Octavio Torres Quintana

Octavio Torres Quintana has a diverse work experience spanning multiple industries and roles. Octavio co-founded VALOPES, a company focused on developing technological solutions for a more resilient and sustainable economic model. Octavio also served as the Head Organizer and Co-Founder of Bogotá Green Drinks, an organization promoting sustainability. Octavio was a member of the Circular Economy Platform of the Americas working group. At Lavola, they worked as an expert advisor on sustainable development, particularly in the formulation of nationally appropriate mitigation actions for the Colombian coffee sector. Octavio was a Senior Consultant at CEC International, advising on sustainability matters. Additionally, Octavio provided external advisory on sustainability and life cycle assessment for Studio Cardenas Conscious Design. Octavio worked as a principal researcher of environmental product declarations at CIMM TECNOLOGIAS Y SERVICIOS S.A. Octavio also served as a part-time analyst at Xynteo AS and worked as an assistant professor at Universidad de los Andes, where they were responsible for designing and coordinating projects for undergraduate students. Octavio began their career as a mechanic assistant at Cedar, where they performed maintenance and safety inspections on roller coasters.

Octavio Torres Quintana has an extensive education history. In 2003, they attended Universidad de Los Andes and completed their degree in Industrial Engineering in 2008. In 2009, they enrolled in the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and obtained their MSc. degree in Energy and Process Engineering with a focus on Industrial Ecology in 2011. During their time at NTNU, they also took a postgraduate course in Life Cycle Assessment at the Post Graduate School in Industrial Ecology in 2010. Octavio furthered their studies in 2011 by taking a postgraduate course in Sustainable System Analysis at the Sustainable Consumption Post Graduate School in Industrial Ecology. In the same year, they also pursued language studies at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, focusing on Mandarin. In 2013, Octavio attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Energy, Sustainability & Life Cycle Assessment, specializing in Sustainability and Environmental System Analysis. Additionally, they participated in a program at Universidad Blas Pascal in 2007, called Global Institute for Leadership and Civic Development, where they studied Latin American Economics, Philosophy, and Leadership.