“I’ve been lucky to have worked in almost every office of the Pepper Group. I started in London, where I was focused on Spain so I had to travel frequently to Madrid. Then I moved to Sydney for 3 years in 2014. I also spent a year in Colombia (where I’m originally from) exploring opportunities in Latin America. I then was asked to move to Hong Kong for 3 years to expand our Principal Investments business in Asia. And now as Group CFO, I’m based in Singapore, working closely with our founder and Group CEO, Mike.”

Juan first joined Pepper in 2004, as a youthful summer intern. The entrepreneurial spirit and Can Do attitude he experienced while he was there had a profound impact. In 2006 he made the decision to come back. And to take up a role as a full-time analyst in the Principal Investments team. Since then, he has worked across multiple projects, and in almost every office in the Pepper group. Since June 2020, he’s been Group CFO overseeing the Group’s finance and treasury operations, focused on providing strategic guidance on capital allocation within the Group.

“Most of my career I’ve been in Investments and Mergers & Acquisitions. I was attracted by the nature of the work which is high intensity, strategic and deal execution driven. In my new role as Group CFO, I enjoy the operational aspect of finance and treasury especially the opportunities we have today in terms of technology improvements and automation.

In Finance, we work closely with every region so I speak frequently with colleagues around the world and get great insights into regional trends and opportunities.”

Pepper’s values play a key role in driving success across teams and projects.

“I’ve learnt that passion for our work and projects at Pepper is contagious and supports our culture and DNA at Pepper.”

“I’m proud to be part of the team that led our expansion into Asia. I’ve been on the ground opening our operations in China, India, Japan and Indonesia. We have brought onboard great people who very much share our Pepper values and I feel very bullish about our growth prospects in Asia.”

As an intern who ended up in top management, Juan enjoys participating in recruiting the next generation. And has some encouraging words for those ready to join.

“I’m very involved in our Global Internship Programme as well as our new programme called Pepper Labs. Both programmes foster career development for young talent within the organisation with a long-term view of motivating them to become future leaders of Pepper. I’ve been surprised how my passion for Pepper has influenced other colleagues and young talent joining our organisation.”

“My attitude is: Welcome to the Pepper family! We genuinely believe in building careers and opportunities for every employee at Pepper and we are keen to hear what your dreams and goals are to help you succeed.”