Emilio is a seasoned humanitarian and development professional with experience throughout Colombia and in over a dozen countries in Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Prior to joining Lutheran World Relief he worked for 17 years providing medical services in remote areas of Colombia / “Programa Aereo de Salud” during one of the worst periods of the internal conflict in Colombia. Additionally, he worked for 12 years with Oxfam Great Britain as a Humanitarian Support Personal in several countries globally. While at Oxfam his work focused on building the capacity of partner organizations working on women rights, rural development, and humanitarian response. In the role of humanitarian field manager and public health coordinator for Oxfam GB, he led large and complex humanitarian interventions supervising hundreds of staff members and through partner organizations, supported programs in disaster risk reduction, gender, and promotion of rights in crisis situations. In addition, Emilio served as an advisor to the Colombian Health Ministry and has managed two organic farms in Colombia for over two decades.

He served as the Lutheran World Relief Colombia Country Director for 8 years, where he managed the relationships and activities between programs and grants and private sector investments, contributing to creation and growth of Ground Up Investing as a subsidiary of Corus International. Now, as Director for Ground Up Investing in Latin America, Emilio leverages his connections to build strong partnerships with entrepreneurs who desire to improve the lives of vulnerable families and communities in Latin America through sustainable development. He is a Regenerative Agriculture expert and provides in-depth portfolio support to the Latin America companies in GUI’s portfolio.