Virgilio Barco Isakson

Virgilio Barco Isakson
Born	1965 (age 59–60) Bogota, Colombia
Nationality	Colombian-American
Alma mater	Harvard University Massachusetts Institute of Technology New York University
Known for	Impact investing, LGBTQI+ activism
Partner	Andrew Dier
Parent(s)	Virgilio Barco Vargas Carolina Isakson Proctor
Family	Carolina Barco (sister) Julia Barco (sister) Diana Barco (sister)

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Barco and the second or maternal family name is Isakson.

Virgilio Barco Isakson (born 1965) is a Colombian impact investor and LBGTQI+ activist. He is the son of former Colombian President Virgilio Barco Vargas.

Career

Since 2013, Barco Isakson has been the first Latin America Director at Acumen, a leading impact investing fund that focuses on tackling global poverty.[1]

In 2018, Barco Isakson co-founded ALIVE, an Impact Fund Manager based in Bogota, Colombia and became its Managing Partner.[1] In 2024, ALIVE was included in the Impact Assets 50 database of the 50 leading impact investment managers in the world.[2]

From 2011 to 2013, Barco Isakson served as executive director of the Banca de Inversión Social, a nonprofit organization that is at the forefront of impact investing in Colombia.[3]

From 2006 to 2010, Barco Isakson led Invest in Bogota, a public-private partnership that promotes foreign direct investment to the Greater Bogota region.[4]

Previously, Barco Isakson headed the privatization unit at the Colombian Ministry of Finance and Public Credit and was an advisor on local economic development for the country's planning department.[5] He has also worked as a management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton in Brazil and as a financial analyst at Citibank in Spain.

LGBTQI+ Activism

Barco Isakson is the co-founder and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Colombia Diversa, a Bogota-based nonprofit organization founded in 2004 that advocates for LGBTQI+ rights in Colombia.[6] Colombia Diversa was instrumental in litigation that led the Colombian Constitutional Court to extend property, inheritance, and other benefits to same-sex couples in 2007, recognize de facto civil unions in 2009, and recognize same-sex marriage in 2011.[7]

Education

Barco Isakson holds a Bachelor of Arts in government from Harvard University (1987), a Master of Science in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Master of Arts in economics from New York University (1999).[8]

Personal life

Barco Isakson was born to former Colombian president Virgilio Barco Vargas and Carolina Isakson Proctor. Barco Isakson is the youngest of four: Carolina, Julia, and Diana. He lives in Bogota with his partner, Andrew Dier, with whom he has been together since 1998.[9]

References

1. "Virgilio Barco". Acumen (in European Spanish). Retrieved 17 September 2024.
2. "ImpactAssets 50". impactassets.org.
3. "Social Enterprise | Global Social Entrepreneurship". NESsT. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
4. "Invest in Bogotá". 30 November 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
5. "VIRGILIO-BARCO- | Acumen – ALCP". Retrieved 8 November 2019.
6. Lakshmanan, Indira A. R. (9 February 2007). "Colombia court backs rights for gay couples - The Boston Globe". Boston.com.
7. "USAID Colombia LGBT activities" (PDF). usaid.gov.
8. "Welcoming our new Latin America Director, Virgilio Barco | Acumen". acumen.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014.
9. Rex Wockner (21 October 2004). "Son of former Colombian president joins gay group (in World News section)". Gay and Lesbian Times. Barco's partner, Andrew Dier, is also working with the organization.