Grupo Sura reported this Saturday that the proposals for candidates to integrate the Board of Directors of the conglomerate have already been received during the period between November 22, 2022 and March 31, 2024.
On behalf of the Grupo Empresarial Antioqueño (GEA), were nominated Jaime Arrubla, Guillermo Villegas and Lina Echeverri to take seats as independent members. Along those lines, Jaime Gilinski proposed to Maria Ximena Lombana and Jose Luis Surarez.
Already as patrimonial members of the body, the GEA nominated Jaime Velásquez, David Yanovich, Guillero Lema and Mauricio Ortega. On his part, Jaime Gilinski applied to take a seat as patrimonial and likewise proposed his son, Gabriel Gilinski, to Eloy Alfaro and Ángela María Tafur.
It is striking that in the iron nominated by the banker from Cali Andrés Bernal no longer appears, who was in office for a little over a month.
The Board of Directors of Sura has undergone several recompositions in the midst of the Public Acquisition Offers (OPA) that Jaime Gilinski has launched for the GEA companies.
The most recent controversy between both parties, GEA and Gilinski, occurred after a meeting between the latter’s files in Sura (Andrés Bernal, Ángela Tafur and María Ximena Lombana), in which they had decided to accept the offer of the Arab sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, who aspired to take up to 31.25% of Nutresa in a takeover bid that was finally declared void on Friday, November 18.
Before that, two members of the GEA on the Sura board (Luis Javier Zuluaga and Sebastián Orjuela) had been disqualified by the Superintendence of Companies from participating in the deliberation for the takeover bid for Jaime Gilinski’s Arab partner. There a whole dispute was formed between the caleño and the paisas due to the quorum that was legally required to accept the sheikh’s offer. Gilinski’s insisted that the three of them were empowered to decide. However, Supersociedades confirmed that a minimum of four members were needed when deciding.
In order not to be left at a disadvantage after the two bishops of the GEA were disabled, the resignation of the members postulated by the GEA was submitted, which is why the new members must be elected at the next assembly on November 22.
Who is who among the postulates of the GEA
Jaime Arrubla Paucar (independent): founding partner of the Firm Arrubla Devis Asociados. He served as a magistrate of the Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice between 2004 and 2012, he is an expert in civil and commercial law, a professor at the main law schools in the country and author of the treaty Commercial Contracts, in four volumes. He is a lawyer from the Pontifical Bolivarian University (UPB) of Medellín, of which he is also a specialist in Civil and Commercial Law; Canon law; Labor Relations and Master in Private Law. He is a doctor in private law from the University of Salamanca, with Cum Laude distinction, a university from which he has also received a master’s degree in advanced studies in private law. He is registered as an arbitrator in the arbitration centers of the Bogotá and Medellín chambers of commerce, in which he has served as an arbitrator in different arbitration courts. In 1983 he was Secretary General of the Government of Antioquia and then Legal Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic of Colombia, in 1998.
Guillermo Villegas (independent): Lawyer, specialist in labor law and industrial relations management, with more than 25 years of experience in corporate positions in private sector companies such as Banco de Colombia, Grupo Corona, Compañía Nacional de Chocolates and Grupo Orbis. For 16 years he has been a founding partner of Contexto Legal Abogados, where he has led the corporate, labor, and mergers and acquisitions teams.
Lina Echeverri (independent): electronic engineer from the Pontifical Bolivarian University. She completed a Master’s and Doctorate (Ph.D) in economics at the University of Georgia, United States. She has served as Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications at Carbones del Cerrejón; director of Public Affairs for Latin America, director of the foundation, vice president of Institutional Relations and vice president of Regulatory Affairs at the Telefónica SA Organization; Strategy Manager at Teledatos SA; General Manager of EPM Television; Regional Vice President at the Valle Finance Corporation and assistant manager at the company Prospección SA
Jaime Velásquez (patrimonial): Economist from the University of Antioquia, in Medellín, he has completed several postgraduate studies in finance, strategy and corporate governance. He has served since 2012 as Corporate Vice President of Strategy and Finance at Bancolombia, where he also held other positions such as Vice President of Finance between 1997 and 2011 and management positions in the Economic and Investor Relations Departments between 1989 and 1997. He has He has been a member of various boards of directors of entities in the financial sector and stock market both in Colombia and abroad, including Suramericana de Seguros de Vida y Generales, Asesuisa and Titularizadora Colombiana, Banagrícola and Banistmo in Panama.
David Yanovich (patrimonial): Industrial engineer from Universidad de los Andes with a master’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics. More than 25 years of experience in structuring and financing, through the general management of Colgener; Director of Investment Banking of the Valle Financial Corporation; principal member of the board of directors of the Betania Hydroelectric Power Plant and substitute member of the board of directors of Emgesa SA; Independent consultant for structuring the financing of various projects related to the energy and infrastructure sector in Colombia. He is currently the president of Cerrito Capital and a member of the boards of Suramericana SA, Celsia, Ocensa, Crynssen Pharma, Proterra and LarrainVial Colombia.
Guillermo Lema (Equity): electronic engineer from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín. He has a specialization in aeronautical engineering from the same university. He did different studies in foreign language, among them, “Chinese Bridge” group exchange programm
Dalian University of Foreign Languages, Center for Language Education and Cooperation. Likewise, she obtained the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification from the National University of Medellín.
