José Manuel Restrepo Abondano is the current Vice President of the Republic of Colombia (2026–2030). An economist, academic, and public servant, he has more than three decades of experience in the public, private, and higher education sectors.
He holds a degree in Economics with a specialization in Finance from Universidad del Rosario, a Master’s degree in Economics from the London School of Economics, an Advanced Management Program certificate from INALDE Business School, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Bath, United Kingdom.
His career has been marked by academic leadership. He has served as rector of Universidad del Rosario, the Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administración (CESA), the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce’s Fundación Universitaria, Uniempresarial, and Universidad EIA. With these four appointments, he became one of the few Colombians to have led four institutions of higher education, building a career devoted to talent development, research, and the strengthening of education as a driver of the country’s development.
In public service, he served as Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism between 2018 and 2021.
He later served as Minister of Finance and Public Credit. In that role, he led the country’s economic recovery following the pandemic, drove measures to strengthen public finances, promoted reforms aimed at economic growth and entrepreneurship, and contributed to Colombia’s macroeconomic stability. His leadership was recognized internationally in 2021, when Latin Finance magazine named him Latin America’s Best Finance Minister.
In 2026, he was chosen by Abelardo De La Espriella as his vice-presidential running mate and was elected Vice President of the Republic with 12.9 million votes. From the Vice Presidency, he has been entrusted by President De La Espriella with coordinating the Government’s economic growth agenda and driving the engines needed to raise investment, productivity, and competitiveness. His work is focused on five strategic fronts: a Colombia free of red tape, talent for the jobs of the future, energy to grow, more investment, businesses and opportunities, and mobilizing capital in service of the country’s development.
Throughout his career, he has served on the boards and councils of public and private institutions, including Banco de la República (Colombia’s central bank), the Inter-American Development Bank, FOGAFIN, ICETEX, Celsia, Hospital Méderi, RTVC, and Colsubsidio.
He is married to Tatiana Céspedes and is the father of Julián, Alejandro, and María.
