Margarita María Ángel : Global Compact Cities Programme

Sustainable Urban Development
Infrastructure and Mobility
Community Engagement and Social Transformation

Margarita has held the positions of CEO of Medellin’s Urban Development agency, EDU 2012-2015; Secretary of Antioquia’s Physical Infrastructure for Integration and Development and Antioquia’s Manager of Highway Megaprojects 2004-2007; Director of Internal Control, Maintenance Manager and General Manager of Medellin’s railway, 1991-2004; Chief Distribution Officer and Technical Director of Medellin’s Metropolitan Institute of Appraisal (Instituto Metropolitano de Valorización in Spanish), 1980- 1987.

She has also been a teacher, national and international lecturer, and advisor and consultant for the Municipality of Bucaramanga’s highway plan as well as for the implementation of Lima’s (Peru) railway, amongst others jobs.

Throughout Margarita María Ángel’s 35 years of experience, she has consolidated her expertise in urban infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, mobility systems (railways, cable cars, monorails, trams, buses) and road infrastructure. Margarita also has experience in land management, social management, sustainable urban development, real estate management and public works financial management.

In 2015, Margarita received recognition as one of the 20 most important leaders of the department of Antioquia as well as international recognition by the Ethisphere Institute – leaders in defining and advancing the standards of ethics and transparency in businesses – as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics.

Over two consecutive years, while she was working at the Medellin’s Urban Development Agency (EDU), the company achieved international recognition as One of the Most Ethical Companies in the World and received the Alclima Award, given out by the Colombian magazine Semana Sostenible which extols initiatives that focus on the conservation of natural resources to combat climate change. Margarita was given a Special Mention in the National Prize for Ecology Blue Planet, by the Colombian bank, Banco de Occidente and awarded the Green World Award, which recognises the efforts of authorities and people who have made a positive impact on the environment. She also received the Real Estate Merit where the Real Estate Association of Medellin recognises the efforts to develop transformative works with high social content. Margarita was also awarded the Veronica Rudge Green Award from Harvard University for transformative mobility systems. Likewise, the international business achievement award of one of the Most Socially Responsible Companies in Latin America was given to the company Sytecsa while she was employed there by Cemefi and Forum Empresa (Mexico).

Key publications Margarita has led and participated include: Territorial Equity in Medellin (Equidad Territorial en Medellín) and; with the participation of the Inter-American Development Bank IDB and “Our New Medellin” (the local council), the Green Belt of Medellin (Jardín Circunvalar de Medellín), the residential park Nuevo Naranjal (Public Architecture and Social Innovation) and the brochure Pedagogical Urbanism (Urbanismo Pedagógico).

Margarita is a qualified Civil Engineer (University of Medellin, 1980) specialising in Senior Management, with emphasis in Quality (University of Antioquia, 1994). She has education certificates in: Master planning: Moving Towards a Sustainable City, 2014 and The Walkable City, Harvard University – Graduate School of Design – Executive Education, University of Cambridge, USA, 2015; Leadership for Innovation in Sustainable Urban Development, Harvard University – Graduate School of Design – Executive Education, Medellin, Colombia, 2015; Urban Development and Housing, Inter-American Development Bank, online course (MOOCs), 2015; among other certificates.

Margarita is based in Medellín, Colombia.