Executive Director, Breathe Cities
Colombia
Jaime Pumarejo is the Executive Director of Breathe Cities, and previously served as the mayor of Barranquilla, Colombia from 2020 to 2023. An Information Systems Administrator from Purdue University with an MBA from Madrid Business Institute, Pumarejo's career includes experience in the United States and Singapore through the Young Executives Leadership Development program of the multinational Ingersoll Rand.
As mayor of Barranquilla, Jaime Pumarejo launched Barranquilla on a path to become Colombia’s first “BiodiverCity,” spearheading green and blue infrastructure projects that aim to connect citizens with nature in an urban context. He is one of the founding members of Latin America’s BiodiverCities network, with over 100 cities advocating for the protection of biodiversity in urban areas. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Commission on Nature-Positive Cities, as well as the newly created Global Commission for Urban SDG Finance established by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
Throughout his career in the public sector, he has held key positions as Counselor for Competitiveness and City Manager in his hometown of Barranquilla. He has served as Secretary of Economic Development of the Government of Atlántico and Minister of Housing in Colombia’s National Government.