THE TEAM

The initiators and managing directors – a professional team with experience and a vision.The Colombia Companions was founded in 2016 by Markus Baumanns and Frank Sadowsky, who have worked together since 2002. The firm is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany and is supported by a highly qualified operational team and network in the capital of Colombia: Bogotá. Our founders and directors are based in Hamburg and act as the points of contact for our European investors.

Dr. Markus Baumanns

…cofounded also the consultancy firm company companions in January 2010 in Hamburg. He successfully consults and accompanies medium-sized companies, start-ups, and non-profit organizations in strategy, leadership, innovation and cultural change. Between 2000 and 2009 he was CEO of Bucerius Law School  and member of the Executive Board of the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius in Hamburg. During his time as a diplomat in Bogotá at the end of the 90s, Markus established his close contacts to relevant companies in the agricultural and real estate sectors as well as to decision makers in the private and public sectors and has been maintaining these relationships ever since.
team foto cambio

Frank Sadowsky

…founded two well-known companies in the financial sector, the financial services provider Truscon and the asset manager Veermaster  in Hamburg and Berlin. Together with his team of financial coaches, he focuses on new, young and dynamic markets and therefore invested early in emerging markets like China, India, and Turkey. His international vision led to the profound experience that he has with international real estate and especially with forestry investments in Central America. Frank also founded Gud Jard Resorts  in 2016, the first healthy living holiday village in Pellworm, Germany.

Janina Monecke

…is the fund and real estate manager for the Colombia Companions.  Janina is German-Venezuelan and was born in Caracas. She graduated from l’Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne with a Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management and a specialization in real estate, market and corporate finance. She also attended London Business School. Since 2015 she gained professional experience at CBRE in London and EY Real Estate in Hamburg, where she reported on high value opportunities of various real estate projects, conducted numerous commercial due diligence exercises as well as strategic business reviews for a wide array of projects and clients.

Martin Krauss

…carries out both operational and strategic tasks for the Colombia Companions ventures. He is a native-born German but has been living in Bogotá for more than 15 years. His special expertise as independent consultant in various business sectors, as well as memberships in supervisory boards in industry and commerce institutions as well as social-cultural organizations are essential for the construction of a cultural bridge.

Simon Hosie

…is one of Colombia’s hottest young architects, according to the Washington Post. For Simon architecture goes beyond aesthetic expression: it is the people, their pain, their joy, their customs, their way of life. This is why we have selected Simon and his team at Planos Vivos to work with us in the development of our projects and footprint in Colombia. Simón has been recognized with the most important architecture awards in Colombia, the national award for architecture (2004) and recognition for sustainability (2014) by the colombian Society of Architects. He has won multiple public and private infrastructure competitions.

Pablo Lissa

…is our general contractor in Colombia. He has worked many years alongside Simon Hosie, and as such understands how to execute the plans, design and vision of our projects. Both Pablo and Simon have an invaluable network of contacts within the city of Bogota and the planning authorities, key for developments within protected areas such as the Candelaria.

Alexander von Bila

…crucially contributes to the legal structure of our venture and therefore creates the stable foundation of our projects by bringing in his expertise as a lawyer on an international level. Alexander is co-owner of the agriculture and forestry project and assists with the legal questions of the real estate projects through his law firm von Bila, de la Pava & Bertoletti  He has Colombian roots and lives in Bogotá.