Alejandro Betancourt López
Venezuelan businessman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt López (born 1980) is a Venezuelan businessman. He is chairman and CEO of Derwick Associates[1] and leads the international investment group O'Hara Administration.[2] Betancourt López is a director of Pacific Exploration & Production Corporation, controlling 19.95% of the company. He is also president of Hawkers, a Spanish sunglasses company.[3]
Oxford University
President of Hawkers
Alejandro Betancourt López | |
|---|---|
Alejandro Betancourt | |
| Born | 1980 (age 45–46) |
| Alma mater | Suffolk University Oxford University |
| Occupations | Chairman and CEO of Derwick Associates President of Hawkers |
| Spouse |
Andreína Rojas (m. 2012) |
| Website | Personal website |
Early life and education
Betancourt has a double major in Economics and Business Administration from the Suffolk University of Massachusetts, United States[4] and an Executive MBA from Oxford University.[5]
Career
Betancourt started his career at a company specializing in the energy sector and in the exploration, production and trade of oil and its derivatives. The company has presence in the U.S., Europe, Middle East, South America and Africa. There, he served as business manager for Latin America.
He later worked at Guruceaga Group, a company dedicated to international trade in goods, finance, real estate and farm, in which he was manager of new business.[6] He also worked at BGB Energy, a company that was responsible for representing, in joint venture with the old GESCA GAS in Venezuela, international corporation Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
Derwick
Betancourt is the co-founder, along with Pedro Trebbau López, of Derwick Associates Corp., a Venezuelan company working in the energy sector. He has also co-founded eponymous companies in Panama, the United States, Spain, and Barbados.
Since it started operations in 2003,[7] the company has obtained eleven contracts for the construction of power plants in Venezuela; five contracts awarded by Electricidad de Caracas (to join Corpoelec in December 2011), five by Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA negotiated with Bariven, a PDVSA division), and one by Corporación Venezolana de Guayana (CVG).
As co-founder of Derwick Associates, Betancourt has been linked to corruption scandals in Venezuela.[8][9][10] Derwick was reportedly awarded government projects despite having limited experience in the electricity sector.[8] Derwick denies the allegations.[11]
Thor Leonardo Halvorssen Mendoza sued Derwick and Betancourt.[12] Banco Banesco and Derwick Associates claimed that the accusations were false;[13] the lawsuit was dismissed.[14]
In 2025, Betancourt was investigated by judge Santiago Pedraz of the Audiencia Nacional (Spain's High Court), following a complaint filed by Spain’s Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office in connection with an alleged money-laundering scheme involving funds from PDVSA. In March 2026, Pedraz dismissed the case, finding that Venezuelan courts had already examined the origin of the funds and determined that no crime had occurred.[15]
Pacific Exploration & Production
In May 2015, O'Hara Administration, an international investment group led by Alejandro Betancourt, became the largest shareholder of the petroleum company Pacific Exploration & Production Corporation by controlling 19.5 percent of its shares.[16]
By the end of August 2015 Betancourt increased his control over the shares of Pacific to 19.95% and was appointed director and member of the board. Betancourt publicly shared plans to expand the operations of the company and enter new markets to grow.[17][2]
BDK Financial Group
In June 2015 the BDK Financial Group, of which Alejandro Betancourt is a major shareholder, inaugurated the Banque de Dakar headquarters in Senegal.[18] The objective of the financial group is to offer banking services in French-speaking Africa. In March 2016 the group appointed Alfredo Sáenz Abad as president of the bank.[19]
O’Hara Administration
Betancourt leads the O’Hara administration group of international investors. The other key executive of the group as portfolio manager and director is Orlando J. Alvarado.[20]
The group currently holds 19.95% of Pacific Exploration & Production Corporation shares. In August 2016, O’Hara together with the Mexican investor Fernando Chico Pardo presented a restructuring bid for Pacific worth $575 million.[21] Betancourt fought off potential shareholders in a bid "to gain control of the company themselves", though when a deal with Mexico's ALFA fell through, Betancourt and his group lost 70% of their investment.[22]
Hawkers
In October 2017, Betancourt led a €50 million Series A funding round for the company, which was one of the largest financings in Spanish history at the time.[23] Hawkers appointed Alejandro Betancourt as its new president one month later.[24]
By 2018, he began opening physical stores for the brand, resulting in 60 brick-and-mortar locations by 2025.[23]
Betancourt is currently the largest shareholder of Hawkers. He has overseen the company’s new plan for expansion as well as its adjustment to the recession in Spain.[25][26]
Auro
Betancourt participated as a notable shareholder in the founding of Auro New Transport, a Vehicle for hire company in Spain.[27] In November 2022, Uber and Cabify placed competitive bids of around 200 million euros to buy the company.[28]
Personal life
Betancourt is a descendant of Hermógenes López, the former acting president of Venezuela.[29]
In 2024, Alejandro Betancourt was appointed Knight of the Order del Camino de Santiago.[5]