Issue link: http://endeavor.uberflip.com/i/1070318
KENNETH MENDIWELSON Colombia, Refinancia Kenneth is President and Chief Executive Officer of Refinancia, a company he founded in 2005. Refinancia provides solutions to individuals who seek specialized credit alternatives in Colombia and Peru by purchasing and servicing charged-off loan portfolios, servicing consumer non-performing loans, and managing credit cards of re-performing clients. Kenneth sold a controlling stake of Refinancia to strategic Partner, Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ: ECPG) in 2013. Most recently Kenneth has been focused on incubating and building a point-of-sale finance solution to consumers, offered through a consolidated merchant network in Colombia. He began his career as a Special Project Analyst in Lloyd's Bank in Bogota, where he evaluated financial feasibility of Colombian companies undergoing debt-restructuring. His next post included some years as an executive for Fidelity Investments in Boston, with responsibilities ranging from evaluating and developing new business opportunities to implementing new income streams for the company. Later he became a Consultant at McKinsey & Company in Bogota, executing consulting studies on strategic decision-making for senior management, specialized in banking and consumer lending. Kenneth received his MBA from Harvard Business School. He holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Los Andes University, and a graduate degree in Colombian financial law. Hobbies and Other Interests Kenneth currently serves as an advisor and Board Member of Mercantil Colpatria S.A., a major Colombian business conglomerate that participates in the banking, insurance, pension fund management, construction, mining, infrastructure and private equity, among others. He also serves as a Director at the Board in Colombia of Endeavor, a worldwide non- profit organization focused on supporting high-impact entrepreneurship at emerging markets. He was selected as an Endeavor entrepreneur in 2008. He enjoys playing tennis, jogging and visiting Colombia's untouched, La Guajira beaches, where he has developed real estate projects. He is a guitar enthusiast and has an avid interest in Latin American history, culture, and music. An interesting fact… Kenneth's wife, Monica Giraldo, is a Grammy-nominated and Billboard recipient musician. They are parents to two boys, Daniel and Tomás.