Gilberto Maldonado

Gilberto Maldonado Gutiérrez is the SVP & GM of Grupo Peñafiel, where he leads the company’s operations and strategy in Mexico and Latin America. Since joining in 2008, he has played a key role in the company’s growth and consolidation within the beverage sector, driving initiatives in operational efficiency, supply chain optimization, and business expansion.

With more than 40 years of experience in the consumer goods industry, he has held strategic roles at Nestlé, Warner Lambert, Nabisco/Kraft Foods, and Aje Group. During his time at Nabisco/Kraft Foods, he led the integration of both companies following Kraft’s acquisition of Nabisco in 2000, achieving operational consolidation in just one year. Later, at Aje Group, he was responsible for operations across Mexico, Central America, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Thailand, managing a business with $600 million in annual sales, 20 production plants, 2,350 distribution routes, and an extensive network of logistics centers.

He holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the National University of Colombia and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Southern Illinois University. He has also completed executive education programs at the Wharton School and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.