OUR TEAM
Rolando Gadala-María​
Founder & CEO
Rolando is Founder and CEO of Visage Capital Group with more than 35 years of experience as a serial entrepreneur. He brings a unique set of skills and experience in founding new businesses, investing and restructuring existing businesses, Mergers and Acquisitions, business strategy and business growth models.
His deep convictions that extra value can be always added when the homework is done, he never goes and sells a company where he is invested until its value can be maximize to shareholders and optimized to the buyer.
Rolando and his team have developed a proprietary deep analytical process that identifies the different perceptions of value from different potential buyers and from different strategic sectors helping his invested companies and his clients to maximize the exit value through preparing these companies so they can have the right positioning and alignment with market potential buyers.
Rolando sits at the boards of several corporations as well as non-profit organizations.
Rolando is author of "Awakened Leaders", a leadership mentoring program that has earned credentials from IESE Business School, Spain, transforming corporate leaders to become highly empowered to impact positively their business growth, their families and their communities.
He has been a guest speaker at several national and international organizations including the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), Young Presidents Organization (YPO), Universities, among other.
As an active member of YPO he served as Board Chair for Latin America (YPO Gold) and served in the international board of WPO.
Rolando also serves pro-bono as a business mentor for Startups in Singularity University.
Sergio Fernandez de Córdova​
Senior Associate
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Sergio is one of the youngest initiators of public-private partnerships to drive business and social change. Launching from much of his work at Fuel, Sergio single-handedly forged a variety of private-public partnerships with political and business leaders in cities across the US as well as major global cities.
Sergio co-founded Fuel Outdoor Holdings in 2003, growing the company to over 4,000 outdoor advertising locations in nine markets nationwide, making it one of the top 3 largest, privately owned companies in the industry. He sold the company to Och-Ziff, a global institutional asset management firm with over $31 billion in capital, and exited in 2011.
As a reflection of his progressive understanding of business and a burgeoning global economy, he co-founded Innovators Fund, IMGH, P3GM and the Pvblic Foundation and de Cordova Goldman Capital Management - all globally focused enterprises.
Sergio is Co-Chairman of the World Energy Forum’s Next Generation Energy Leaders, a board member of the United Nations Foundation's Global Entrepreneurs Council, an official delegate for the US Department of State's Global Entrepreneurship Program, Co-Chairman of the G8 Young Summit, a member of the Council of Underserved Communities for the US Small Business Administration, National Co-Chairman for the Technology for President Obama; T4O, and he is Co-Chairman of the Young Leaders Board for the Global Center for Development and Democracy; a group made up of 20 past Presidents of Latin America.
Tammy Lakes
Vice President of Technology
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A product development executive who has spent her career developing and launching technological products that improve lives and advance communities. Tammy has a passion for pairing leading-edge technologies with unmet societal needs.
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The bulk of her career has focused on building new technology products across many fields. Most recently, leading the development of online learning and connectivity platforms for Singularity University (SU), a company that advances “exponential” technologies and addresses “global grand challenges”.
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Tammy is also an active board member (House of Mandela Family Foundation), co-founder of The Africa Initiative in the gaming space, and consultancy owner (Creating Collaborative Change) who guides start-ups to effectively bring new technological innovations to market. She is a catalyst in this space as she helps up-and-coming companies find resources, establish business plans, build strategy, secure funding and develop new products.
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There are many who fear the future of technology and AI. The constant drumbeat of warnings from the media creates trepidation and hesitation to embrace the new world that is upon us. She, however, sees unlimited potential for technology to raise the standard of living, improve health and bring equity to an unbalanced world.
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Jaime Graña B.
Senior Associate
Jaime has 28 years of experience as an executive of multinational companies, 15 years of which he was General Manager at Diageo, and more recently the CEO of the El Comercio group.
Jaime has consistently transformed the businesses he has managed for Procter & Gamble, Diageo and El Comercio and has represented them in various business associations.
Jaime has led or has been a key part of the teams in charge of various business purchases and sales operations such as the merger project between Diageo and Cuervo.
Today, he is an Associate at Visage Capital Group and Director at NODOS, FITCO and YPO Peru.
Jaime is an investor and startup advisor at Angel Ventures Peru and The promoter and co-founder of the Conscious Capitalism movement in Peru.
