Former President, Bancolombia Group
About The Leader
About The Leader
Yepes is convinced of the potential power that companies have to make positive transformations in society and is known for instilling a humanitarian ethos at the heart of one the largest banks in Colombia
Carlos Raúl Yepes (19 May 1964) is one of the most prominent business leaders in Colombia. He is the former president of Bancolombia, one of Latin America’s largest banks.
Known for creating a culture of putting people first while achieving high-performance results.
He is member of the board of powerful business conglomerates such as EPM, ANDI, and SURA.
His Purpose
Yepes used his influential position to achieve idealistic goals that can effect inspired transformations that positively influence lives of many people.
Carlos Raul Yepes started working at a very young age as the Legal Director at Banco Industrial Colombiano. After its merger with Banco de Colombia and occupying different positions, he became president of Bancolombia, becoming one of the most prominent leaders in the country.
"There is no world of companies; there is a world of people."
Case for Change
Case for Change
“When elected president, the first question I asked myself was, 'What bothered me the most about the financial system?' The answer: that it was indolent, arrogant and materialistic. Now that I have a mandate, I will make a proposal to change the financial system to be humane, respectful, and inclusive.”
Growth Gap
Growth Gap
“To advocate that companies should conduct business on a foundation of trust, values and ethics, and, then, to demonstrate that these virtues can be compatible and complementary with the growth and profitability that all businesses seek.”
Investment Portfolio
Investment Portfolio
“At Bancolombia Group we have defined the Sustainability Model that includes purchasing policies, human rights, climate change, financing, investment, relationships with stakeholders, and our social and environmental goals.”
His Leadership Qualities
His Leadership Qualities
Yepes' humanitarian banking approach focuses on creating shared value to transform the communities the bank serves, as well as exploring opportunities for making profits while also taking care of its people.
Humanity
Humanity
After being appointed President of Bancolombia, he asked himself what bothered him the most about the financial sector: that it was exclusive, cold, and distant. This worried him as he’d been part of the system for many years, but he eventually used his power to change it.
Key Actions
Key Actions
Bancolombia started focusing on building long-term relationships based on respect and trust.
He hired an expert to design a Corporate Reputation model, engaging with all stakeholders to understand their emotional and rational perceptions regarding the company, identifying the most important areas of improvement
Leadership Behaviors
Leadership Behaviors
Long-term relationships with stakeholders, based on respect and trust
Making people the center of decision-making
Lesson Learned
Lesson Learned
To build trust, a leader needs to listen to people and take action to show them that they are being heard
Rethinking Winning
Rethinking Winning
When at the Bank, Yepes promoted his philosophy of emotional salary to make employees from every rank in the organization feel that they were relevant to the successful outcomes of the bank's work and projects.
Key Actions
Key Actions
Yepes charged Carlos Raul with changing the way employees performance was measured, no longer based solely on adding clients or revenues, but also depending on the willingness of clients to recommend the bank to associates.
With the goal of supporting employee demands for a better work-life balance, he created the Quality of Life business unit.
Leadership Behaviors
Leadership Behaviors
Going beyond above and beyond the task at hand
Prioritizing employees
Lesson Learned
Lesson Learned
Healthy employees equal healthy bottom lines. Leaders should have clarity about the fact that employee health is not only related to employees' well-being, but also closely related to organizational performance.
One Step Ahead
One Step Ahead
Before the Colombian government called on the financial sector to become more user-friendly, Yepes had already started to streamline different procedures and more than 1000 of these have been improved and more than 300 free products and services were offered to clients.
Key Actions
Key Actions
To face the challenges the bank was having at the moment and to foresee and respond to future ones , Yepes opened the vice-presidency of innovation and decided to involve Congress, the Executive, Banks and telecommunications firms work together so more citizens could access the financial system with confidence.
Leadership Behaviors
Leadership Behaviors
Jumping into action to solve challenges
Proactive management
Lesson Learned
Lesson Learned
There is no How-To guide for challenging the status quo, you have to make the way as you go, driven by a broader vision that involves capabilities of all your stakeholders
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