Manuel holds a BA in Business Administration from the University de los Andes in Colombia.
He is currently Vice President of Strategy and Transformation at Banco Caja Social in Colombia. Prior to this, he spent 3 years at McKinsey & Company, rising from Associate to Senior Engagement Manager. Manuel has worked with government, multilateral and social organisations to tackle complex challenges in Latin America, including promoting government effectiveness, financing for development and access to higher education.
Manuel was Acting Mayor (Sep-Dec 2019) of Bucaramanga in Colombia and prior to that, between 2016-2019, he was a Governance Professional and Advisor to the Mayor of Bucaramanga. In this role, he participated in the implementation of anti-corruption policies and of multiple public projects targeting the global goals and the New Urban Agenda. Before his experience in Bucaramanga’s City Hall, he was a columnist for six years at Vanguardia, and La Silla Vacía, a well-known political news portal in Colombia, between 2014-2015. His main focus of interest is policy issues on transparency, urban poverty and climate change and intends to work to shift policies that guide urban development and have considerable social and environmental impact.
Manuel is currently based in Colombia.
