FELIPE BAYÓN

Making the impossible, possible: How to challenge ourselves to become better leaders?

In this Keynote Felipe Bayon shares his insights on how to advance in the search of what motivates us, brings us closer to our life purpose and enhance our resilience, making us better leaders. His experience has led him to believe that we all have the potential to become leaders and that it has nothing to do with positions or job titles.

For Bayon, the key to being a good leader starts by defining one's own leadership style, having a calling for service, understanding that the ego is not a good advisor, recognizing that one is not infallible and that we all make mistakes. Nowadays, with an increasingly dizzying world, with rapid and profound changes, and greater uncertainty, the leader must face many unforeseen situations or crises. These situations have the potential to make us more resilient; for him, when things get difficult it is key to remember that the solutions start with ourselves and that we all can make the impossible, possible.

Based on his experience, he shares the four pillars to grow professionally and personally:

1. Look into the mirror: It is important to observe ourselves before looking at or judging others and to be able to identify each one´s strengths and weaknesses.
2. Take control: It is key to empower yourself and take control of life with self-determination to develop your own tools and capabilities.
3. Build your networks: In real life, with people.
4. Learn to give back: Americans say “give back” to refer to the importance of doing good for the community.

How to achieve a responsible and sustainable energy transition? 

In this keynote Felipe Bayon, who was President and CEO of Ecopetrol between 2017 and 2023, shares his insights on how to achieve a successful energy transition. 

Based on the analysis of global and local energy trends, complemented with his experience and the challenges that he faced at Ecopetrol, Bayon analyzes the main challenges of the energy transition and the role that potential stakeholders play in carrying out this process successfully. He also analyzes the opportunities, including the competitive advantages that Colombia has to position itself as a leader in the energy transition in Latin America. 

Based on his experience as president of Ecopetrol, Bayon addresses topics such as: 

• Life first: taking care of ourselves, others, and the environment.
• Making the impossible, possible by anticipating creating innovative solutions using technology.
• The importance of seeking exceptional and sustainable operational results.
• Lead taking into consideration diversity and inclusion. 
• How to build strength from collaboration? 
• The importance of giving back to all stakeholders.

Making the impossible, possible

Transforming Ecopetrol from an Oil & Gas company, to a diversified energy company, leader in Latin America.

In this keynote, Felipe Bayon shares the main insights and lessons of the profound transformation process that he led at Ecopetrol, which allowed the Group from being an integrated oil and gas company to being a diversified energy company, and a leader in energy transition at regional level.

Ecopetrol’s transformation achieved amongst others: 

• Develop a culture of safety, ethics, teamwork, efficiency, and performance in a team of +18,000 employees. 
• Design and implement the 2040 strategy, Energy that Transforms. 
• Achieve the lowest accident rate in the company's history by 2022, positioning Ecopetrol as one of the safest companies in the industry globally.
• Achieve record financial results in 2022, after overcoming two crises in less than a decade.
• Successfully manage the crisis caused by the pandemic in 2020, guarantying the supply of fuel in Colombia and allowing Ecopetrol to be one of the few companies to register positive net profit for that year.
• Internationalize operations to the Permian basin (one of the most prolific in the world) for the exploration and production of Unconventionals, with great operating and environmental results.
• Design and develop the Gas and LPG Strategy based on the 4 pillars of energy transition: (i) growth (ii) diversification (iii) competitiveness and resilience and (iv) Sustainability and transition. 
• Implement the path of continuous improvement in the quality of fuels in Colombia.
• Lead the Ecopetrol Group's transition into renewable energy, hydrogen, natural climate solutions, and carbon capture, use, and storage.
• Strengthen the corporate governance model, positioning Ecopetrol as a benchmark for high standards in this area in the country and in Latin America.
• Structure and successfully conclude the acquisition of 51.4% of ISA, one of the most important transactions in the region in the last decade.

Bayon is a staunch promoter of using technology as a central catalyst for sustainability, empowering and developing teams, and in each conference invites us to reflect on the role of leadership in each one of us.