Subject: This is the other guy in the partnership
From: "Jay Rouse" <[email-masked]>
To: "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:31:41 -0400

And he is the one I had dinner with first and I am working closely  
with his wife, Claudia. I had no ida but he is from one of the  
wealthiest families in Colombia. Family of the Santo Domingo Group

BUSINESS <NOBR> </ NOBR> <NOBR> </ NOBR> What led to Andres Obregon to  
resign abruptly in the most important position in the private sector  
in Colombia?
Monday December 4, 2000
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By resigning Andres Obregon? That was the question that was heard in  
business circles last weekend. In the 21 months he was in front of the  
Santo Domingo Group owner's nephew had become an enormously popular  
figure. Although soon became interim consolidated its prestige and  
position in property in which, given his youth, he predicted many  
years as the helmsman. Those who knew his grandfather, Mario Santo  
Domingo, the founder of the empire, say that of all his grandchildren  
Andrew is the one that resembles him in temperament and talent.

Upon assuming the presidency of Bavaria Obregon challenge could not  
have been greater. Not only had to change the corporate culture of the  
regime of Augusto Lopez but had to confront the serious problems  
caused by the worst economic crisis of the twentieth century. We only  
need to think that in 1999, while the brewer Bavaria won 337,000  
pesos, the other Group companies (transport, telecommunications,  
media, Internet, etc..) Lost nearly half a trillion pesos.

The legacy of Augusto Lopez Obregon received included major successes  
and major problems. Valencia Lopez had changed the size of the Santo  
Domingo Group through an autocratic system, now widely criticized but  
much admired at the time. It generated a phenomenal growth but messy  
worked like a charm until the collapse of the Colombian economy.

Lopez not only handled the business but who ran the power. This dual  
role did not appeal to his successor, Andrés Obregón. This was limited  
to manageability and never took their enormous power. He began by  
selling the private plane of President of the Group, which was one of  
the best perks associated with the post. The world of Andrew is his  
work and not that of the intrigues and the Santo Domingo Group  
historically has been characterized by both. The lobbying, public  
relations and intimidation that drove the conglomerate in the past  
disappeared. The control of Congress, control of media and activities  
such as financing of political campaigns were no longer a priority.

This new style gave the group a new profile, which was widely accepted  
in public opinion. The modus operandi of Obregon was close and simple  
and its partners recognize that the big industrialists and even the  
political class. Unfortunately for him the presidency of Bavaria is a  
position of power and we must be aware of it and exercise it. Andres  
Obregon combines the entrepreneurial spirit of Santo Domingo with  
indifference by the power of Obregon. And this, which is a great asset  
in life, is a liability to manage the Santo Domingo Group. In an  
infinitely politicized and polarized environment, his temperament  
appeared to have no place. That seems to explain the contradiction  
between what the business class management considers a brilliant and  
his untimely release this weekend.

Regardless of the reasons which have led to waive their achievements,  
for a character than two years ago was a total unknown, is impressive.  
In the year of the crisis not only closed Obregon business assets that  
they can approach 3,000 million dollars, but managed international  
partnerships to professionalize the management of a group that paid a  
heavy price for being too diversified.

I fell the task of trying to institutionalize a highly personalized  
group was but a multinational dimension of management own Third World  
caudillo. It defined who would be the core business of the  
organization: beer, telecommunications and media. Brewers sold  
investments in Portugal and Spain to CELUMOVIL transformed through the  
BellSouth transaction, capitalizing Colseguros managed by AGF, the  
third largest insurance company in the world. In closing,  
consolidating the Group into what it is its very essence, the beer  
business.Through the transaction Leone was able to recover what had  
been historically the best business in Colombia: a monopoly on beer.  
Seizing Leone, in part or in full, it shuts off any competition for a  
generation. At the end of the investment of 600 million dollars as the  
Carlos Ardila did not do often.

I was missing Avianca, where work had begun. Six weeks ago Obregón  
managed to close the restructuring of short-term external creditors,  
buying time to find long term solutions to achieve the company  
continues to prevent the sad fate of almost all airlines in Latin  
America: bankruptcy.

But with such a balance, what precipitated his departure? Although  
there might be several explanations is one that was fundamental power  
alignments around the eventual succession of Julio Mario Santo  
Domingo.Andres Obregon belongs to a branch of the family which, like  
all others, have been selling their shares to their uncle. The true  
owners of the Group, therefore, will be the three children of Santo  
Domingo: Julio Mario Jr., Alexander and Andrew.

These, in turn, belong to two different branches: the greater is the  
son of Edyala Braga, an aristocratic Brazilian, who was the first wife  
of Santo Domingo. The other two are children of Beatrice Davila, a  
distinguished lady from Bogota who has been married to businessman for  
25 years. Until recently Mrs. Beatrice had remained in the shadow of  
her husband. Now with two sons aged to take the destiny of his  
fortune, has been acquiring an ever more prominent. Their only  
interest is to set the stage for the arrival of his two sons,  
particularly that of Alexander, the eldest, who is it that has shown  
more interest and talent for business. Graduated from Harvard, is now  
one of the yuppies of Violy McCausland, who has been grinding with  
long and hard to round out their training.

In an intelligent and unobtrusive the lady of Santo Domingo has been  
familiar with the intricacies of the Group and the time surrounding  
himself with people of their confidence. At the head of this group are  
his nephew, Carlos Alejandro Perez Davila, former director of Chromos,  
Gonzalo Cordoba, and the husband of the niece of Santo Domingo,  
Alberto Preciado. The first is a respected financier who works in New  
York, also McCausland McCausland, whose inputs correspond more to the  
track of the numbers and management. The other two have become the  
lifeline of the Santo Domingo family to the Colombian reality since it  
was delinked from the country for some time.

In recent weeks the issue was forced from the business circle  
polarization of two camps within the Santo Domingo Group: one of  
Andres Obregon complete outsider to the world of intrigue and  
certainly naive in this area. The other, Alberto Preciado, an attorney  
who has proven controversial to swim like a shark in the turbulent  
waters of the Group.

A Julio Mario Santo Domingo was interested simultaneously exploit the  
skills diametrically opposed to each one of them, were somehow the sum  
of the overall ability of Augusto Lopez. But Andrés Obregón was not  
willing to stay in the aquarium.

To fill the gap Obregon planning to name two. In Bavaria there is the  
possibility of hiring a manager of international frontline experience  
in the beverage industry. Valores Bavaria is looking for an  
entrepreneur with a background in investment banking could continue  
the process of restructuring the Group companies. What is certain is  
that neither of these will be family.

These managers will have to be fitted to the outlines of two people  
who have acquired a great influence on the Group: McCausland  
McCausland, who by his closeness with Julio Mario Santo Domingo, his  
son and nephew, has acquired a hierarchical position within the  
organization field of financial analysis and figures. On the other  
side is the former secretary general of the Presidency of the Republic  
and respected entrepreneur Germain Montoya Velez, who by his knowledge  
of the national reality has earned the confidence of Santo Domingo,  
who wants to have someone of age and experience to balance the youth  
of his new tables.

In any case, the transition will not be easy. There are too many  
players trying to align near the new power.This ensures that there  
will be friction and that some of the players lay on the battlefield.  
On the other hand, does not seem suitable for a very important  
conglomerate excess staff turnover which has been in the dome in the  
past two years. For a group that has had a stable guiding for 40 years  
so much change in so short time is a disturbing factor of uncertainty.

Jay Rouse
Strategic Campaigns International
1010 Wisconsin Avenue, NW suite 705
Washington, DC 20016