Retail giant fills two C-suite roles as it accelerates omnichannel strategy

Grupo Éxito (BVC: EXITO), Colombia’s largest retail operator, has appointed two senior executives to newly defined C-suite roles as part of a long-term strategy centered on commercial competitiveness and digital transformation. The company named Paula Sanabria as Chief Commercial Officer and Juan Camilo Suárez as Chief Digital and Technology Officer, effective immediately.

Sanabria holds a degree in business administration from the Universidad Internacional de las Américas in San José, Costa Rica, and brings 26 years of experience in the retail sector. Her background spans strategic category management, high-performance team development, and results-oriented commercial execution.

Suárez is an industrial engineer from Universidad EAFIT in Medellín, and has supplemented his academic preparation with studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, and Stanford University. He has more than 28 years of experience directing digital operations and enterprise transformation processes across Latin America, with a focus on strategic planning, innovation, customer experience, and business transformation.

The appointments come as Grupo Éxito continues reorganizing its senior leadership following the January 2024 acquisition of a controlling stake by Salvadoran conglomerate Grupo Calleja, which now holds approximately 86.84% of the company. The retailer operates stores under multiple banners in Colombia, Uruguay, and Argentina, including Éxito, Carulla, Surtimax, Super Inter, Surtimayorista, Devoto, and Disco, among others.

According to the company, the two appointments are intended to reinforce capabilities in commercial management, innovation, customer intelligence, and technological evolution — areas the company has identified as central to strengthening its regional position and generating greater operational synergies across the markets where it operates.

Grupo Éxito, formally known as Almacenes Éxito S.A., completed the process of delisting its American Depositary Shares from the New York Stock Exchange and deregistering from US securities reporting obligations in early 2026. The company’s shares continue to trade on the Colombian Stock Exchange (Bolsa de Valores de Colombia) under the ticker symbol EXITO, which remains its primary market.

Image courtesy Grupo Éxito

New microsite gives foreign investors English-language access to Colombian capital markets

A new English-language microsite aimed at foreign portfolio investors in Colombia’s capital markets went live June 3, the product of a public-private working group that has been operating since late 2023. The platform, called “Foreign Portfolio Investor,” is accessible through the website of the Financial Superintendency of Colombia (Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia, SFC) at superfinanciera.gov.co.

The microsite offers information in English on the structure of the Colombian capital market, its participants, operating procedures covering enrollment, ongoing participation and divestment, issuers and issuances, links to statistical data, applicable regulations, and frequently asked questions. The initiative operates under the broader program titled Mercado de Capitales en Colombia, Colombia Destino de Inversión (Capital Markets in Colombia, Colombia Investment Destination).

The web page can be reached at: https://www.superfinanciera.gov.co/publicaciones/10115712/foreign-portfolio-investor/ 

“Historically, foreign investors have faced the challenge of understanding the functioning of the Colombian securities market,” said SFC Financial Superintendent César Ferrari (above photo). “The new microsite is a first step in addressing this challenge by offering, in clear English, information necessary to make foreign portfolio investments in Colombia.”

The working groups behind the project brought together several government bodies, including the Banco de la República, the Financial Regulatory Unit (Unidad de Regulación Financiera, URF) of the Ministry of Finance, and the National Tax and Customs Directorate (Dirección de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales, DIAN). From the private sector, the Securities Market Self-Regulator (Autorregulador del Mercado de Valores, AMV) and the Colombian Stock Exchange (Bolsa de Valores de Colombia, BVC: BVC) contributed to the platform’s development.

Carlos Emilio Betancourt Galeano, Director General of the DIAN, said the microsite addresses a core barrier to attracting foreign capital. “Providing clear and easily accessible information reduces barriers, improves understanding of the regulatory environment and strengthens the confidence of international investors,” he said.

URF Director Larisa Caruso said the platform addresses language as a structural obstacle to market participation. “This microsite represents an important milestone to strengthen the internationalization of the Colombian capital market and will allow foreign investors to better understand the regulation and the particularities of the local market, promoting greater transparency, trust and access to information, while contributing to reducing entry barriers associated with language,” she said.

AMV President Hernán Alzate described the launch as part of a longer-term positioning effort. “It represents a decisive step to position Colombia as an attractive and reliable destination for international investment,” he said. “Facilitating access to clear and timely information is critical to strengthening foreign investor confidence in an increasingly interconnected world.”

Andrés Restrepo Montoya, CEO of the BVC, framed the microsite as part of the exchange’s ongoing efforts to draw international capital. “To attract investment we must also facilitate access to clear and reliable information,” he said. “This is an important step to bring foreign investors closer to the Colombian capital market.”

The initiative comes as Colombia’s capital markets face scrutiny from international investors and ratings agencies over the country’s fiscal trajectory. The working group structure that produced the microsite has been active since late 2023, with the SFC serving as lead coordinator across multiple public and private stakeholders.