FERNANDA JARAMILLO

Expert on Family Businesses and succession. Partner at LGA (Lansberg Gersick Advisors)


  • Expert in succession, shared family enterprise vision and family entrepreneurship
  • Partner focused primarily on Central and South America
  • Prior to joining LGA, Fernanda led a radical change initiative in a major retail family business
  • Previously, Fernanda worked at a New York-based investment bank, where she provided strategic and financial advice to many family-owned businesses in Latin America
  • Currently serves on two boards of directors in the United States and Colombia as an independent member
  • Has been teaching in family enterprise governance programs at Kellogg (Northwestern University) and EGADE (Monterrey TEC) in Mexico

Fernanda Jaramillo is a Partner focused primarily on Central and South America, and has specialized in supporting families during generational transitions, including the design of corporate and family governance, development of family and shareholder agreements, design of the leadership transition process and design of education plans to prepare the next generation.

Prior to joining LGA, Fernanda led a radical change initiative in a major retail family business, including designing the transition from family management to a professional management team, establishing a formal board of directors with independent members, and prior to her departure, she transitioned leadership to a family member of the next generation.

Previously, Fernanda worked at a New York-based investment bank, where she provided strategic and financial advice to many family-owned businesses in Latin America. Her projects involved strategic planning activities, mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, and negotiation of shareholders agreements, among others. From that stage, she made a hobby of conducting company valuations, which she often does for “friends and family.”

In addition to her consulting work at LGA, Fernanda currently serves on two boards of directors in the United States and Colombia as an independent member. She holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley, and a master’s degree in family advisory from Javeriana University in Cali. She has also been a member of YPO International since 2008.

Fernanda is a frequent speaker about family business topics in conferences around the world and has been teaching in family enterprise governance programs at Kellogg (Northwestern University) and EGADE (Monterrey TEC) in Mexico. 

Fernanda is Colombian and speaks Spanish, English and Portuguese. She is currently based in Cali, Colombia, but has a permanent alternate base in other cities in Latin America and the United States.