Multidisciplinary team of passionate and commited individuals, with a shared purpose to create positive impact in the region.

Investment Committee

Richard Aitkenhead

Héctor Valero

  • Founder of IDC Group and Valante Capital. Co-Founder of 6 PE and VC funds in Latam, USA, and Europe with +$2B AUM Accumulated.

    Investor in PE/VC, Energy, Infrastructure and Real Estate Projects with more than 25 years of experience in Investment Banking.

    Former Finance Minister and leader of the Peace Accords in Guatemala.

    Master of Public Administration from Harvard University and a Bs in Economics from Rafael Landivar University of Guatemala.

Director & Co-founder

Co-founder & MP

  • 23+ years of experience in consulting, corporate finance and Private Equity.

    Former CEO and current Board Chairman of Vitali Alimentos, portfolio company managed by Valante Capital and board member of multiple portfolio companies.

    Served as Managing Director at CMI Foods, a leading food business conglomerate where he led multiple M&A transactions in LATAM and the US.

    Member of multiple boards of Animal Protein counsels and served as Principal at Booz & Company.

    Developed a career in management in companies such as BAT, CAF and P&G.

    MBA from Emory University, Master in Finance from IESA of Venezuela and a Bs in Economics from the Catholic University Andrés Bello of Venezuela.

  • Managing Partner at IDC.

    Experience in consulting, finance, and investment banking in various industries.

    Serves as a board member of different IDC Investment Funds and portfolio companies.

    Independent board member and advisor.

    Elected to Guatemala City Council 2020-2024.

    MBA from INCAE Business School of Costa Rica and Bs in Economics from NC State University.

Director

Managing Partner

  • 15+ years of experience in originating, structuring and executing cross-border M&A and capital markets transactions (including SPACs, PIPEs, IPOs, project finance, high yield and structured debt) totaling +US$20 billion.

    Former head of Citigroup Infrastructure, Consumer & Retail Latin America Investment Banking.

    CPG experience at Procter & Gamble finance and corporate strategy team, in the Latin America headquarters.

    Co-Founder and board member of “For a Brighter Venezuela” (NYC based 501c3).

    MBA from MIT, and a Bs with honors in Industrial Engineer from Simon Bolivar University of Venezuela.

Melissa Ramírez

Richard Lee

Vertical Partners & Advisors

Personal, Beauty & Home Partner

Personal, Beauty & Home Partner

  • 20+ years of experience with best-in-class consumer goods industry leaders as a supply chain executive with a broad international experience.

    Dynamic career with experience in P&G, GOJO Industries/Purell and consultant Firm PwC.

    Proven track record developing high performance teams, effective business and supply chain strategies for cosmetics and regulated products (FDA and EPA).

    MSc in industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of Oklahoma and a Bs in Mechanical Engineering from Simón Bolivar University of Venezuela.

  • 30+ years of experience as consumer goods director and entrepreneur with international experience and expertise in personal and home care.

    Co-founded “Corpañal” a Venezuelan personal care company and Co-founded “Anthem South” a world leading manufacturer of skin, body and hair care products located in the US and former director at Excelcare Products.

    Served as a teacher in Strategic Marketing at Universidad Metropolitana.

    MBA from the university of Bath of the UK and a BS in Economics from Catholic University Andrés Bello of Venezuela.

Juan Pablo Fernández

Director & CEO of Vitali Alimentos

  • 20+ years of experience in the Latin American food industry, specialized in transformation of operations and B2B commerce.

    CEO of Vitali Alimentos, portfolio company managed by Valante Capital and former Director of Animal Protein at Vitali Alimentos.

    Served as Sales Director at Meyn Food Processing Technology part of the CTB Inc. group for Latin America.

    Served as Director of Industrial Processing at CMI Foods, a leading food business conglomerate where he managed the commercial poultry area in Guatemala and Costa Rica.

    Participated as speaker at the Poultry School of the University of Georgia.

    MBA from UNECET of Spain and a Bs in Engineer in Food Science and Technology from Del Valle University of Guatemala.

Pablo Kolari

Senior Advisor

  • Senior Advisor at IDC–Valante Capital with over 25 years of leadership experience across consumer goods, retail, and foodservice industries in Latin America and Europe. Former CEO of Grupo CIISA, a multi-family holding company operating across five Central American countries in the protein and foodservice sectors, where he led brands such as El Arreo, Belca, and Novaterra. Previously spent more than 20 years at Unilever in senior roles across general management, commercial, finance, and marketing functions in multiple international markets. Pablo brings deep expertise in brand development, complex manufacturing operations, foodservice, and corporate governance. He holds an MBA from IAE Business School and a degree in Economics from Universidad Torcuato Di Tella.