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He has a degree in Administration from the University of Lima, with Postgraduate studies at Stanford Graduate School of Business and the University of Piura. He is certified by the London Institute of Directors as a Business Director. He has been awarded the Keepers of the Quaich order by the Keepers of the Quaich Association in Scotland.
José Francisco Ostolaza Fernández
Senior Associate
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Peruvian entrepreneur focused on massifying digital and financial inclusion to accelerate the creation of a positive and prosper mindset in fragmented and emerging economies.
Veteran executive and investor with 20 years of experience in a wide range of companies, including being founder of the largest mobile based payment network in the country, pioneer in 3D printing in space and founding an accelerator of blockchain use cases.
Carolina Parraguez
Managing Director – Digital Transformation
Carolina brings a unique expertise in Digital Transformation of Banks and Financial Institutions.
Carolina is an Industrial Civil Engineer with more than 20 years of experience in the transformation and innovation of Banco de Chile, an entity with more than 125 years and a leader in the national market.
She stands out for her adaptive leadership, motivation of high-performance teams and high capacity for results-oriented execution. Carolina directed the creation of the Bank's Innovation Center and together with her multidisciplinary team, they defined and successfully implemented the strategic and digital transformation projects of the Corporation (ATMs, Web Channels, Online Transfers and Sales, Mobile Applications, Commercial Platforms, Wallets of Payment, among others), positioning a traditional bank as an innovative bank obtaining international awards such as "Best Digital Banking", "Global Finance", "Best Place Innovate" and "Best Global Business Banking".
Carolina is part of the Digital Bank LATAM ecosystem network, participating as a speaker in different Latin American and Mexico events, sharing her experience and being a reference as a business facilitator between the needs of the financial market and the new digital platforms.
Carolina brings a strong expertise in guiding companies in the process of transformation, innovation, experience and development of customized solutions, through consulting, change management, support and agile development methods, seeking the fulfillment of objectives on the transformation opportunities in the value chain of their businesses.
Mirtha Zamudio R.
Managing Director – Digital Transformation
Mirtha brings to Visage Capital Group a valuable practice in digital transformation in the financial sector. She has more than 30 years of extensive experience at BBVA, one of the world's leading financial groups. During those years, she assumed different local and international responsibilities in Finance, Risk and General Auditing, before being promoted to Deputy General Manager.
The position she held allowed her to actively participate in the cultural and digital transformation of the bank, which is a benchmark for companies in Peru in innovation and the use of agile methodologies.
As Deputy General Manager of the Media area, she led the Technology, Back Office, Administrative Services and Security Management of BBVA, and contributed, together with her team, to lay the technical foundations of the digital transformation.
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Mirtha led the implementation of the Processes and Data area, the pillars of the digital transformation. The main contributions in the bank processes were the training in process methodology with an end to end vision to the teams at the bank's headquarters, and transformation of core processes with agile scaling. Additionally she started and led the way for BBVA to become a Data Driven Bank, working on 3 fronts: development of analytical capabilities, data governance model and boosting the Big Data platform.
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Currently she is a Senior Management Advisor, and contributes with nonprofit organizations; either from the direction and advice - President of the Board of Directors of the Alumni and Graduate Association of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru - PUCP, and Member of the Advisory Council of CENTRUM PUCP - as the active collaboration - Co-founder, Chief Data Officer CDO LATAM and member of Mentors "Woman in Finance". She complements these activities by participating as a speaker and panelist in events on Digital Transformation and the importance of having a Data culture.
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Mirtha has a degree in Economics from the PUCP and an International MBA from the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez. She is constantly updating her knowledge and is part of the Program for Business Directors at IE Business School, E&Y and Pacífico Business School.
Argelio Maldonado
Senior Associate
Has extensive marketing, finance, technological, and start-up experience having helped start several new businesses while working in the US and Latin America for Blue Chip companies such as Charles Schwab, IBM, Citibank, LifeSavers Candy and Procter & Gamble.
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At Charles Schwab, Argelio was initially the SVP for International Marketing and Web Development in charge of rolling out the Brand worldwide before becoming the Head of Consumer and Operations for International. He was the head of IBM’s Banking and Insurance Solutions Unit for Latin America; At Citibank he was the Marketing head for Latin America before becoming the Country Head for Chile.
