Carlos Ardila Lülle
Encyclopedia
Carlos Arturo Ardila Lülle (born July 4, 1931) is a Colombian entrepreneur and the founder and head of the Organización Ardila Lülle, a major Colombian conglomerate which controls companies such as RCN TV
, the Postobon
soft drink, and the Atlético Nacional
soccer team. His net worth is estimated at over one billion U.S. dollars.
, Colombia
on July 4, 1931. At fifteen he completed secondary education at the Jesuit
run Colegio San Pedro Claver
, and moved to Medellín
to study civil engineering at the School of Mines at the National University of Colombia
, graduating in 1951. He then began work in the soft drink business as a Plant Manager for Gaseosas LUX, entrusted with production and expansion in the city of Cali
. While working there he met his first wife, Maria Eugenia Gaviria, a daughter of one of the owners of the company, Antonio Gaviria. With her he had two children, Carlos Julio and Antonio Jose. He also has two daughters, Maria Emma and Maria Eugenia.
At Gaseosas LUX, he worked on the development and promotion of new flavors, and in 1954 saw great success in the development of a new soft drink flavored with apples. One of the first in the world with that flavor, it is now marketed as their flagship product, Postobon. Ardila later said he feels a special affection for this achievement as a contribution to the beverage industry. The commercial success with Gaseosas LUX allowed them to gradually acquire shares in the company Postobón, S.A.
, which made a popular drink, Kola Champaña. After uniting the two companies, Ardila then became president of Postobón, S.A. in 1968.
At this stage he initiated the acquisition of other Colombian soft drink companies over the final decades of the twentieth century, bringing these similar companies under the same management at Postobón. After his commercial success with non-alcoholic beverage companies, he began investing in companies directly related to the raw materials of soda, such as the sugar industry, marking the beginning of his Organización Ardila Lülle (OAL). Ardila next moved into textiles and media, and in 1972 acquired the nationwide radio company Radio Cadena Nacional (RCN
). He acquired the record company Sonolux in 1973, and in 1978, he added a television channel under the RCN platform called RCN TV. This would develop into a prominent premium channel in 1998, and branch off in 2008 with a news channel called Nuestra Tele Noticias 24 Horas
(NTN24).
In 1978 he also acquired textile company Coltejer
, which has remained a leader in the textile sector in Antioquia. Majority control of Coltejer was later sold to Mexican business group Kaltex South America S.A. in 2008. In 1994 he founded Leona Brewery, and in 1996 he bought the main Medellín soccer team, Atlético Nacional
, making Leona Beer their main sponsor until he later sold the brewery to Bavaria
. In 1998, devaluation of the Colombian Peso
caused him to lose 38% of his net worth internationally.
Ardila has been distinguished in Colombia by the National Government with the Grand Cross award Order of Boyaca
, for services to the Colombian military, and the Order of Democracy of Simón Bolívar. He was chosen as "The Entrepreneur of the Twentieth Century" by a group of eleven business school deans in Colombia, and has received commendations from King of Spain Juan Carlos I including honorary Spanish citizenship. He is listed as one of the richest men in Latin America, and has appeared on several occasions in Forbes Magazine, with his capital assets estimated at over 1 billion dollars.
's Grupo Empresarial Bavaria S.A.
, and Luis Carlos Sarmiento Angulo's Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores. After positioning his company in the beverage sector, Carlos Ardila Lülle founded and consolidated the Organización Ardila Lülle, today comprising over 80 companies generating more than 40,000 jobs in Colombia, producing goods and services in sectors as diverse as communications, beverages, textiles, and entertainment.
RCN TV
RCN Televisión , is a Colombian private television network. It started as a production company in 1967...
, the Postobon
Postobón
Postobón, S.A. is one of the largest Colombian beverage companies. The company has a wide portfolio of products that includes soft drinks, fruit juices, bottled water, tea, and energy drinks....
soft drink, and the Atlético Nacional
Atlético Nacional
Corporación Deportiva Atlético Nacional is a Colombian football team based in Medellín. They play their home games at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot stadium which also serves as home to Deportivo Independiente Medellín...
soccer team. His net worth is estimated at over one billion U.S. dollars.
Biography
Carlos Ardila Lülle was born in the city of BucaramangaBucaramanga
Bucaramanga is a Colombian city, and capital city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth largest city economy and sixth largest population in Colombia, with 1,212,656 people in its metropolitan area...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
on July 4, 1931. At fifteen he completed secondary education at the Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
run Colegio San Pedro Claver
Colegio San Pedro Claver
The Colegio San Pedro Claver is a high school in the Colombian city of Bucaramanga, named after St Peter Claver, patron saint of Colombia. The high school is run by the Jesuits and students and graduates of the school are known as Claverianos...
, and moved to Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
to study civil engineering at the School of Mines at the National University of Colombia
National University of Colombia
The Universidad Nacional de Colombia , also called UNAL or just UN, is a public, national, coeducational, research university, located primarily in Bogotá, Medellín, Manizales and Palmira, Colombia...
, graduating in 1951. He then began work in the soft drink business as a Plant Manager for Gaseosas LUX, entrusted with production and expansion in the city of Cali
Calì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
. While working there he met his first wife, Maria Eugenia Gaviria, a daughter of one of the owners of the company, Antonio Gaviria. With her he had two children, Carlos Julio and Antonio Jose. He also has two daughters, Maria Emma and Maria Eugenia.
At Gaseosas LUX, he worked on the development and promotion of new flavors, and in 1954 saw great success in the development of a new soft drink flavored with apples. One of the first in the world with that flavor, it is now marketed as their flagship product, Postobon. Ardila later said he feels a special affection for this achievement as a contribution to the beverage industry. The commercial success with Gaseosas LUX allowed them to gradually acquire shares in the company Postobón, S.A.
