Our Family – FAMILIA BOTERO RACING

Our Mom: Alicia Botero Restrepo

Alicia Botero Restrepo was a Latin American aviation pioneer from Colombia. In 1947-48, when women were still not permitted to fly with the Colombian military, she convinced the air force to let her train with them in an unofficial capacity. She was 16 years old. She learned to fly on a Stearman PT-13 at the Madrid air base and the Germán Olano Air Base in Palanquero, where she soloed. Her flying career was cut short, however, when new leadership ended her training. After being widowed in 1965, she moved with her children to the United States, where she became a U.S. citizen. She worked for decades at Kennedy Airport for KLM customer service while raising five children as a single mother.

Mr. Hector Botero

Mr. Hector Botero has spent the last two decades building, acquiring, and merging media, news, and technology companies on a global scale. In 1996 Mr. Botero launched International Media Services (IMS) that went on to become a leader in media research, media monitoring, and news distribution covering the Latin America region from Mexico, Central and South America. In 2000, Mr. Botero expanded the scope of IMS to include the Asia Pacific region and Europe. IMS went on to partner with Business Wire and launch Business Wire Latin America and Business Wire China. Business Wire was acquired by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway in 2006.

In 2008 Mr. Botero sold IMS to OMERS Private Equity, a Canadian private equity fund with more than $6 billion under management, and Marketwired. In 2016, NASDAQ acquired Marketwired. In 2016 Mr. Botero launched iCrowdNewswire (iCrowd) and ContentEngine (CE). Since launching both iCrowd and CE have become leaders in their industry. Mr. Botero’s latest venture is a partnership with LexisNexis launching Nexis Newswire. Lexis Nexis is a subsidiary of Relx, a global news, information, and analytics conglomerate with over 33,000 employees in 40 countries generating revenue over US$7 billion annually.

Mr. Felipe Botero

Mr. Felipe Botero spent the last three decades in various roles at MetLife. Responsible for Life Insurance and Annuity Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) relationship with several Insurance carriers, supporting several hundred thousand policy holders, and a diverse distribution network including major wire houses. Conducted regular client briefings and planning sessions to develop client’s business strategy and implementation plans. Coordinated the design and implementation of business technology and operational solutions, including: launched a new web platform for annuity customers and distributors self-service, enabled several major distributors to sell annuity products including electronic application submission and commission processing capabilities, and implemented several new Fixed and Variable Annuities products.

Reporting to the CEO, developed several retirement products and marketing programs that achieved $1 billion in annual sales within 5 years. Led the IT integration of large acquisition across Latin America and the Caribbean, involving operations in 22 countries and over 10,000 associates. Managed the divestiture of MetLife Bank including elimination of 6,000 positions and 4 separate M&A transactions. Led the global implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Control Act (FATCA) regulations across 46 countries, incorporating over 300 legal entities. Implemented a data matching program with the Social Security Death Master File for identification and prompt payment of life insurance claims, which paid out over $750 million.

Mr. Edwin Botero

Mr. Edwin Botero has for the past 8 years served as president of the largest US based importer of Mexican beef, representing sales of $800M annually. Prior to that I served 13 years as VP of Exports to Latin America for the US division of JBS S.A., the largest meat producer in the world.

Before coming into the beef business, I worked as SVP of Global Sourcing for Tone’s Spices, the second largest spice company in the world. Prior to that I worked for 11 years as Senior Trader for some of the largest coffee companies, including Cargill, Volkart Bros. and Sprague & Rhodes.

Ms. Alicia Botero

Ms. Alicia Botero Speight is a Managing Director and Market Leader with Willis Towers Watson with more than 35 years’ experience in Brokerage, Risk Management, and Underwriting, She possess the knowledge, expertise, and ability to provide a well-rounded set of services for her clients and management and mentoring for her staff. This philosophy has been at the center of her career trajectory and has yielded long-lasting relationships over time and across employers.

Her leadership style is directed by a passionate conviction in mentoring others, developing skill sets that not only help individuals accomplish personal goals but contributing to a team environment that drives companies ever forward. Alicia is known as a real “people-person,” valuing compassion and positive communication channels. This is integral to creative problem-solving, allowing for a fluid and progressive approach to business. She is also passionate about building an inclusive and diverse community.
Prior to joining Willis Towers Watson, Alicia held several leadership roles at various brokerages and at International Media Services.

Mr. Carlos Botero

Driving forward with a clear line of sight to execute on a holistic business strategy, Carlos Botero is positioned in a key role as DIRECTV’s vice president of Human Resources for Operations. As he partners with senior Operations leaders to produce record-setting results, he delivers a results oriented culture, a strong leadership pipeline and workforce agility.

Carlos’ business expertise stems from a deep operations and customer service background that he leverages with his experience in every aspect of the HR function. This synergistic combination has resulted in his ability to consistently excel Operations’ capabilities and create new opportunities at a global level.

Forward-thinking with broad experience in intercultural management, Carlos joined DIRECTV Latin America in 2003 as senior director of Human Resources. He brought a service mentality to the organization, using his interpersonal capabilities to work with C-level executives and senior local management in each country.

As Latin America regional director for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Carlos created a cohesive team by applying best practices, promoting interdependence and facilitating individual growth. He also created a new marketing unit for Latin America to implement complete change in their business-to-business selling strategies.

Carlos provides a defined vision for an organization’s direction and can identify the dynamic talent required to reach targeted goals. Under his leadership, the strategic aspects of HR: culture management, talent management and employee engagement are non-negotiable. He considers mastery of these elements essential for success. He matches these priorities with his skill to attract top talent and quickly transforms groupings of individuals into a unified, powerful team.

Carlos enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters and feels fortunate to have traveled and “witnessed the human experience” in over 30 countries.