Who is Carlos Calleja the hacker, the Salvadoran who takes the reins of Grupo Exito?

As planned, the arrival of Salvadoran Grupo Calleja, which closed the purchase of Grupo Exito in Colombia late last January, will bring major changes to one of the country’s largest retail organizations. This happened yesterday, when the Board of Directors approved a new management and leadership structure for the operation of its businesses in Colombia, Uruguay and Argentina.

As the organization has announced, Carlos Calleja Hacker will serve as executive chairman of the Super Selectos at Exito in El Salvador, Colombia. That includes: Grupo Disco in Uruguay and Libertad in Argentina, while Carlos Mario Giraldo Moreno will continue to lead national operations as its general manager.

José Gabriel Loaiza Herrera, as Executive Vice President, will continue to lead the commercial and operational processes of the retail business in Colombia as he has done to date.

Calleja Hacker is a 48-year-old Salvadoran businessman, owner of Súper Selectos, the largest supermarket chain in El Salvador. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Middlebury College in Vermont (United States), graduating in 1999. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Stern School of Business (New York University), received in 2005.

His professional practice included several positions at FreshDirect, where he held the position of Vice President of the online grocery store specializing in home delivery of its products.

Between 2013 and 2017 he was part of the board of directors of the Salvadoran Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUSEDS). While he was associated with the Young Presidents Organization (YPO in English), El Salvador chapter since 2002.

Since 2014, he has been President of the Calleja Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to building sustainable social development through investments in education, health and the environment. He has also been very active in the political life of his country.

“With great enthusiasm, confidence and hope in Colombia and the Colombian people, Grupo Calleja joins the great family of Grupo Exito, and the family of Grupo Calleja to continue value creation and contribute to the dignity of citizens. Has joined. We have a long-term vision to operate as a large distribution platform in Latin America serving customers in El Salvador, Colombia, Uruguay and Argentina.” Calleja Hacker said.

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As declared by the organization, the group Calleja wants to strengthen a shared vision across the four countries where it operates, whereby all teams form a group identity Working together towards common objectives, respecting the country’s specificities and needs, striving to ensure that all customers have a differentiated and inclusive shopping experience in the Group’s stores, is indicated in their instructions.

‘We have come to stay,’ insisted the organization’s new executive president, who pointed to the fact that the Calleja Group was born when his father and grandfather mustered up the courage to buy the shop where the head of the family Worked as a butcher.

He recalled that when he started the great Calleja family, he had 11 colleagues who, working as a team, have grown to 55,000 employees today, “to make things better today than yesterday and tomorrow better than today. Let’s try to do. We have a long-term vision, and we will work tirelessly with the goal of becoming an extension of our customers’ homes in all the countries we touch. And thus contribute to the construction of the entire region, while making life dignified for our citizens,” said Calleja, CEO of Grupo Exito.

Regarding Giraldo and his new role as head of Exito Colombia, he said, “We feel very satisfied to continue Carlos Mario Giraldo’s leadership as head of the business in Colombia… Together we look forward to the growth “Will continue to pave the way.” ,” said Carlos Calleja.

For his part, today Carlos Mario Giraldo, general manager of Exito, said that “I will continue to work for modern retail, with innovation in formats and the strengthening of our main brands Exito and Carulla as its pivot. Likewise, he said That he will continue to lead digital commerce and grow the shopping center business with Viva Malls.

In his opinion, “the main challenge in the short term is to aim at stimulating demand in a challenging economic context and taking care of the commercial and financial health of the company, achieving all possible efficiencies.”

Calleja Hacker also pointed out that Exito, the brand that gives life to Grupo Exito, is celebrating its first 75 years; “Carulla adds 119 and from the Calleja group We are working now to ensure that the brands loved by Colombians are here to stay and strong for the next 75 or 119 years; We’re not going to see it, but our children, and the children and grandchildren of our allies, will see it. “They will see through this and continue to serve Colombia in the best possible way.”