Founding Partners

Thomas is a structured finance and capital markets professional with an extensive track record of successfully closing global deals and consistently generating revenue. Thomas has been equally successful in liquid and unstructured markets, and through the years, his strong leadership and motivational skills have enabled teams to optimize performance. Thomas has extensive international experience across a wide range of financial products, markets and countries in positions of increased responsibility.

Born in Belgium, he moved to Brazil in 1971 and lived there for 14 years, working for Citibank and since for GE Capital Markets Services in various corporate banking positions. In 2011 he founded Global Capital Access LLC a US Broker Dealer, member FINRA/SPIC. In November 2001, Thomas was elected the founding President of the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in Tokyo, Japan. He is currently a Director of the Brazilian American Chamber of Commerce, for which he was the Chairman of the Membership Committee; a Board member of the Brazil Foundation; and in September 2009, he was invited to become a member of the CEO-Trust. 

Thomas´s network gives access to potential investors in the financial centers in the US (New York, Boston, Connecticut and California).

Felipe is based in Bogota and his family is one of the oldest farming families in Colombia, owning a farm of 45,000 hectares and other smaller farms in the Eastern Plains for around 100 years and he and his family has contacts with most of the leading farming families and agribusinesses in all sectors throughout Colombia. Felipe holds a BA in Architecture from Universidad de Los Andes in Bogota, a General Management degree from NYU and holds an MBA from Boston University.

Experience in the fresh cut flowers industry working for several exporters and led sales for DOLE Food Company, Inc. as International Flower Marketing and Sales Manager for the US, Europe, Russia and Japan. Felipe owns a pineapple plantation and a palm oil plantation in the Eastern Plains of Colombia.

Since joining the team in 2014, Felipe identifies agribusinesses and farmland, which is ready to be sold or requires investment. Felipe and the group structure marketing documents, which include technical, legal and financial information to present to potential investors, plus arrange investor visits to the farmland and he assists with negotiations and due diligence. 

Javier is a lawyer graduated in Uruguay and holds an LLM in International Business Law from the University of Manchester (UK). Having worked for many years for CMS Bureau Francis Lefebvre, an important European law firm, Javier´s main experience is in international and national M&A transactions and the setting of European multinational groups throughout the Mercosur countries in various areas including those related to bovine genetic material, slaughterhouses, slaughterhouse´s machinery manufacture, seed industry companies, winery, retail, hydraulic engines, among others.

Javier is from Montevideo, Uruguay, has lived in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and is now based in São Paulo, where he has been director and legal representative of multinational companies such as Groupe Casino (France), Datamyne Group (US) and Asuan (Uruguay). Javier´s family is in the agribusiness sector in Uruguay for more than 100 years, and is one of the most traditional Hereford breeders, having contacts with leading farming businesses throughout Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Javier joined the team in 2017 in charge of identifying investment opportunities in the region especially in Uruguay.

Gonzalo is an Ecuadorian Agricultural Engineer with studies in Marketing of Agricultural Products made in Germany through the dual system sponsored by the German Foundation for International Development and specialized in coffee tasting practices at the firm Bernhard Rothfos in Hamburg. In the 80´s worked in Costa Rica for a US Company, in the acquisition of Arabica coffee out of Central America destined to the European and US markets.

Founded REPEC, Representaciones Ecuador SA in 1981, which represents several international companies in the acquisition of agricultural products in Ecuador such as: cocoa, coffee, sugar and pepper. Currently, in addition to his international agribusiness activities, Gonzalo gives lectures and conferences to students, producers, researchers, exporters and officials of the Ecuadorian government on the behaviour of the international coffee and cocoa market.

Gonzalo´s network in the Ag sector in Ecuador gives access and thorough analysis of large enterprise opportunities while maintaining a close relation with coffee and cacao potential investors.

Javier is CIO for Meca Investments an investment advisory firm supporting investors looking to develop projects in Central America.  Before, he was the Executive Director of PRONicaragua the Nicaraguan Investment Promotion Agency, from 2007 to 2017. The agency has the primary responsibility of attracting investment into the country also coordinates public private efforts to improve the investment climate and trade facilitation policies. 

Previously, was the Commercial Director for OCAL a leading consumer goods distributor in Nicaragua; worked as Nicaraguan Country Manager for Kellogg’s Central America; Department Buyer for Central American Retail Holding (Currently Wal-Mart); consultant for Energy and Mining sectors and has been a business developer himself in fields such as Commerce, Real Estate Development and Finance. 

His formal studies were in Business Administration at American University in Managua and has taken multiple courses in Economic Development, Investment and Trade Promotion. He is a Central American Leadership Initiative Fellow and part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network; and serves on the board of Operation Smile Nicaragua.

Gloria is a lawyer with more than 30 years of experience in the commercial, corporate business and financial sectors. Received her Law Degree in 1983 from Universidad Catolica Andres Bello (Venezuela), has extended studies on the American Legal System from Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.), as well as several upgrading courses from international institutions in business, investment banking and capital markets.

Gloria held the highest legal positions as Chief Legal Counsel and Compliance Officer for Citibank, N.A., Corp Banca, C.A., and Banco Nacional de Crédito; Member of the Boards of Directors of Consorcio Credicard, C.A. in Venezuela, Banco del Orinoco N.V. in Curacao, Panacorp Fideicomisos S.A, Panacorp Mercado de Capitales SA. in Panama and Sumarse - World Business Counsel for Sustainable Development and of the Global Pact.

Gloria´s network of High Net worth individuals gives access to potential investors in Central America and Florida and brings all her extensive legal experience into the M&A process.

Norberto is a Founding Partner in SOTEGEN a consulting firm dedicated to business leverage, analysis and M&A in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Norberto held several executive positions (CEO/President) in multinational companies such as Danone, Unilever, Bunge, Kibon, Fleischman Royal/Nabisco and Jeronimo Martins. He lived four years in Portugal, Italy and UK working for Unilever and five as Coordinator of the International Marketing Committee of Danone. During his career Norberto led successful turnarounds, restructurings and joint ventures such as Nabisco to Kraft and Supermercado Se to GPA.

Norberto is from Brazil and holds a Swiss passport, with a Business Administration degree and specializations in Marketing and Finance from University Getulio Vargas. Experience in corporate governance, participating since 2004 as Independent Member in Boards of Directors and Company Committees with different profiles and levels of corporate governance such as JBS Foods, Total Alimentos S/A, and Sadia S/A.

Norberto joined the team in 2018 in charge of identifying investment opportunities in the region especially in Brazil in the Agribusiness and Food Processing sectors.

Karina is the Founder of GBE Global Business Expansion, an investment and trade advisory firm supporting investors looking to develop projects in South America and Ecuadorian exporters looking for new markets. Prior to GBE, Karina was the Trade Commissioner of Pro-Ecuador in New York, from 2009 to 2018. Participated as speaker in forums and international conferences dedicated to foreign trade, covering the position of Ecuador as a country of investment destination and business opportunities.

Karina has also written articles and publications about international trade, product-market research, and business opportunities with different countries. Coordinated the public and private sectors of Ecuador to improve the investment climate and trade facilitation policies in her role as Trade and Investment Director for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has been given several recognitions for her constant work on trade and investment promotion.

She was one of the Ecuadorian Negotiators for International Investment Agreements, with the European Union and Chile. Her formal studies were in Economics at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, with a major in International Economy Relations and MBA from the ITESM Toluca.