The Australis Partners team is comprised of seasoned professionals with more than 140 years of combined private equity experience. The senior members of our team have worked together continuously for over 20 years, investing across many business cycles and financial market conditions.
Australis Partners combines the synergetic relationship of its senior investment professionals and their deep institutional knowledge to deliver value-add for its investment partners. We have a strong collaborative culture and a sound investment process fine-tuned over the years of successfully pooling the institutional knowledge and expertise of our partners
Enrique is a founding member and the Managing Partner of Australis Partners. Prior to the formation of Australis Partners, he led the Latin America private equity group of Citigroup Venture Capital International (CVCI) from 2005 until 2013 and has been active in private equity in Latin America since 1998. Between 1992 and 1997, Enrique was a senior banker at Bankers Trust in New York, focused on the Latin American region. From 1985 until he joined Bankers Trust Enrique was a banker at Citibank in Chile and Venezuela. Between 1980 and 1985 Enrique worked for the Chilean Securities Market regulatory body.
Enrique has extensive experience in private equity transactions in the Latin American region, in sectors such as energy, telecom, real estate development, natural resources, hospitality, retail and food. Enrique earned a Civil Engineering degree from Universidad Católica de Chile (1980) and an MBA degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (1983).
Cristián is a founding member of Australis Partners. He has been in private equity since 1998. Cristián started his career at Citi in 1991 as a Corporate Finance Associate. During 10 years he accumulated an extensive experience in M&A and Debt transactions related to blue chip Chilean and regional companies in the domestic and international capital markets. In private equity originally he contributed to the development of Citi’s business in Chile and then joined Citigroup Venture Capital International (CVCI) in 2001.
As a private equity professional Cristián has been involved in sectors such as environmental services, healthcare, real estate and construction, fishmeal and fish oil, non-metallic mining, fiber optic networks, salmon farming, among others. Cristián earned a BA from the Universidad Católica de Chile (1991) and a Master in Finance from the London Business School (1996).
Alex is a founding Partner of Australis Partners and also a member of the firm’s investment committee. He joined Citigroup’s Latin America’s private equity group in 2000 based in New York, which became part of Citigroup Venture Capital International (CVCI) in 2001. Prior to Citi, Alex worked at KPS Special Situations (between 1999-2000) focused on the U.S. distressed middle market. Prior to KPS, Alex worked as an investment banker for J.P. Morgan’s M&A team based in New York (1996-1999).
Alex has extensive private equity experience in various sectors including the healthcare services, financial services, packaging, hospitality, CRM call centers, and environmental services sectors. Alex has a Business Economics degree with cum laude honors from UCLA (1996). Alex is also a board member and co-founder of the Exam Schools Partnership Initiative, Inc., a not-for-profit organization focused on education in NYC.
Juan Pablo is a founding Partner of Australis Partners and a member of the firm’s investment committee. With over 20 years of experience as a private equity professional, he joined Citigroup’s Latin America private equity team in 1999 based in New York, which later became part of Citi Venture Capital International (CVCI) in 2001. His investment focus has been in direct private equity transactions in the Andean Region and Mexico in a wide variety of industries including financial services, food and retail, energy, infrastructure and technology.
Before joining CVCI, Juan Pablo worked as a banker in Citigroup’s Corporate Finance in Argentina, where he was involved in M&A, fixed income and equity (1997-1999). Juan Pablo earned a 6-year degree in Industrial Engineering from the Universidad de Buenos Aires graduating in the top quartile of his class in 1997.
Armando is a founding member of Australis Partners. Armando has worked in private equity since 2008 when he joined Citigroup’s private equity team based in Chile. Prior to his involvement in private equity he worked in the investment banking division of Citigroup in New York, with a focus on M&A in the North American Power sector (2005-2008). Between 2001 and 2003, Armando was a lawyer at Marval O’Farrell & Mairal in Buenos Aires where he specialized on corporate law and debt restructurings during Argentina’s default.
Armando has developed private equity expertise in sectors such as healthcare, environmental services, real estate and construction, and non-metallic mining, among others. Armando earned a Law degree with Honors from Universidad de Buenos Aires (2000) and an MBA degree from The University of Chicago (2005).
Guillermo has been a member of Australis Partners since December 2015. Guillermo has more than 30 years of experience in the finance industry (including 15 years in Private Equity) working in the US, Europe and Latin America. Between 2006 and 2015 he worked as Regional Business Planner for Citigroup Corporate & Investment Banking in Latin America. Previously, Guillermo worked in Citigroup Venture Capital Latin America and CVC Europe Fund, responsible for Financial Control and Planning for business in the Latin America region (including Brazil Opportunity Fund and CFO for Citigroup Venture Capital Europe). Prior experience includes Audit Director for Citibank Spain.
German joined Australis Partners in 2019. He has worked in private equity since 2012 when he joined the investment team of Advent International in Colombia. At Advent, German closed transactions in the financial services and industrials sectors. German also worked during the 2018 summer with the financial services private equity team of Actis in London, covering deals in Europe and Latin America.
As a private equity professional in Australis Partners German has been involved in sectors such as financial services, healthcare and consumer, among others. German holds degrees in Economics and Industrial Engineering from Universidad de los Andes (2014) and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (2019).
Pilar joined Australis Partners in 2023. Prior to Australis Partners, between 2015 and 2021, she worked in the investment team of AFP Habitat in Chile. Pilar also worked during the 2022 summer at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. She holds degrees in Economics and Business Administration from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (2014) and an MBA from The Wharton School (2023).