BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (NYSE: DBRG) (“DigitalBridge” or the “Company”) today announced it has appointed Bernardo Vargas Gibsone as Managing Director, Head of Latin America. In this role, Mr. Vargas will oversee the growth of the Company’s Latin American investment management business.
Mr. Vargas is a seasoned infrastructure investor and operator, bringing more than three decades of relevant industry experience and transaction expertise to DigitalBridge. He most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Interconexion Electrica S.A. E.S.P. (ISA Group), a $12 billion publicly traded, diversified infrastructure operator with interests in energy transmission, road concessions, and communications infrastructure. Mr. Vargas led a team of over 4,000 employees across Latin America, achieving unprecedented growth and strong financial results, underscored by a fivefold increase in ISA’s share price during his tenure. Mr. Vargas also led ISA’s environmental and social initiatives, resulting in ISA’s inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and achieving a bronze medal among LATAM companies in 2020.
As DigitalBridge’s Head of Latin America, Mr. Vargas will work alongside the existing DigitalBridge team with a focus on originating and integrating new investment opportunities in the Latin American market, as well as providing ongoing support for DigitalBridge’s existing investments in the region.
“I am delighted to welcome Bernardo to our growing DigitalBridge team as we continue strengthening our presence in Latin America,” said Marc Ganzi, Chief Executive Officer of DigitalBridge. “In addition to his impressive track record of innovation and execution, Bernardo has consistently demonstrated his commitment to excellence in corporate governance and sustainability. We have a robust pipeline of opportunities in this important and rapidly growing region, and Bernardo will strengthen our team’s execution capabilities and ensure we continue creating value while improving the communities in which we operate.”
“DigitalBridge is the preeminent global digital infrastructure investment firm, and I am excited to join at such a pivotal time in the Company’s growth trajectory,” said Mr. Vargas. “I look forward to working with DigitalBridge’s talented team as we continue expanding in Latin America and providing value-add expertise and capabilities to our portfolio companies.”
About Bernardo Vargas Gibsone
Mr. Vargas has more than three decades of experience in investment banking, real estate and regional infrastructure investing, along with deep expertise in Latin America. He most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of ISA, a leading multi-Latin company based in Medellin, Colombia, from 2015 to 2022. Prior to ISA, Mr. Vargas spent 14 years as founding partner of Nogal Asesorias Financieras, an investment banking advisory boutique in Colombia specializing in local and cross-border M&A across a variety of industries. During his Nogal years he was Board member of Amarilo, Colombia’s leading real estate developer, Grupo Pantaleon, Pronaca Colombia among others. Earlier in his career, Mr. Vargas served as President and CEO of the merged operations of Barings and ING Colombia; as founding CEO of Proexport Colombia (today Procolombia); as Founding CEO of Fiducoldex; and an advisor to the Minister of Foreign Trade, Juan Manuel Santos, who subsequently became President of Colombia. Mr. Vargas was chosen by Portafolio Newspaper as the top Business Leader in Colombia in 2017 and was named among the top CEOs in LATAM by Institutional Investor.
Mr. Vargas holds an MBA from Columbia University and a BA and MS in Economics from Universidad de Los Andes, in Bogotá, Colombia.
About DigitalBridge Group, Inc.
DigitalBridge (NYSE: DBRG) is a leading global digital infrastructure firm. With a heritage of over 25 years investing in and operating businesses across the digital ecosystem including cell towers, data centers, fiber, small cells, and edge infrastructure, the DigitalBridge team manages a $48 billion portfolio of digital infrastructure assets on behalf of its limited partners and shareholders. Headquartered in Boca Raton, DigitalBridge has key offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Singapore. For more information, visit: www.digitalbridge.com.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements relate to expectations, beliefs, projections, future plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” or “potential” or the negative of these words and phrases or similar words or phrases which are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to historical matters. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, and may cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. Factors that might cause such a difference include the Company’s ability to execute on opportunities, create value and improve communities in Latin America, and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2022 and June 30, 2022, and its other reports filed from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). All forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s good faith beliefs, assumptions and expectations, but they are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions investors not to unduly rely on any forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this current report. The Company is under no duty to update any of these forward-looking statements after the date of this release, nor to conform prior statements to actual results or revised expectations, and the Company does not intend to do so.