OOH Food Partner

Senior Advisor

  • 20+ years of experience in the restaurant industry of Central America.

    Serves as general partner of “Grupo R2C”, a company that acquired “Guate Burger” and QS Restaurant “QueDely”.

    Founder of “Greenergyze”, a company specialized in electricity generation an energy consumption.

    Former Operations manager for “Pollo Campero” a restaurant brand of CMI Foods where he also led the logistics and call center of the home delivery service.

    MBA from INCAE Business School of Costa Rica and a Bs in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University.

  • 40+ years of experience in banking and corporate law, mergers & acquisitions, international commerce, fiscal planning and litigations and arbitrations, having participated in some of the biggest and most complex transactions in the region in recent times.

    Current Board Member of Vitali Alimentos and Chairman of Arias Law Firm, one of the leading law firms in Central America.

    Former President of the American Chamber of Commerce of El Salvador (AmCham) and current board member. Former President of El Salvador’s Banking Association (ABANSA) and current board member. Awarded multiple recognitions in the last decades by Chambers and Partners Global, Latin Lawyer, World Finance Magazine, Summa Magazine, among others.

    Advised business groups in the negotiations of the free trade agreement (CAFTA) between the United States and Central America and the Association Agreement, a free trade agreement with the European Union.

    Doctorate degree in Law from Universidad de El Salvador, studied economics at Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas of El Salvador.

Cristian Saxton

Chief Executive Officer of Nutrica

  • 24+ years of operating experience within one of the world’s largest consumer goods systems, including senior leadership roles across sales, trade marketing, revenue management, and people strategy.

    Chief Executive Officer of Nutrica, driving scale, performance, and long-term value creation through operational discipline and execution.

    Former Country Head of Cervecería Ambev Guatemala, with full P&L responsibility and leadership of large, high-performing teams focused on growth, efficiency, and cultural alignment.

    Extensive cross-border leadership experience across Venezuela, Dominican Republic, and Guatemala within AB-InBev group companies.

    Executive MBA from Universidad de Negocios de São Paulo and a degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Yacambú.

Carlos Caballero

Oscar Uzcátegui

Armando Arias

Sebastián García

Valante Team

  • 12+ years of experience having analyzed, advised and executed various multi-industry investment transactions.

    Former Strategy and Transactions Manager at EY (Ernst & Young) for the Central America and Dominican Republic office where he led debt and M&A transactions as well as corporate strategy and corporate financial advisory projects in several industries across the region.

    Served as an Associate at a boutique investment bank with focus in the Central American region, based in El Salvador.

    Master in Finance from EADA Business School of Spain, studies in economics at Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo of México (ITAM) and a Bs in Business & Economics from Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios (ESEN) of El Salvador.

  • Director at IDC Network and finance professional with over 15 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, corporate valuation, and investment structuring. She has led the analysis and execution of investment opportunities, financial operations, and capital structuring strategies across multiple sectors.

    Currently, she serves as Director for IDC Network in El Salvador, contributing to the development of investment initiatives across the platform, including private equity, venture capital, infrastructure, real estate, and impact investments.

    She previously held the role of Corporate Manager at Banco Davivienda and spent over a decade at Grupo IDC, supporting investment banking, venture capital, and private equity initiatives.

    Celina holds an MBA from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and dual bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration and Industrial Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

  • Andrea has a solid academic background in Finance and Marketing and is currently working as an Investor Relations Analyst at Valante Capital.

    Her professional journey began at The Westin Santa Fe in Mexico City, where she was part of the quality assurance team. She later joined Vitali Alimentos, focusing on transformation projects, before moving into Investor Relations.

    Andrea holds a Master of Science in Management and Entrepreneurial Leadership from Babson College and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Universidad del Istmo in Guatemala.

Analyst

Andrea Sinibaldi

Omar Pantoja

Business Transformation Manager

  • 15+ years of experience in mass consumption in the industries of food and beverages in LATAM.

    Former Sales Manager at PEPSICO where he led different sales channels of the Food and Beverages Business Units in Chile, Peru, Central America, and the Caribbean.

    Served as Manager of Food Service at AgroSuper, one of the largest Food companies in Chile.

    MBA from Chile University, Master in Executive Marketing from Catholic University Andrés Bello of Venezuela and a Bs in Business Administration from Nueva Esparta University of Venezuela.

Celina Holman

Gerardo Palacios

Investments & Business Dev. Leader

Director, IDC Network

Rosa Marroquín

Office Manager

Mariel Valdes

Trainee, CFIR

  • Mariel Valdes is a Trainee in the CFIR team at Valante Capital, where she supports investor relations and capital formation initiatives. Her role includes the preparation of investor reports, development of presentations, and coordination of strategic events aimed at strengthening the fund’s positioning and engagement with limited partners. With a background in marketing and communications, she contributes to building the infrastructure that supports fundraising and investor communication efforts.

