Jaime Pumarejo Heins was elected mayor of Barranquilla, Colombia in 2019. Pumarejo is an advocate for the socioeconomic inclusion of migrants and a proponent of high-impact public investments and large-scale urban regeneration projects. One of his flagship initiatives as mayor is to transform Barranquilla into the first “BiodiverCity” in Latin America, connecting urban and rural areas while involving citizens in the conservation of the city’s ecosystem and sustainable development. The BiodiverCity initiative includes projects related to the recovery of the Mallorquin Lagoon, the protection of urban forests, the development of renewable energy sources, and the provision of green public spaces for all.
Previously, Pumarejo served as secretary of economic development of the Atlantico State, and counselor for competitiveness and secretary of mobility at the mayor’s office of the city of Barranquilla. He was president of Puerta de Oro Caribbean Events Center, one of the largest infrastructure projects in the city. Pumarejo also served as manager of city development, where he was in charge of high-impact projects such as the Gran Malecón, the City’s River sidewalk that borders the Magdalena River and the infrastructure of the Central American and Caribbean Games. He holds a bachelor’s degree in information systems administration from Purdue University and a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance from the Business Institute of Madrid, Spain.
Pumarejo will be awarded the Migrant Empowerment and Inclusive Communities Award at the VIII Leadership for the Americas Awards Gala in 2023.