Our Board of Trustees
Carolina Giraldo - Chair
Carolina is an independent consultant in sustainable development projects with a background in social development. Carolina likes to collaborate in multidisciplinary groups with mixed approaches, paying special attention to social and economic inclusion and responsible consumption and production mainly in the cacao supply chain.“When I started collaborating with CCC I thought it would be an excellent way to stay connected and give a hand to my home country. Moreover, I had never considered that it would nourish my soul and intellect in the way that it has. It is and has always been a stimulating and challenging environment, a place to grow in all human dimensions. “
Richard Drean - Honorary Treasurer
Richard was appointed a Trustee in April 2016 and became Treasurer of CCC later that year. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse and spent most of his career working for Lloyds Bank. One of his main roles was Finance Director of the International Division which included a significant local banking subsidiary in Colombia. During his visits to Colombia he enjoyed getting to know the people he met, as well as experiencing some of the difficulties the country faces, and is now pleased to be able to give something back to Colombia.
Eugenia Londoño
Eugenia has over 9-years of professional experience with a strong background in project management, business development and investor relations within the non-profit, tech and global financial sectors. She holds a Master’s in International Business. Eugenia currently works in a digital transformation program in BAT and is the chair of the board of trustees of Fundación Chimí in Colombia, which aims to awaken children´s consciousness through cultural-artistic experiences and to create a sense of belonging to Colombia´s history and cultural roots.
Eugenia is passionate about projects that have a positive and sustainable impact.At Children Change Colombia she is part of the finance committee, and from the board has lead the formulation of the new CCC’s corporate strategic plan 2020-2025.
Dr Marilyn Thomson
Marilyn lived and worked in Latin America for many years, carrying out research and working with women’s grass roots and human rights organisations. She completed a PhD at the Institute of Education, University of London with a thesis on: The Politics of Domestic Service, a case study of domestic workers in Mexico. She later was employed as Gender Adviser at Save the Children for over 7 years and worked closely with staff and partners in Colombia.
She was also a founding member and co-director of the London-based Central America Women’s Network (CAWN) supporting women’s organisations in the region, until it closed in March 2017. She currently works as an independent consultant on gender, diversity, and development issues.
Richard McColl
Richard is a British born, Colombia-based author, journalist and hotelier, and holds a PhD in Social and Human Sciences from Universidad Pontificia Javeriana, Bogotá. He has lived in Colombia for fifteen years and spends his time with his family between the capital of Bogotá and the colonial town of Mompós. His work has appeared in dozens of international publications such as The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and many more. His award-winning weekly podcast Colombia Calling can be found on all relevant platforms.
Alex Jones
Alex is the co-founder and Director of Red Tree Study, an education travel agency that specializes in providing summer programs in Colombia. An expert in international education, she manages program development, collaborating with universities, embassies, cultural organisations and language schools to build new courses which explore the social impact of the conflict in Colombia and the recent peace process there. She studied History as an undergraduate at Bristol University and went on to complete a masters degree in Historical Research at the University of Oxford.
She has lived and worked in Colombia, and looks forward to returning each summer to oversee Red Tree Study’s courses and to welcoming new cohorts of international students to the country. As a long-standing supporter of Children Change Colombia, she is honored to join the Board of Trustees and to support the important work that it does to protect the rights of children.
Felipe Alviar-Baquero
Felipe has worked in some of the most prestigious law firms in the world (Slaughter and May and Latham & Watkins). Since 2014, he’s been a director at INDECS Consulting Limited, advising international finance institutions, government and organizations on large scale infrastructure projects.
Felipe has a passion for community projects. He has worked on a number of projects including working with the International Senior Lawyers Project – United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Christian Aid and Save the Children. Since 2009 he has been a member of the board of trustees of Children Change Colombia. He has also been an ambassador for other UK charities.
Fernando Caviedes
Fernando is a Colombian entrepreneur. With 15 years of experience in the digital sector, he is currently the CEO of Iridian, a brand agency. He has an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a certificate in Digital Strategy from MIT. Fernando is passionate about education where he has served on several occasions as a professor of strategic planning.
Since his childhood, Fernando has been aware of the importance of being able to help generate a more balanced society and a more promising future for disadvantaged children.
Cori Hollenbach
Cori has a 20-year career in communications for the private sector. The role she enjoys most is guiding multi-national businesses on how to create meaningful CSR initiatives. She has implemented award-winning national and global public health campaigns while working for agencies in Washington DC, New York and London. Born in Bogotá and temporarily cared for as an infant by one of Children Change Colombia’s project partners, Fundación CRAN, Cori knows first-hand how access to education and equality will transform a child’s life. At a few months old, she was adopted by an American family and grew up in New Jersey.
Cori is now an independent consultant based in Kent. When not working, she is improving her Spanish so she can enjoy time with her newly-found Colombian family.