Mauricio Ortega (Patrimonial): Lawyer from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, with specializations in tax law and administrative law from the same university. He has experience in the legal field for more than 30 years, advising public and private companies and is a founding partner of the firm Suma Legal, recognized for providing legal services in different areas of law, such as administrative; contractual; corporate; M&A; trust; real estate and urban; medical; labor and social security; personal data protection; civil liability and insurance, conflict resolution and; tax and exchange. He has been an advisor to national and international structuring in investment projects through different vehicles. He has experience in science, technology and innovation entities. He is an arbitrator in commercial and civil law of the Medellín Chamber of Commerce and a trial lawyer in contentious-administrative, civil and commercial processes.
Who is who among Gilinski’s postulates
María Ximena Lombana (independent): Lawyer from the Universidad del Rosario, with a master’s degree in commercial law from the
Paría II University – Pantheon – Assas Paris, France and Master of International Business Law from Washington College of Law, American University, Mashington, United States. She has served as Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism (June 2021 – August
2022); manager of the BID – ANDJE Executing Unit of the National Agency for Legal Defense of the State (January 2021 – April 2021); Manager of the IDB Executing Unit – PGN of the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation (July 2019 – December 2020); among other. She has been a tenured professor of corporate law in the undergraduate law program at the Universidad del Rosario (January 2000 – June 2010) and in the Specialization in Commercial Law at the Universidad de la Sabana (June 2006 – June 2007). He is currently an Arbitrator from List A of the Center for Arbitration and Conciliation of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá since January 2006.
José Luis Surárez (independent): Lawyer from the Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia and Master of Laws from the
Harvard University, United States. He is a specialist in financial legislation from the Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá DC, Colombia.
He has served as Partner and Director Gómez-Pinzón Abogados; foreign lawyer at Slaughter & May and Associate Arenas, Gómez & Asociados. He participates in the boards of directors of Sociedad Unidades Residenciales Modernas, Gómez-Pinzón Abogados and Fundación Pneumológica Colombiana.
Jaime Gilinski (patrimonial): Master in Business Administration – MBA Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Bachelors Degree Georgia Tech University Atlanta, Georgia, United States. He has served as a director of JGB Financial Holdco Inc, Miami, FL.; director London & Regional Panama SA; director of GNB Sudameris Financial Corporation; director of Banco GNB Sudameris SA, Colombia; Director of Banco GNB Paraguay; director of Banco GNB Peru; Director of Banco de Colombia SA; director Banco Andino; executive vice president Gilinski Industrial Organization; Associate in Corporate Finance Morgan Stanley & Co. Serves on the boards of JGB Financial Holdco Inc, Miami, FL (October 2013 – present); London & Regional Panama SA (September 2007 – present); GNB Sudameris Financial Corporation (September 2018 – January 2022); Banco GNB Sudameris SA, Colombia (January 2010 – January 2022); Banco GNB Paraguay (November 2013 – present); Banco GNB Perú (October 2013 – present); Banco de Colombia SA (March 1994 – December 1997); Banco Andino (August 1991 – February 1994).
Gabriel Gilinski (patrimonial): bachelors degree University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. He has served as a director of JGB Financial Holdco Inc, Miami, FL.; director of GNB Sudameris Financial Corporation; director of Banco GNB Sudameris SA Colombia;
director of Banco GNB Paraguay, director of Banco GNB Peru; Director JGB Bank; Executive Vice President JGB Bank; financial consultant The Boston Consulting Group (Santiago de Chile). He has participated in the boards of directors of Proyectos Semana SA; JGB Financial Holdco Inc, Miami, FL, (September 2010 – present); GNB Sudameris Financial Corporation (June 2019 – January 2022); Banco GNB Sudameris SA, Colombia (June 2018 – January 2022); Banco GNB Paraguay (November 2013 – present); Banco GNB Perú (October 2013 – present); JGB Bank (May 2010 – June 2014).
Eloy Alfaro (patrimonial): Juris Doctor (JD) – Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. BA in Political Science from Columbia University, New York, United States. He is an independent advisor on corporate, legal, banking and regulatory matters. He has served as a partner at Alemán, Cordero, Galindo & Lee. He is currently a member of the board of directors of Banco GNB Sudameris SA (Colombia), Banco GNB Paraguay, SA, Banco GNB Perú, SA
Ángela María Tafur (patrimonial): Lawyer with an emphasis in socioeconomics from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá DC, Colombia. She has a master’s degree in international comparative law from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States. She has served as president and
executive director Give To Colombia, Inc.; founding partner of Tafur, Domínguez y Arana; Vice President of Legal Affairs Bancol y Cía; legal adviser at the Superintendence of Securities (today the Financial Superintendence of Colombia); legal adviser to the Valley Financial Corporation; lawyer of the Legal Department of the Banking Superintendence (today the Financial Superintendence of Colombia); advisor to Banco de Colombia SA; Research Assistant Esguerra, Barrera y Gamba; research assistant Posse y Cía. She has participated in the boards of directors of Banco GNB Sudameris, Panama (2005 – 2022), Give To Colombia (2003 – Present), Banco de Colombia SA (1989 – 1997), Litoformas de Colombia (1989 – 1996), Real Estate
Bancol(1989 – 1996).