Our Team

At Sierra Capital, our team is the most valuable resource and is at the center of everything we do. Our team is made up of very talented professionals with extensive experience in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, business management and business development. 

We believe that, by seeking excellence, working as a team, being responsible, perseverant and working with integrity we will be able to identify and take advantage of opportunities that will accelerate the positive transformation of companies for a better future.

We share the passion to achieve the best in everything we do and the desire to leave a positive and lasting impact on our clients, our partners and society. 

 

José Palomo
Managing Director
Experience
José Palomo
Managing Director

José has extensive experience in M&A transactions, private equity and strategic advice in the region of Central America, Colombia and Mexico. He has led various processes in M&A, fund raising, and strategic projects in different industries such as: retail of consumer products, pharmaceuticals, among others; as well as in real estate, including housing developments and rental property investments, restaurants, service companies, commercial banks, agribusiness, food and beverage distributors, and others.

As director, he is in charge of leading Sierra’s operations, its team and investments. In addition to his responsibilities at Sierra, he is also member of different board of directors of important companies in the region of Central America. 

José holds a BBA in finance and economics from the University of Notre Dame, and an MBA from IESE Business School, Barcelona.

Ricardo Prado
Managing Director - Private Equity
Experience
Ricardo Prado
Managing Director - Private Equity

Ricardo has over 20 years of experience in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and in strategic planning in companies focused mainly on the education, consumer, health and services sectors.

Recently Ricardo was responsible for the area of Mergers and Acquisitions and Business Development in Latin America for Laureate Education (the world leader in operating private institutions of higher education). Prior to Laureate, Ricardo worked in Chicago at the private equity firm Sterling Partners, executing transactions within the US and Latin America. Ricardo also worked for more than 12 years at Coca-Cola FEMSA, occupying various positions including mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning and operational planning. Ricardo worked at investment banking firm Salomon Smith Barney (Citigroup) in New York and Mexico.

Ricardo has served as external director of several companies including Spectrum (Guatemala), Active Day (USA), CONTECMAN (Mexico), World Business of Ideas "WOBI" (USA, Spain, Mexico and Argentina), Vinilismo SAPI (Mexico), among others. Ricardo holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management and a Mechanical Engineering degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education.

Eduardo Díaz
Vice President
Experience
Eduardo Díaz
Vice President

Eduardo Díaz is Vice President in Sierra Capital and has ten years of experience in Investment Banking.

Prior to joining Sierra Capital, he worked for six years in the Investment Banking and Capital Markets Division of Morgan Stanley & Co in New York. At Morgan Stanley, Eduardo worked as an Analyst and then as an Associate in the team in charge of Corporate Client Coverage in Latin America, focusing on the Andean and Central American region. Later, Eduardo was a Senior Associate in the Equity Capital Markets Team, covering clients throughout Latin America.

Eduardo has participated in a wide range of M&A equity and debt transactions. He has experience in various industries such as: Consumer and Retail, materials and construction, Real Estate and REITs, hospitality, logistics and warehousing, among others.

Eduardo holds a B.A. in Economics & Business and Philosophy from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, USA.

Rafael Ventura
Associate
Experience
Rafael Ventura
Associate

Rafael has experience working in consulting projects, creating financial models, and developing IT strategies. He has been involved in several industries, such as: Banking, Technology, Education, Telecoms, Consumer Products, and Agroindustry. Additionally, he has experience developing mobile applications and IT infrastructures.

Prior to Sierra, Rafael worked as Business Technology Analyst at Deloitte Consulting in Boston, as Finance Manager at Sheva in Guatemala, and as Financial Analyst at Student.com in London. He is also involved in the commercialization of Guatemalan coffee in the USA.

Rafael holds a BS in Finance with a minor in Mathematical Science and a MS in Information Technology from Bentley University in Boston, USA. 

Christian Alvarado
Analyst
Experience
Christian Alvarado
Analyst

Christian has more than three years of experience in financial consulting projects, financial due diligence, business valuation processes and financial modeling. He has been involved in several projects in industries such as Banking, Security Transport Services, Consumer Products, Education, Energy and Agroindustry.

Prior to join Sierra Capital, Christian worked during three years at Deloitte Consulting in Guatemala in Transaction Services and Valuation & Modeling Services.

Christian holds a Magna Cum Laude Industrial Engineering degree from Universidad del Valle of Guatemala and a master’s degree in Finance from the Francisco Marroquín University.