  • Office Manager at Valante Capital, supporting the firm’s operations through the coordination of administrative processes and talent management initiatives. She works closely with senior leadership to ensure efficient execution and alignment with the firm’s strategic objectives. Prior to joining Valante, she led transformation project management initiatives within the food division of Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI), where she oversaw portfolio governance, implemented KPI frameworks, and developed dashboards to monitor performance. She also designed and deployed project management methodologies across teams, strengthening execution capabilities across Central America and the Caribbean. Rosa brings expertise in transformation project management and continuous improvement. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Project Management.

José Antonio Medrano

Victoria Méndez

Legal Analyst

Legal Manager

  • 18+ years of experience in a diversity of fields such as M&A, energy, litigation, among others.

    Served as an Associate at Alegalis, part of Legic legal network, where he led the Energy, Civil, and Criminal department and acted as General Counsel for a relevant client’s operations in the region.

    Former Legal Director of Pollo Campero’s operations in the US and Europe and part of CMI and La Estancia’s legal team where led the legal front for M&A and handled corporate needs in jurisdictions throughout the western hemisphere

    Master in Business Law (LLM) from Universidad Católica de Chile, postgraduate degree in Management of International Commerce from San Carlos University of Guatemala and a Lawyer and Public Notary degree from Francisco Marroquín University of Guatemala.

  • Victoria has experience in corporate law, entity structuring, transactional due diligence and comparative regulatory analysis. Her work focuses on mitigating legal risk and strengthening regulatory frameworks that foster investment across Central America.

    Before joining Valante Capital, she served as a legal advisor in the public sector, where she led regulatory drafting and review initiatives to enhance transparency and attract investment. She also worked as a legal consultant for a private-sector foundation, developing proposals to strengthen the rule of law and improve legal certainty for investors.

    In private practice, Victoria worked at Sigüenza & Carrascosa, where she contributed to corporate law, comparative law, and legislative analysis, gaining experience in contract drafting and negotiation, transactional due diligence, entity formation, and regulatory studies in sectors such as food and beverage, environment, and international trade. She also worked at Alegalis Legic in real estate development and completed a legal internship at Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI) in Corporate Affairs and Sustainability.

    Victoria holds a law degree from Universidad Francisco Marroquín, where she received several academic honors, including the Dean’s Award, the Luis Beltranena Sinibaldi Award in Administrative Law, and the José Vicente Rodríguez Award in Civil Law.

Madeline Salguero

Ignacio Penagos

Associate

Associate

  • Madeline has been part of the transformation team for the past 2 years, where she has participated and executed commercial initiatives and projects at portfolio companies managed by Valante Capital.

    Served as Data Analyst at IBEX, an infrastructure-as-a-service company dedicated to instantly process digital currency payments.

    BS in Business Engineering with honors from Francisco Marroquín University.

  • +5 years of experience in Central America in the industries of food processing, logistics and real estate with expertise in corporate finance, financial modeling, and project valuation.

    Former Head of Financial Planning for Vitali Alimentos, portfolio company managed by Valante Capital, served a Jr. Financial Analyst for a private equity firm named Prime Real Estate.

    Master in Finance from Mexican EGADE Business School, and Bs in Business Administration from Francisco Marroquín University of Guatemala.

Natalia Arostegui

Javier
Maza

Trainee, Strategy & Value Creation

Analyst

  • Trainee in the Strategy & Value Creation team at Valante Capital, supporting portfolio analysis, market research, and value creation initiatives across key sectors including personal care, home care & wellness, QSR, and consumer goods. She contributes to the development of investor reports and presentations, as well as special projects that support both current and prospective investors. Natalia has prior experience in marketing and strategy through roles at Pollo Campero USA, Colgate-Palmolive, PwC, BAM, and The Social Panacea. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from the Cox School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Economics with Finance Applications from the Dedman School at Southern Methodist University.

  • Javier brings over six years of experience in venture capital, business development, and consulting. In those years he developed expertise in subjects such as entrepreneurship, operational optimization, software implementation, and process streamlining. 

    Javier previously worked as an analyst at RevHub in southern California, where his work included supporting venture capital funds by designing incubation programs, conducting market analyses, improving internal processes and scaling initiatives. As an entrepreneur, he successfully scaled and sold a culinary startup, achieving a 40% ROI while exceeding industry benchmarks. 

    He also worked at Vivo Consulting, where he facilitated the adoption of SAP software for clients across the Americas, while working with them to develop effective solutions to address operational issues. 