Postobón
Postobón, S.A. is one of the largest Colombian beverage companies. The company has a wide portfolio of products that includes soft drinks, fruit juices, bottled water, tea, and energy drinks....
, which made a popular drink, Kola Champaña. After uniting the two companies, Ardila then became president of Postobón, S.A. in 1968.
At this stage he initiated the acquisition of other Colombian soft drink companies over the final decades of the twentieth century, bringing these similar companies under the same management at Postobón. After his commercial success with non-alcoholic beverage companies, he began investing in companies directly related to the raw materials of soda, such as the sugar industry, marking the beginning of his Organización Ardila Lülle (OAL). Ardila next moved into textiles and media, and in 1972 acquired the nationwide radio company Radio Cadena Nacional (RCN
RCN TV
RCN Televisión , is a Colombian private television network. It started as a production company in 1967...
). He acquired the record company Sonolux in 1973, and in 1978, he added a television channel under the RCN platform called RCN TV. This would develop into a prominent premium channel in 1998, and branch off in 2008 with a news channel called Nuestra Tele Noticias 24 Horas
Nuestra Tele Noticias 24 Horas
Nuestra Tele Noticias 24 Horas is an international 24-hour news channel. NTN24 provides news, analysis, opinion, sports and entertainment news programs in Spanish. Its programming can be seen on cable and satellite from Alaska to Patagonia. NTN24 also produces online English language news with an...
(NTN24).
In 1978 he also acquired textile company Coltejer
Coltejer
The Coltejer building is the tallest building in Medellín, Colombia and the fourth tallest in Colombia.A taller building, the "Edificio El Faro" is under construction in Sabaneta, Colombia, which is a city in the Metropolitan Area of Medellín and would technically surpass the Coltejer building as...
, which has remained a leader in the textile sector in Antioquia. Majority control of Coltejer was later sold to Mexican business group Kaltex South America S.A. in 2008. In 1994 he founded Leona Brewery, and in 1996 he bought the main Medellín soccer team, Atlético Nacional
Atlético Nacional
Corporación Deportiva Atlético Nacional is a Colombian football team based in Medellín. They play their home games at the Estadio Atanasio Girardot stadium which also serves as home to Deportivo Independiente Medellín...
, making Leona Beer their main sponsor until he later sold the brewery to Bavaria
Bavaria Brewery
Bavaria is the second largest brewery in the Netherlands. The company, which produces five million hectolitres of beer annually, is based in the town of Lieshout, North Brabant...
. In 1998, devaluation of the Colombian Peso
Colombian peso
The peso is the currency of Colombia. Its ISO 4217 code is COP and it is also informally abbreviated as COL$. However, the official peso symbol is $. As 20 July 2011, the exchange rate of the Colombian peso is 1750 Colombian pesos to 1 U.S. dollar.-History:The peso has been the currency of Colombia...
caused him to lose 38% of his net worth internationally.
Ardila has been distinguished in Colombia by the National Government with the Grand Cross award Order of Boyaca
Colombian military decorations
-Military Order of St. Matthew :Colombia's highest award, named for the Battle of San Mateo estate during the South American wars of independence, and particularly honoring the sacrifice of Captain Antonio Ricaurte, who sacrificed himself during the battle...
, for services to the Colombian military, and the Order of Democracy of Simón Bolívar. He was chosen as "The Entrepreneur of the Twentieth Century" by a group of eleven business school deans in Colombia, and has received commendations from King of Spain Juan Carlos I including honorary Spanish citizenship. He is listed as one of the richest men in Latin America, and has appeared on several occasions in Forbes Magazine, with his capital assets estimated at over 1 billion dollars.
Organización Ardila Lülle
Today, Organización Ardila Lülle is industrially one of the more important conglomerates in Colombia along with Alejandro Santo DomingoAlejandro Santo Domingo
Alejandro Santo Domingo is a Colombian-American financier. He is the son of Julio Mario Santo Domingo and Beatriz Dávila, and the half-brother of Julio Mario Santo Domingo, Jr.- Education :...
's Grupo Empresarial Bavaria S.A.
Bavaria Brewery
Bavaria is the second largest brewery in the Netherlands. The company, which produces five million hectolitres of beer annually, is based in the town of Lieshout, North Brabant...
, and Luis Carlos Sarmiento Angulo's Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores. After positioning his company in the beverage sector, Carlos Ardila Lülle founded and consolidated the Organización Ardila Lülle, today comprising over 80 companies generating more than 40,000 jobs in Colombia, producing goods and services in sectors as diverse as communications, beverages, textiles, and entertainment.
Media
- RCN TVRCN TVRCN Televisión , is a Colombian private television network. It started as a production company in 1967...
- RCN Radio
- RCN Entertainment
- TV ColombiaTV ColombiaTV Colombia is a general entertainment channel owned by Colombian television network RCN. It is a Spanish-language cable channel aimed to Colombian and Latin American viewers around the world. It broadcasts television programs produced by RCN TV, most of them previously aired in this network in...
- Nuestra Tele Noticias 24 HorasNuestra Tele Noticias 24 HorasNuestra Tele Noticias 24 Horas is an international 24-hour news channel. NTN24 provides news, analysis, opinion, sports and entertainment news programs in Spanish. Its programming can be seen on cable and satellite from Alaska to Patagonia. NTN24 also produces online English language news with an...
Agroindustrials
- Incauca
- Ingenio Providencia
- Bananal S.A.
- Industrias Forestales Doña María S.A.
- Sucromiles S.A.
- Sociedad Comercializadora Int. de Azúcares y Mieles S.A.