Camilo Upegui: With a vision to help marginalised communities

What led you to take the Cambridge MBA?

For the past 9 years, I’ve been working in a vast Latin American utility and infrastructure company, mainly in the sustainability, strategy, and innovation teams, I decided to take my career further and expand my knowledge. I’ve decided to pursue career paths where I can maximize my contribution to the world’s most pressing problems. I am particularly interested in technology and its potential to transform socially constricting realities, and I firmly believe that the scalability of well-conducted businesses is crucial to social progress. 

These notions of ‘business for good’ drove me to pursue the Cambridge MBA, where I intend to expand my professional and academic profile, build a global network of strategic allies, and ultimately acquire the best practices and state-of-the-art tools to become the future leader and impact agent I strive to be.

Describe the biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

One of my most significant achievements was founding and leading an impact investment programme that develops rural electrification and internet market-based solutions for marginalised communities using disruptive clean technologies and business models. This initiative was designed as a shared value program where the company leverages its competitive advantage and distinctive capabilities to develop impactful business models. 

In 2023, we launched our first 2 pilots in Colombia, impacting over 13,500 people and investing our first million USD. Additionally, we leveraged 12.5 million USD to develop a portfolio of microgrids in war zones in Colombia in 2024. We are already planning our incursion into other territories such as Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, and Panamá. 

How do you feel about being awarded your scholarship?

It is a significantly empowering experience. Growing up as a gay man in a predominantly patriarchal environment such as Latin America can be very challenging, both personally and professionally. For many queer folks out there, it can even affect their sense of worth and put a cap on their ambitions and the goals they commit to. This fellowship feels like a reminder of the great things we can achieve as members of the LGBTQ+ community. Hopefully, it can also be a source of inspiration for the many diverse people eager to pursue an MBA programme and excel in the business world, who are struggling with the multiple barriers our community faces. It also feels like a great responsibility to actively drive change in any professional environment I embark on after the fellowship and my MBA programme. 

What do you want to get out of the MBA most of all in the next year?

The Cambridge MBA curates its cohorts looking for much more than talent, experience, and qualifications. So, it is expected that every single member of each class is going to be a top performer in their field. 

But beyond that, I have found that they are also looking to assemble the most diverse cohort possible and to cherry-pick those professionals who have a clear vision of how to build a better future and a better world for all. 

I’m eager to learn from them as much as I can, and to expand my network and include these leaders of the future in my own impact journey. 

Where do you see your MBA journey taking you in your future career?

There are ~700 million people worldwide without access to electricity, and a further 1,18 billion are energy-poor. 2.2 billion are lacking drinkable water, and 2.6 billion are lacking broadband internet service. This data is shocking not only because of the problem’s unacceptable size but also because all these issues could be easily solved with proven technology available today. 

Multidimensional poverty and underdevelopment are long-term structural problems that require long-term career plans. I envisioned a career devoted to improving the living conditions of marginalised communities, so my ambition for the next few years is to increase my influence as a social transformation factor worldwide. Whether as an executive in a corporation, seizing the privileged position that the private sector holds to contribute to societal problems, or as a government official promoting ambitious sustainable policymaking. 

Whether in an impact investment fund, tech industry, or NGO, the ambition does not revolve around the vehicle; it is all about the impact. I will pursue growth within the most ambitious, disruptive, and purpose-driven platforms I find in my way. 

What does Cambridge mean to you?

It’s a dream come true. To be able to be part of Cambridge is, in a way, being part of history. 

Something that few people may know about you…

I’m obsessed with Harry Potter, and I’m actually here for the Hogwarts experience!