Professional Affiliation

Chairman & CEO, Mercantil Servicios Financieros Internacional

Expert Bio

Gustavo Vollmer, a highly experienced business professional, has maintained a life experience around businesses from different economic sectors. His career starts in a leading agribusiness group in Venezuela with a remarkable 28-year tenure, becoming its CEO after holding several positions. Currently serves as the Chairman and CEO of Mercantil Servicios Financieros Internacional, a holding company operating in banking, wealth management, insurance, and fintech across Panama, Switzerland, and Venezuela. He successfully led the corporate reorganization of Mercantil, oversaw its listing on the Latin American Stock Exchange (Latinex), and played a pivotal role in the acquisition of Capital Bank and its subsidiaries. Gustavo also successfully conducted the process of listing Amerant Bancorp on Nasdaq as its Chairman, formerly a subsidiary of Mercantil. Amerant Bancorp has since become an independent entity.

Gustavo, known for his strong social sensitivity, actively participates in community projects and initiatives through foundations and academic organizations. Currently, he is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Administration (IESA), business school ranked in the Top 10 of the best in Latin America, according to AméricaEconomía magazine. He is committed to promoting purpose-driven digital innovations that have a profound impact on people's lives. Notably, he spearheaded the development of a digital wallet, which achieved over 1.5 million downloads in 90 countries within two years, setting a record as the first app in Panama to achieve such widespread adoption.

Gustavo holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Duke University, a postgraduate degree in Economic Development from Cambridge University, England, and a PED in Business Administration from IMEDE, Switzerland. Gustavo represented Venezuela on the World Entrepreneur 2022 event conducted by EY firm (Ernst & Young).