He has a solid experience in back office operations as well as technology in the financial industry. Early on during his career he acquired abroad consumer marketing foundation first with Procter and Gamble where he was the first Hispanic MBA hired and afterwards he moved to LifeSavers Candy where he learned the challenges of marketing candy products to small children.
He loves to fish and for 18 years was part owner and marketing director for Isla Monita Lodge, a premium fly fishing lodge which he helped created in the Chilean Patagonia. Argelio was born in Cuba, speaks three languages, has an MBA from Columbia University and currently lives in Miami.
Dr. Damian Valenzuela
Senior Associate
Dr. Valenzuela is an Attorney (UNSTA), MBA (FT-UCV) and a DEA in Law (Universidad Complutense de Madrid). With extensive business experience, he is Chairman and shareholder of more than 20 companies in Latin America and other parts of the world. As an expert in Capital Markets, he currently serves on several boards, including Executive Director of Latin America Invest (International Business Platform) where he has Assets Under Management in excess of $ 3.5 Billion Dollars. Dr. Valenzuela is a Former Academic Director and Professor of Stock Market Analysis (UNSTA).
He is a frequent columnist for CNN en Español, Diario Las Americas, Diario Gestion del Peru, as well as a frequent speaker on Trusts and Capital Markets in LATAM.
Peter J.F. van Voorst Vader
Senior Associate
Peter has a broad experience in industries such as hospitality, retail, fast food and M&A.
During his years as CEO of BHG, Brazil’s third largest hotel chain, he made the company grow from zero to roughly 8500 rooms under management. BHG became the only listed hotel company on the Brazilian Stock Exchange BOVESPA and during his years was among the top performers of public hotel companies worldwide in Ebitda margin.
He was also CEO and President of BFFC, a public US holding company, and its wholly owned Brazilian subsidiary Venbo, which operates Bob’s, the second largest fast food chain in Brazil. During his years at BFFC, Bob’s chain grew from 79 to over 300 outlets, being now one of the most respected franchise organizations in Brazil.
When Peter lead Shell Netheraland Verkoopermaatchappij B.V., he was responsible for all sales of automotive fuels, lubricants and convenience stores through a network of over 600 retail outlets and another 800 cardealer workshops; achieving sales of 1.5 Billion US$ and net profits of 40 million US$. Peter was recognized with many awards including the Marketing Man of the Year in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
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He is fluent in Dutch, English, Portuguese, German, Italian, and also understands French and Spanish.
César Castro
Senior Associate
Cesar brings to Visage Capital Group a unique talent in the fields of exponential technologies, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and digital currencies among other leading impacting technologies changing the business and consumer dynamics.
Cesar has spent his career as a strategic driver of corporate expansion at Microsoft, Nokia and America Movil. Along the way, he has delivered profitable growth, and has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in shareholder value. Cesar has an extended record of success in Telecom, Mobility, Internet-led business, Consumer Electronics, and Cloud Services.
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Today, he advises leadership teams, board of directors and founders on trends, innovation and strategies for growth, value creation, and business transformation. He is particularly focused on exponential organizations, digital transformation, and the application of new business models and accelerating technologies such as IoT (Internet of Things), Blockchain, Mix Reality and AI (Artificial Intelligence).
Cesar is the Founder and Managing Partner at Escalate Group; a Consultancy firm specialized in envisioning, accelerating and scaling disruptive innovation and digital transformation for customer organizations and leaders seeking to remain relevant during today’s non-linear market. He is in the board of advisors in several corporations as well as non-profit organizations.
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He led the Phones Business Unit for Latin America at Microsoft Devices Group and was the General Manager for Microsoft North Latin America - Mobile Devices based in South Florida. In his roles, he contributed to creating more personal computing in a “Mobile First and Cloud First World”. Before this assignment, Cesar spent 3 years in Sao Paulo heading the Mobile Phones Business Unit for the Americas at Nokia.
Luis David
Senior Associate
Based in Guatemala, Luis has extensive experience in the banking and financial sector in the region. Acting as Managing Director of IDC for over 13 years, he has participated in more than one hundred transactional processes including mergers, acquisitions, restructuring of liabilities, leveraged buyouts, management buy outs, strategic alliances and private capital placements throughout Central America, Latin America, Mexico, and the United States.
