General Mejía implementó una transformación institucional disruptiva e integral para modernizar las Fuerzas Militares de Colombia. Simultáneamente, lideró a la institución a través de las negociaciones de paz entre el gobierno colombiano y la guerrilla de las FARC en La Habana, las cuales dieron como resultado el desarme, desmovilización y reintegración de esta organización al margen de la ley en 2016. Transformación institucional.

Camilo Gonzalez

Role at ACBC: Board Member

Company: EY
Role at Company: Infrastructure Lead Partner | Latam North EY

I have more than 25 years of experience, including the leadership of a business line with more than 250 people and the leadership of a region that includes 13 countries. With strategic thinking and focus on empowerment and team building, I managed to promote 7 partners in the last few years; I have designed, created and obtained certifications for multiple business areas; I have assumed different roles as President, Market Lead Partner, Market Segment Lead Partner, Global Practice Lead Partner, Global Accounts Lead Partner; I have been elected on a recurrent basis as Board Member of various entities; and I have published several articles and have been invited as presenter and panelist in several events on funding, financing, risk and PPPs in Latin America and in the UK.
During my career, I have focused on financial consulting in several countries in America and have led some of the most emblematic infrastructure projects and transactions in the country, such as the financial structuring of the concession of the first line of the Bogota metro, the structuring of the Cali-Jamundi light rail, the structuring of the financial concession of the El Dorado airport, the concession for the renewal of Bogota’s BRT system (largest in the world), the process for selling EPM’s stake in ISAGEN, the financial analysis for the purchase of HSBC bank operations in four Latin American countries for the Gilinski Group, the assessment of the Hidroituango Project to finalize its financing and the spin-off of Mitsui and Toyota from SOFASA.

Natalia Piedrahita

Role at ACBC: Board Member – Education Sub Committee Leader

Company: Victorian Government Trade and Investment Office, Latin America 
Role at Company: Strategic Advisor, Education – Latin America

Stephen Newton

Role at ACBC: Board Member

Company: Southern Cross Energy
Role at Company: CEO 

Stephen Newton, the CEO of SCE, is a Mining Engineer from the University of Queensland with a Master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from Imperial College in London and an Executive MBA from UCLA. After working in the North Sea , South East Asia and Latin America with Occidental Petroleum for over 25 years, he is currently focussed on Colombia and is the CEO of Wattle Petroleum which currently operates two gas fields in Cesar and Norte de Santander departments. Wattle is also part of a consortium with Reach Energy, an Australian company, that is pursuing divestment opportunities where new technology can be applied to significantly increase production in Colombia. Steve founded Southern Cross Energy to identify and screen opportunities and has successfully raised investment funds for several projects utilizing new technology in older assets with low recovery factors. He has managed operations in most Colombia basins and is very familiar with community and environmental management issues and security management. Steve is also a member of the BOD of Infinity Oil which is focused on proving commerciality and subsequently developing a shallow heavy oil field near Sogamoso in Boyaca. 

Bernardo Rodríguez Ossa

Role at ACBC: Board Member

Company: Parra Rodríguez Abogados
Role at Company: Partner

Bernardo is a 1986 Universidad de Los Andes (Bogotá, Colombia) graduate lawyer, a Colombian qualified attorney and a 1988 London School of Economics LLM in international business law. Partner of Parra Rodríguez Lawyers since 1991 he is in charge of the financial law, structured finance, aircraft finance transactions, mergers and acquisitions and aviation law practice areas. He has participated in transactions such as the financing of the Medellin Metro, the acquisition of Central, North and South Cerrejon, the acquisition of the Ferrocarril del Norte (Fenoco), the acquisition of the Bell South assets in this country and the establishment of Carrefour in Colombia amongst others.
Bernardo concentrates his practice in finance, M&A and aviation law with a special focus on cross-border transactions. He represents world-leading aircraft lessors and international financial institutions. His experience includes aircraft operating and financial leases, aircraft purchase and sale transactions, cross-border financing transactions, private placement transactions, secured loans and issuance of notes, among others.
Bernardo is currently a member of the legal panel and coordinator of the Colombian Contact Group of the Aviation Working Group and has been a member for many years of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) and of the International Bar Association. Currently he is a member of the Board of Directors of Goberna, the Colombian chapter of the Ortega y Gasset Gregorio Marañón Foundation in Spain, of IBRACO (Institute of Culture Brazil-Colombia) was a board member and currently is an independent member of Transparencia por Colombia, the Colombian chapter of Transparency International, and is a board member of the British Colombian Chamber of Commerce (B&CCC) in the UK.

Martin Briggs

Role at ACBC: Board Member

Company; Relianz
Role at Company: Strategic Board Member at Gecolsa, Relianz, and SOE360 | Driving Innovation and Sustainability in the Construction, Mining, and Energy & Transportation Sector

Over 30 years of experience with Cat dealers, currently as President of RELIANZ, the official Cat dealer for the Colombian mining industry, Martin has been instrumental in positioning the company as the preferred partner for customers seeking comprehensive, high-quality, and reliable solutions. Under his leadership, RELIANZ consistently helps customers achieve their production targets while delivering the lowest Cost Per Ton and/or Hour through strict adherence to global standards and a relentless focus on continuous improvement.

In addition to his role at RELIANZ, Martin is a strategic board member of the Gecolsa Group, where he oversees all mining business activities in Colombia. He plays a pivotal role in promoting and supporting Cat machinery across the country. For nearly a decade, Martin has been a key member of the Group’s Executive Management team, with P&L responsibility for a $500 million portfolio that includes machines, parts, product support, and professional and digital services

John Cardona

Role at ACBC: Board Member

Company; Team Global Express
Role at Company: Transformation Change Manager at Team Global Express

John was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. He completed a Bachelors degree in Modern Languages and Business Communications while at the same time working for the Bogota Telephone Company (ETB ). After graduating he took a job with Citibank in a role in Corporate Banking. 

After almost 4 years working in Citibank, John then moved to Australia as an International Student in 2008 and completed a Master of International Business at Swinburne University in Melbourne and a Master of Leadership Science in conjunction with Northeastern University in Boston, USA. Over the last 17 years he has worked mostly in Organisational Change Management and Business Transformation across the financial, telecommunications, rail transport among other industries in companies such as NAB, Australia Post, Queensland Rail, AMP and Telstra.

John is an avid reader of political and current affairs – international and domestic. He believes in the great opportunities and benefits that regulated but open markets can bring to the economy and to the general public. It is this interest and his passion to see stronger business as well as cultural links between Australia and Colombia that drives his interest in the ACBC.

Patricia Tovar Alarcón

Great experience in high-level public relations, corporate affairs, commercial networking, business development, marketing, communications and environmental sustainability programs.

Executive Director for 17 years at the Colombian British Chamber of Commerce (Britcham Colombia), fostering trade and investment opportunities between the UK and Colombia.

President of Eurochambers for three different terms, acting on behalf of seven European Chambers of Commerce in Colombia.

Globcham Latam
CEO
Currently
International business consultant for foreign companies looking to invest in Colombia and Latin America.
ACBC Australia Colombia Business Council – Board Member