Alejandro Betancourt López y la trasformación de Hawkers
Alejandro Betancourt López is one of the leading Venezuelan entrepreneurs, who has represented the country on the global stage in business. Not only is he the man behind some of the world’s leading energy companies, but he’s also the president of the Spanish sunglasses brand, Hawkers!
How Alejandro transformed Hawkers
Currently serving as the president of Hawkers, Alejandro Bentancourt has been behind the successful transformation of the company. Not only is Hawkers the third-largest sunglasses company in the world (they have operations in more than 20 countries!), but Alejandro has driven this growth through a strategy of professionalization and expansion to the physical channel.
As a result of Alejandro’s strong leadership, the sunglasses brand has opened more than sixty stores across the globe. He has achieved this through his role as president of the company, by directing high-level strategic decisions. These decisions include fundraising, institutional relations, and overseeing the company’s senior executives.
His main aim with Hawkers was to finally overcome the financial crisis that has been dragging on for a long time in Spain. To achieve this, he has made important decisions, such as investing heavily in advertising. Hawkers have started a process of professionalization, with the aim of consolidating its brand internationally, as well as consolidating its online business model and defining the offline aspect of it.
So who is Alejandro Betancourt?
Career beginnings
Born in 1980 in Caracas, Venezuela, Alejandro started his career by achieving a double degree in economics with a specialism in trade and a minor in Business Administration from Suffolk University of Massachusetts. Because of his commitment to his studies, Alejandro’s professional career developed well at an international level from the get-go.
Alejandro began his career by taking responsibility for the activities of international organizations in Venezuela. His first job was a company specializing in the energy sector and in the exploration, production, and trade of oil and its derivatives. The company has a global presence, with branches in the U.S., Europe, Middle East, South America, and Africa. Here, Alejandro was one of the key people in managing the company’s relationship with its Latin American clients.
BGB Energy & starting his own company
Later on in his career, Alejandro became Director at BGB Energy, a subsidiary of Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Venezuela.
He actively took part in the Central West Interconnection project in 2006, with the aim of connecting the natural gas transmission systems in the eastern and central region of the country with the transmission system in western Venezuela. This was done in order to meet gas demand in that area and promote gas exports to other South American countries.
After a decade of experience in the energy sector, Alejandro founded his own private company in 2007. This company specialized in the engineering, procurement, and construction of thermoelectric plants, creating over 200 jobs for employees. Since then, Alejandro’s energy company has gained a strong reputation and has since expanded beyond the borders of Venezuela. His company is fast becoming a major technology provider for all of the continent.
