No going back

DH: Can you sketch out how you came into the petroleum and then bunkering industries. I know your post-graduate degrees included one in Maritime Transportation and Port Legislation. Was that your first interest in shipping or had you been attracted to the sea before that?

EB: I was born and raised in the city of Barranquilla. I always wanted to study international business, but when I graduated from high school there was no such degree in Barranquilla, so I began studying Business Administration in the United States and returned to finish my career in Colombia.

I started my semester of industry internship in a new company that was just starting called Terpel del Norte S.A. I worked and studied from that moment on many areas of oil and gas, managing service stations, aviation, lubricants and industrial fuels in the operations, marketing and sales fields.

In 2004, after the merger of the company’s multiple corporate names and some reorganisations by business units, I dedicated myself exclusively to selling marine fuels to the maritime sector as I was living in the northern coast of Colombia, an area where the maritime operations were. It was the only region that was selling marine products.

More than twenty have passed, and I have had the opportunity to attend local, regional and international events, where I have been able to strengthen ties with the sector and serve port concessions, tugboats, dredgers and offshore companies, as well as traders and international shipowners.

As I was working in that field, I studied maritime transportation and port logistics. As I also belong to Wista Colombia I had the opportunity to study after the pandemic online to get a Diploma in Maritime Affairs organised by the CEPAL Chile (Economic Commission for Latin America,) in partnership with Wista and the MAMLA Network

DH: You have had a long career with Terpel .What would you say have been the highlights? And what are the main things that you have learn  from working in Colombia’s major oil company?

EB: Well, 40 years and 5 months I worked in Terpel.

I can tell you that when I started at Terpel del Norte S.A., doing my internship for my business administration degree, there were four of us, and I learned how to do everything. The earthworks for the Baranoa supply plant had barely begun.

So, I learned everything about finance, but I leaned toward the marketing and sales side. I was a sales assistant travelling the entire coast by car to open markets service stations, then Marketing and Sales Director, Commercial Assistant Manager, Commercial and Operations Assistant Manager, selling aviation fuels, lubricants, industrial and marine fuels.

I got to know the whole country well through working with Terpel, developing  markets, opening service stations and selling  fuels for over 20 years.

While at Terpel del Norte S.A., I was one of the few women working in the sector. I also had the privilege of attending the first IBIA event in Orlando, Florida, in May 1992, where I began to learn about the fascinating bunker industry. Once you go into bunkers you don’t go back.

I had the opportunity to run for board of directors of IBIA International Bunker industry association with the support of the company, where I was elected since year 2011 and I will be stepping down at the end of this month as my period expires as I ended my second period of my second 6 years term.

I work with passion and discipline. Every day at work was different. It’s a very dynamic market so I learn every day working with transparency, discipline and values that are not negotiable.

DH: Did moving into the bunkering side of Terpel just happen or was it a deliberate choice on your part?

EB: As I was working in the only Terpel company selling marine fuels after 2004 when the seven Terpel companies all over Colombia merged into one becoming, as it is known today,  ORGANIZACION TERPEL, I was put in charge of the marine business.

And I loved dedicating myself only to that. I don’t regret it in the slightest. Working in marine fuels has given me the opportunity to travel the world, mature, experience different cultures and learn from them. This has enriched me not only professionally but also as a person. I also believe that many people have become friends, meaning we’ve developed a relationship that goes beyond just a work relationship.

DH: You have been active in IBIA for a long time, with two periods on the Board. Why do you think IBIA matters?

EB: As I was solely dedicated to the marine business, in 2010 I applied as a candidate for the IBIA board. At that time, there was an initial filter from the BDC, and they didn’t select me. So, the following year I applied again, and that’s how I was on the board from 2011 to 2016, but since I was treasurer, I continued into 2017. Then I had to step down for a year, as the byelaws required,  and reapplied in 2019. My second term expired on March 31st.