Currently, Luis is the Director of Invest in Guatemala, an agency created to promote foreign investment in Guatemala. (www.investinguatemala.org) He is a member of the Board of Directors of Bank of Central America (BAC) and Credomatic of Guatemala,(www.bac.com.gt) and has acted as an active member for Global M&A (www.globalma.com ).
He holds a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from the Institute Giordano Dell’amore in Milan, Italy, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Diploma of Political Science from the University of Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala.
Annette M. Montoto Terrassa, CPA
Associate
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Annette Montoto has been Executive President of Microfinanzas Puerto Rico, a former subsidiary of Grupo Fundación Microfinanzas BBVA, and which was recognized as Best Microfinance institution by Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico and CITI for its work on behalf of the island’s socioeconomic development as well as becoming the first microlending financial institution in Puerto Rico to secure the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Certification from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.
Annette has a solid experience in the financial markets, both in banking and international investments, having held managerial positions in leading banks, government and private, brokerage and accounting firms, including Citicorp Financial Services Corporation, BBVA , the Corporate and Private Banking Divisions in Banco Popular de PR and KPMG Peat Marwick, directly advising clients and supervising the sales teams in Puerto Rico and in various Central and South American countries. Annette, moreover, has been retained in the past by Fortune 100 companies to render strategic advice. Her leadership has earned recognitions such as the Top Management Award in Banking and Finance from the Sales and Marketing Executives Association in Puerto Rico, the Businessperson and Public Servant Award by the Inter-American Association of Business Professionals , and as past President of the Economic Development Bank of Puerto Rico, small businesses initiatives were recognized by the United Nations after having promoted and financed more than 1000 small businesses at the personal and community scales.
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Annette is a CPA and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Babson College in Wellesley MA. She also holds a Masters in Finance and has been admitted to the Certificate in Business Excellence of Columbia University’s Business School Executive Education Program in New York. Within this program, and undergoing the Specialties of Finance and Strategy, Annette has been awarded the Mergers & Acquisitions Certificate after completing such course. Since 2016 she works as a consultant in the finances and strategy development and implementation within the private, public and non-profit sectors and serves in several Boards, including Albizu University, as Trustee.
Roger Alfaro
Associate
Roger has 25 years of career experience doing business in Latin America, the US and Canada with different banks, credit unions, private lenders, private equity firms, family offices and multinational companies. He has also worked as legal counsel, insurance broker, mutual fund dealer, investment and commercial banker, trust officer and development director of hotels, franchises, retail and multi-residential projects.
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Roger has also been a member of the Board of Directors in several banks, factoring companies, guarantee programs, surety companies, hotel and hotel management companies and foundations.
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He holds a BA in Law from Universidad Dr. Jose Matias Delgado of El Salvador and an MBA from INCAE Business School.Also he has a Diploma of International Trade Legal Issues from Georgetown University and is an alumni of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking of the American Bankers Association at Wharton in the University of Pennsylvania. Also he has participated in training programs in Trade Finance, Factoring, Leasing, Hospitality, Franchises, Export Credit Agencies, Insurance, Agribusiness, Mix-used projects and other topics in Germany, Spain, Japan, UK, USA, Canada and other Latin American countries.
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He is a licensed Mortgage Agent by FSCO, Mutual Fund dealer by OSC and a member of Mortgage Professionals Canada and Alumni Associations.
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He speaks English, Spanish and French and some Italian and Portuguese.
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He enjoys playing golf, tennis, squash, soccer, scuba diving and reading about world history, cultures and arts.
Silvia Veitia
Project Manager
Silvia is an experienced executive managing projects related to Strategic Corporate Growth, M&A, Investors (OMIT) Investor Outreach, Financial Analysis and Project Management. She has extensive experience in Heavy Equipment Rental and Distribution, Infrastructure Projects, Renewable Energy, Private Equity Funds, Real Estate, Banking, among others. Silvia lives currently (OMIT) in Miami and is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.
Alexandra Samour
Project Manager
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Since 2011, Alexandra has been engaged with Visage Capital Group as project coordinator and as project manager. She has help to coordinated teams of investment bankers and senior client executives to develop strategic plans, Board presentations, Info Memos, coordinate internal committees for M&A transactions and strategic growth advisory as well as project development, fundraising, communication strategies and sales.
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Alexandra holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University in New Orleans and sits in the board of two non profit organizations in El Salvador.