Alejandro Cardona Vélez

Alejandro Cardona Vélez has a diverse range of work experience in various industries. Alejandro is currently working as the Innovations Technology Director at Soltec, a position they started in September 2022. Prior to this, Alejandro served as an Advisor to the Viceministry of Energy and Coordinator of the Energy Sector Management Group at the Ministry of Mines and Energy from July 2021 to August 2022. In this role, they played a key role in monitoring the national electricity sector, formulating policies and plans for the electricity sector, and leading the Renewable Energy Master Plan for San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina.

From September 2019 to July 2021, Alejandro worked as a Leader Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Research Assistant at NYU Stern School of Business. During this time, they led high impact projects related to renewable energies and energy efficiency in New York City and coordinated the PACE financing Database/Map in collaboration with the Mayor's Office of Sustainability and other organizations.

Before joining NYU, Alejandro worked at Gonvarri Steel Industries as the Leader of the Technical and Research-Development-Innovation Team from August 2017 to July 2019. In this capacity, they developed the innovation strategy for product development, coordinated a team of specialized engineers, and contributed to the brand's growth in Latin America.

Alejandro also has experience as a part-time university teacher at Universidad EIA-Escuela de Ingeniería de Antioquia from July 2017 to July 2019. In this role, they coordinated courses and guided students in industry projects, utilizing methodologies such as Project Management Institute (PMI) and Design Thinking.

Prior to their role at Universidad EIA, Alejandro worked as the Coordinator of the Innovation Center-Tecnoparque Medellín at SENA from February 2017 to July 2017. In this position, they planned, coordinated, and supervised the work plan for researchers and project managers, and assigned projects based on the Design Thinking methodology.

Additionally, Alejandro participated in the Junior Management Program for Purchasing at Bosch in Latin America from January 2016 to December 2016. During this time, they worked on marketing projects for Power Tools and Automotive Aftermarket and directed the Supplier Base Optimization for indirect materials suppliers.

Before Bosch, Alejandro gained experience as a Research and Development Engineer at both Gonvarri Steel Industries from March 2014 to December 2015 and Industrias CENO from September 2013 to March 2014. In these roles, they contributed to concept design and development of new products, creation of technical specifications, layout design, and process optimization.

Earlier in their career, Alejandro worked as a Project Analyst at Metroparques from March 2013 to September 2013. In this position, they analyzed investment projects, supported the General Manager in budget creation, and provided advice in international communication and supplier explorations.

With their extensive background in various industries and their roles as a leader, advisor, coordinator, and researcher, Alejandro Cardona Vélez brings a diverse skill set and valuable experience to their work.

Alejandro Cardona Vélez has a diverse education history. In 1992, they completed their Bachelor's degree at Colegio Benedictinos de Santa María. In 2003, they participated in a Semillero de Electrónica program at Universidad de Antioquia. In 2004, Alejandro enrolled at Escuela de Ingeniería de Antioquia and obtained a professional degree in Mechatronic Engineering in 2010.

In terms of advanced language skills, Alejandro studied Mandarin Chinese at Shanghai Maritime University from 2011 to 2012 and achieved a basic level of proficiency. Alejandro also attended Burlington School from 2009 to 2010 and achieved an advanced level of English proficiency.

Moving on to higher education, Alejandro pursued specialized degrees in Project Management at Universidad EAFIT. Alejandro completed their Especialista degree in Gerencia de Proyectos in 2014 and then obtained a Master's degree in the same field from the same university in 2015.

Continuing their educational journey, Alejandro pursued further studies at New York University, where they completed a Master of Science in Management of Technology from 2019 to 2021. Alejandro also received a certification in the same field from NYU in May 2021.

Overall, Alejandro Cardona Vélez has demonstrated a strong commitment to acquiring knowledge and skills in various domains, including engineering, project management, language proficiency, and technology management.