President & Founder | Juanfe Foundation

Catalina Escobar graduated in 1993 from Clark University with a degree of Business Administration, studies she combined with other academic programs in economics in Europe and Japan at Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka. She later completed a M.B.A. at the INALDE Business School in Bogota and was given the Honorary Doctorate Degree from Clark University in 2016. She began her career in the banking and private fields, when in 2001 she created what would become her passion: The Juanfe Foundation (Juan Felipe Gomez Escobar Foundation).

Catalina is globally recognized social entrepreneur. Granted the National Merit Order Award by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos in 2011, she joined the Fortune/U.S. State Department Global Women´s Mentoring Partnership and became a CNN Hero in 2012.

Being the recipient of numerous awards, including 21 Leaders of the 21st Century by Women eNews in N.Y., Top 10 Best Colombian Leaders 2013, and Lewis Institute Award from Babson College, Catalina was recognized as Outstanding Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 by the World Economic Forum and Schwab Foundation. In 2015 she won the World of Children Humanitarian Award, and was selected as Women Leaders in Global Health Fellow 2017 by Stanford University.

She’s cofounder and board member of Women in Connection in Colombia a group of top women CEO´s and leaders throughout the country, and was appointed in 2021 to be part of the national board of the Colombian Business Association – ANDI.

Catalina is an international speaker. Some of her interventions have been in Georgetown University, Standard Chartered Bank, TEDWomen, Citibank, Aspen Institute, Fortune Most Powerful Women, UN Women, Nobel Peace Price Summit, Babson College, among others.