María Consuelo Araújo

María Consuelo Araújo
María Consuelo Araújo in 2006
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
7 August 2006 (2006-08-07) – 19 February 2007 (2007-02-19)
PresidentÁlvaro Uribe Vélez
Preceded byCarolina Barco Isakson
Succeeded byFernando Araújo Perdomo
Minister of Culture
In office
7 August 2002 (2002-08-07) – 25 January 2006 (2006-01-25)
PresidentÁlvaro Uribe Vélez
Preceded byAracely Morales López
Succeeded byElvira Cuervo Uribe
Personal details
Born
María Consuelo Araújo Castro

(1971-10-27) 27 October 1971 (age 53)
Valledupar, Cesar, Colombia
SpouseRicardo Mazalán
Relations
ChildrenSusana Mazalán Araújo
Alma materUniversidad Externado de Colombia, University of Milan
ProfessionEconomist, diplomat
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Araújo and the second or maternal family name is Castro.

María Consuelo "Conchi" Araújo Castro (Valledupar, October 27, 1971) is a Colombian politician. She was Minister of Culture from 2002 to 2006, and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2007 in the government of Álvaro Uribe Vélez.[1] Later, during the second Mayor's Office of Enrique Peñalosa, served as Secretary of Social Integration of Bogotá and as manager of TransMilenio. She is currently the CEO of Gran Colombia Gold Corp.[2] and part of the Mañanas Blu team with Néstor Morales.

Biography

Personal life

Araújo comes from a family closely linked to politics. Her father, Álvaro Araújo Noguera, was part of the government of Alfonso López Michelsen, her aunt Consuelo Araújo Noguera was Minister of Culture of Andrés Pastrana and her brother, Álvaro Araújo Castro, was a senator and leader of the ALAS-Team Colombia.

She studied Finance and International Relations at the Externado University of Colombia and is a specialist in Government, Management and Public Affairs from the same institution. She was director of the José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden during the administration of Enrique Peñalosa as Mayor of Bogotá (1998-2000) and of the city's District Institute of Recreation and Sports, under the government of Antanas Mockus (2001-2003).

After resigning from her position as chancellor she went on to serve as postgraduate director of the Faculty of Finance, Government and International Relations of the Externado University of Colombia.

She is married to the Argentine photographer Ricardo Mazalán and has a daughter, Susana, in 2002.

As Minister

During the first term of President Álvaro Uribe Vélez (2002 - 2006), Araújo served as Minister of Culture. In 2006, after a diplomatic crisis caused by former presidents Ernesto Samper and Andrés Pastrana, Araújo, who had been designated as a future ambassador to Mexico, was appointed chancellor, replacing Carolina Barco, who went on to replace Andrés Pastrana in the United States embassy. position he held since August 7 of the same year.

On 19 February 2007, she resigned from her ministerial portfolio[3] following the arrest of her brother, Senator Álvaro Araújo Castro, investigated and charged with giving support to paramilitary groups active in the country's ongoing internal conflict. Her father was under investigation for the same crimes.[4]

She recommended Fernando Araújo Perdomo (no relation) and he was appointed as new minister by the president.

After resigning as minister

She has been the CEO of Gran Colombia Gold Corp. since 20 August 2010.[1][2]

References

  1. ^ a b "Maria Consuelo Araujo | AS/COA". www.as-coa.org. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Maria Consuelo Araujo: Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  3. ^ "Colombian foreign minister quits". BBC News. 19 February 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2007.
  4. ^ Muse, Toby (16 February 2007). "Colombia Won't Resign Despite Scandal". ABC News. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2020.


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