    Javier holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Rafael Landívar 

Associate

Associate

Abraham Rivera

Xavier
Villeda

Trainee

Associate

  • .

  • Xavier has experience in private equity, M&A, and infrastructure investments. He was Senior Assistant to the Executive President at IDC Network, a multi-fund platform managing $2.5B in assets. There, he developed financial models and executive presentations for convertible bonds, infrastructure projects, and new ventures, working closely with senior leadership on strategic investment decisions.

    Previously, he was a Summer Associate at Mesoamerica, leading industry research and financial modeling for M&A transactions in agribusiness and retail. Before transitioning into finance, he worked for four years in construction as a Civil Engineer at Traylor Bros. in the U.S., serving as a lead engineer on a $1B infrastructure project, optimizing construction processes and managing large-scale operations.

    Xavier holds an MBA from IESE Business School, where he focused on finance and private equity, and a Civil Engineering degree from Purdue University. He is passionate about outdoor sports, including surfing, padel, running, and hiking with his dog.

Roxana Sandoval

Santiago Toscana

  • Roxana has 10+ years of experience in corporate law, commercial matters, M&A, and transactional law. She also has experience in litigation, arbitration, and real estate law. 

    She served as an associate at Alegalis, part of the Legic legal network, where she led the Civil Litigation department for three years and, later on, the Corporate and International law department for more than two years. She also served as Senior Associate in Consortium Legal, the largest regional firm in Central America, where she acted as the general counsel and point of contact for regional clients as part of this law firm's regional corporate area of practice. 

    Master in International Law (LLM) from New York University, as a Vanderbilt scholar and a Guatefuturo beneficiary. ILHR's Fellow by New York University at the Organization of American States (OAS). Corporate and Tax Law Specialization from Universidad del Istmo of Guatemala. Lawyer and Public Notary degree from Universidad Rafael Landivar of Guatemala. 

  • Santiago brings over four years of experience in strategy consulting, business development, and commercial strategy, with a specialization in private equity, retail, education, financial services, and the automotive industries. He previously served as a Senior Associate at EY-Parthenon in Mexico City, where he guided clients across Latin America and Europe in over 20 engagements through due diligence processes, market assessments, and the development of tailored business and commercial strategies. 

    Prior to this, he worked as a Business Development Analyst at Grupo Distelsa, helping craft the business plan and initial entry strategy into a new market segment for the company.

    Santiago holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a minor in History from the University of Chicago. 

Luis Pedro Marín

Francisco Álvarez

Sr. Associate

Sr. Associate

  • Luis Pedro has over 10 years of experience in M&A, corporate strategy, and project valuation across Latin America and Europe, with a focus on consumer, agribusiness, QSR, and pharmaceutical sectors.

    Before joining Valante Capital, he led the European expansion of Luminova Pharma Group as Head of M&A and Integration. He was also part of the M&A team at Corporación Multi Inversiones, where he participated in structuring and executing over US$1.0B in potential and completed transactions in the food industry.

    He holds a Master’s in Finance (Summa Cum Laude) from EGADE Business School and a Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Rafael Landívar.

    Passionate about education, he has served as a lecturer at Universidad Francisco Marroquín’s business school, teaching courses in M&A, project valuation, and risk management.

  • With +10 years of experience in financial modeling, investment valuation, and strategic planning across diverse industries, Francisco has contributed significantly to creating value in the investment field.  

    In his roles at a boutique investment firm and regional corporate companies, he led detailed financial valuations for mergers, acquisitions, capital issuance, and equity sales. Francisco also developed comprehensive financial models that attracted investors and financing partners, showcasing his strong understanding of market dynamics and investment opportunities. 

    Francisco holds an MBA (Cum Laude) from ESI School of Management and a degree in Industrial Engineering (Magna Cum Laude) from Universidad Rafael Landívar, both earned with honors, reflecting his commitment to academic excellence and professional growth.

Ricardo
Gavidia

Associate

  • Ricardo brings extensive experience in corporate finance, valuation, and strategic advisory, with a strong track record supporting clients across industries in Latin America.

    During his tenure as Manager at EY-Parthenon, he specialized in transaction advisory and valuation services, leading engagements for mergers and acquisitions, fairness opinions, impairment testing, among others. He also developed detailed financial models and benchmarking analyses to guide investment decisions, helping corporate and private equity clients assess opportunities with rigor and precision.

    Prior to this, Ricardo was active in Central America’s entrepreneurial ecosystem at Multiverse, a leading startup accelerator. As Program Manager, he built acceleration programs, oversaw cohorts, and provided strategic guidance to early-stage startups, including financial planning, fundraising support, and operational scaling, leveraging his expertise to drive the growth of emerging ventures.

    Ricardo holds a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Finance from Universidad Francisco Marroquín.