Madrid, May 31st. Next week, ProColombia, together with the Colombian regional investment promotion agencies: Invest in Bogotá, ACI Medellín and Invest Pacific, will be presenting the business environment in Colombia and investment opportunities for European investors. 

Colombia became the 37th OECD member, the third in Latin America along with Mexico and Chile. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) highlighted Colombia´s economy as one of the most resilient to the recent fall in the price of raw materials and also regarded the country's macroeconomic framework as one of the most solid in the region. 

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) assured that Colombian exports are expected to grow the most in South America. In addition, according to UNCTAD, Colombia ranked third among Latin American countries in attracting foreign investment and within the top 30 worldwide.

Doing Business in three of Colombia's main regions

BOGOTÁ. Colombia's capital is an attractive destination for doing business in Latin America. FDI inflows into Bogota are highly represented by non-commodities activities. Bogota is the second city in Latin American with the highest job growth rate linked to foreign direct investment (FDI), particularly in greenfield projects. The Colombian capital represents 26% of the country's corporations, 55% of its financial transactions and is home to high-qualified talent. As proof, the number of multinationals that have decided to start operations in Bogota has increased steadily, by 2017, 1,850 projects arrived in the city.
The main sectors to invest in are: infrastructure, social and tourism infrastructure, mass transport system, BPO, ITO and KPO, and life sciences. 
Juan Gabriel Pérez is the CEO of Invest in Bogotá, the investment promotion agency for the city. He studied international trade at the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University. Perez also received a specialization in Negotiation and International Relations from the Center for International Studies of the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. He worked for ten years in the Commercial Office of the Colombian Government in Madrid, ProColombia, where he served as Director for five. 

MEDELLÍN AND ANTIOQUIA'S REGION. Medellín is the capital of Antioquia. According to economics and politics, Medellin is Colombia's second most important city and an internationally well-positioned vibrant center for commerce, industry, and technology. Its architecture, urbanism and the continuity of its social and economic development policies have transformed Medellín into a new city, with competitive infrastructure and the highest quality of life in the country. The Cluster strategy of the region has detected opportunities for international investors in sectors including: textiles, construction, renewable energies, tourism and social infrastructure and IT.

Catalina Restrepo, CEO of Invest in Medellin, has extensive experience in project management and advisory services. She has served as director of the JuanFe Foundation; Advisor to Medellín's Mayor's Office; Advisor to the Regional Directorate of SENA; Consultant of the IFC World Bank Group; Advisor to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism and Advisor to the Government of Antioquia, among other positions. Catalina is a Business Administrator of the St. Thomas University, a Specialist in Corporate Social Responsibility and Communication Processes from the Business School of Madrid and Master in Public Relations of the Universidad Autónoma of Barcelona.

CALI AND THE VALLE DEL CAUCA'S REGION. Valle del Cauca is at the Southwest of Colombia upon the Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Cali, the third most important city in the country. It has a population of 4.7 million, comparable with countries such as Costa Rica, Panama, Ireland and New Zealand. It has the main port of Colombia on the Pacific Coast, Buenaventura, where 53% of the country's cargo moves through and connects with more than 199 ports in the world.

The main sectors to invest are agroindustry, renewable energies, infrastructure, pharmaceutical, BPO, ITO and KPO, and logistics.

The region has dynamic and diverse industries, with more than 150 multinationals settled in its territory. Companies such as Unilever, Goodyear, Nestle, Abbott, Ingredion, Baxter, Colgate, among others, have their production site in the region to serve internal and Latin American markets, including countries of the Pacific Alliance and the Andean region. Likewise, the companies in Valle del Cauca are leaders in different market segments, including the four largest IT businesses in the Country (Carvajal, TyS, Siesa, Open Systems and Compunet).

Alejandro Ossa, CEO of Invest Pacific.  Ossa is an international negotiator from EAFIT University and holds a master's degree in Business Administration from Rutgers University, New Jersey State University. Before becoming Invest Pacific's Executive Director, Alejandro was an associate consultant in Pacific Consulting SAS, ProColombia's director in China, and the Commercial Attaché  for six years.