Alberto Vollmer is the Chairman and CEO of Ron Santa Teresa, which, founded in 1796, produces Venezuela’s oldest rum brand. In 2003, he became founder of Project Alcatraz, a rehabilitation program for criminal gangs in the County of Revenga in the state of Aragua, which has succeeded in dismantling 11 notorious gangs, dramatically reducing the homicide rate and the incidence of violent crime. The Project also carries out a program in 37 prisons around Venezuela that uses rugby as a platform to instill values in the inmates, preparing them for life beyond the walls and becoming a positive influence in their communities. Project Alcatraz has become a benchmark for similar initiatives in Argentina, Spain, Colombia, and El Salvador. In 2005, the World Bank awarded it for Social Transformation, and in 2009, it won the Beyond Sport Global Award for Social Inclusion.
Mr. Vollmer was recruited as a member of the Police Reform Commission in Venezuela in 2006-2007 and has also played a role in various negotiations, enabling the promotion of the country's exports and a more open economy. He has also played a role in the process of rebuilding the relationship between Venezuela and the international community.
In his business career, Mr. Vollmer has led production, exports, institutional relations, community impact, and sustainability. He has led the financial turnaround of the business while in distress, transformed the organization to focus on talent and brand differentiation, and stewarded the organization through hyperinflation, and political and economic turmoil. Thanks to a 2016 deal struck by Mr. Vollmer and his team creating a global distribution alliance with Bacardi, products manufactured at the Hacienda Santa Teresa can be found in over 90 countries.
Since May 2017, he has chaired CONAPRI, a privately steered national investment promotion agency. whose board is composed of the most prominent international corporations and leading national business organizations in Venezuela. Mr. Vollmer has been an Honorary Consul for South Korea in Venezuela since 2017, and he sits on the boards of the Institute of the Americas and Domegas, among others. He is also a fellow at Ashoka, a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, a member of the Inter-American Dialogue, and a member of Young Presidents Organization. In 2013, he was awarded Best of the Best worldwide for risk taking.
Mr. Vollmer is a Civil Engineer and has received executive training at the Harvard Kennedy School, the Chicago Booth School of Business, IMD, the Kellogg School of Management, IESA, and the THNK School for Creative Design.
