I am a father of four, a husband, and a Guatemalan entrepreneur. I have over 30 years of experience in business, academia, civil society organizations, and government participation. Regarding my hobbies, I consider myself a lover of art, music, and photography.
I hold a B.S. in Economics from Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala and an MBA in Finance, Marketing, and Organizational Behavior from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University in the United States.
Throughout my career, I have always focused on building teams in my professional life, because people are the core of companies. They are the ones who make businesses successful and company growth possible. I am certain that combining our talents as Guatemalans is key to creating a legacy and designing our country’s future for new generations with pride.
These books have inspired me throughout the course of my life and can help all those who are interested in awakening their intellectual curiosity.
I am currently the CEO of Cervecería Centro Americana, S.A., one of the largest business groups in Central America. In this role, I have focused on developing the business from a people-centered perspective, driving product and service quality, using the best technology, and committing to the development of Guatemalan society.
Together, we at Cervecería Centro Americana, S.A., have managed to promote essential changes in how this family business is run and develop a shared purpose as an organization. This has created a series of processes that have enhanced our management and organizational structure. We have worked to improve our strategic positioning; standardize our performance measurement systems; and launch risk management, compliance, and ethics programs, all of which are now supported by the organization’s management.
In 1996, I accepted the responsibility of serving as the director of Guatemala’s Chamber of Industry (Cámara de Industria de Guatemala). There, I helped design policies focused on trade liberalization, economic development, fiscal policy, and trade negotiations.
I also had the good fortune to be able to help promote and implement the regional agreement with the United States, CAFTA. That project continued moving forward after I moved on, and I was pleased to be able to approve it several years later, in my role as Ambassador of Guatemala to the United States.
Furthermore, I have been a professor at several distinguished centers of higher education, such as the Universidad Francisco Marroquín, Universidad del Istmo de Guatemala, and Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, among others.
In my time as deputy minister and minister of Economy of Guatemala, I led successful negotiations that culminated in free trade agreements with Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba and initiated negotiations for a trade agreement with Canada.
I have also promoted and supported other projects on topics such as the tariff reduction program, trade liberalization, Central American Integration, and trade agreement negotiations, including for the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA).
I have been a director at various associations that manage social programs for education and malnutrition prevention. I have also volunteered at medical conferences organized by HELPS International, where I served as a translator for the doctors.
I was the director of Fundación para el Desarrollo de Guatemala (FUNDESA), and I am currently the director of Fundación 2020 in Guatemala and a member of the Board of Directors of Counterpart International board of directors, in Washington, D. C.
© 2022 Guillermo Castillo Villacorta All Rights Reserved.