Home: Caracas, Venezuela. Birthplace: Maracaibo, Venezuela. Profession: Agribusiness executive. Organization: Centro Genetico Toromacho / ONCA Equipment. Significant other: The love of my life, Carolina. Alma mater: Florida International University. Languages spoken: Spanish, English, Portuguese.
Current project: Expanding grain and soybean oil trading across Latin America. Deploying AI in livestock analytics. Recent recognition: Agriculture journals for innovation. Recent travel or adventure: Mapping performance zones on horseback in the Venezuelan Llanos. Last book read: Range, by David Epstein.
Personality profile: Strategic, restless, grounded. Moral compass: Would I be proud if my children knew I made this decision? What is your guilty pleasure? Wagyu tasting flights. What word or phrase do you use far too often? Let’s test it in the field. What occupation, other than your own, do you most admire? Disaster relief coordinators. What is your favorite place (or way) to spend money? Upgrading farm tech. What ingredient is essential to your perfect vacation? A spot with no signal and plenty of soil.
What was your first paying job? Weighing cattle with my grandfather. What book have you repeatedly read? The Art of War. What movie have you repeatedly watched? The Godfather. What’s prominently featured on your home or office wall? An antique branding iron. Besides your parents, who has had the greatest influence on your life? My grandfather. What modern technology innovation do you most appreciate? Satellite herd tracking. What is your favorite app? Notion. What is your go-to source of news and information? Reuters and regional agricultural journals.
What is your big idea?
Carbon credit marketplace tied to regenerative ranching.
What change are you working on to effect in your profession or field? Move from survival farming to high-yield sustainability. What change would you like to see in the world? Equal tech for rural and urban communities. What message do you want to send out into the world? Legacy is not what you build, it’s what you empower. What widely held belief do you reject? That tradition and innovation are mutually exclusive.
Who would you like to spend an evening with, in heaven? Simón Bolívar. As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? A cowboy vet. After your loved ones, what object would you first save from your burning home? My uncle’s breeding log. How would you choose to spend tomorrow, if you knew it was your last day on earth? Family ride through Toromocho valley and dancing. What advice would you give your younger self? Take more pictures. What day in your life would you choose to re-live? First branding of our Senepol bull. What period in your life would you do differently, if you could? College sophomore year.
Personal mission: Modernize Latin American agriculture without losing its soul. Personal motto: Build where others extract. Favorite quote: “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare” (Joel A. Barker). Desired epitaph: He bred strength into cattle and hope into people.
