José Manuel Restrepo is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. He is president of Universidad EIA in Medellín, Colombia, and served as Colombia’s minister of finance and public credit from May 2021 to August 2022. Before that, he was minister of trade, industry, and tourism from August 2018 to May 2021. He was previously president of Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá from 2014 to 2018.

Earlier in his career, Restrepo served as president of the Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administración in Bogotá from 2009 to 2014 and as provost of Universidad del Rosario from 2003 to 2009. His career in higher education has established him as a leading voice on education management and policymaking. Alongside his leadership roles, he has conducted research and consulting on issues such as access and quality in higher education, research and innovation systems, corporate governance, and pedagogical innovation.

His contributions have been recognized by both the public and private sectors. In 2017, the Congress of Colombia awarded him the Grand Officer of the National Order of Merit for his role in advancing the country’s socioeconomic development. He was also named one of Colombia’s outstanding young executives by the International Junior Chamber–Colombia (2003) and one of six winners of the CEO of the Future survey organized by Revista Dinero, Korn Ferry International, and Universidad de los Andes. Restrepo holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a graduate diploma in finance from Universidad del Rosario, a Master of Science in economics from the London School of Economics, and a Doctor of Business Administration in higher education management from the University of Bath.