María Consuelo Araújo
María Consuelo Araújo | |
|---|---|
 María Consuelo Araújo in 2006 | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 7 August 2006 – 19 February 2007 | |
| President | Álvaro Uribe Vélez |
| Preceded by | Carolina Barco Isakson |
| Succeeded by | Fernando Araújo Perdomo |
| Minister of Culture | |
| In office 7 August 2002 – 25 January 2006 | |
| President | Álvaro Uribe Vélez |
| Preceded by | Aracely Morales López |
| Succeeded by | Elvira Cuervo Uribe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | María Consuelo Araújo Castro 27 October 1971 Valledupar, Cesar, Colombia |
| Spouse | Ricardo Mazalán |
| Relations |
|
| Children | Susana Mazalán Araújo |
| Alma mater | Universidad Externado de Colombia, University of Milan |
| Profession | Economist, diplomat |
María Consuelo "Conchi" Araújo Castro (Valledupar, October 27, 1971) is a Colombian politician. She was Minister of Culture from 2002 to 2006, and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006 to 2007 in the government of Álvaro Uribe Vélez.[1] Later, during the second Mayor's Office of Enrique Peñalosa, she was Secretary of Social Integration of Bogotá and manager of TransMilenio. She is currently the CEO of Gran Colombia Gold Corp.[2] and part of the Mañanas Blu team with Néstor Morales.
Biography
Personal life
Araújo comes from a family closely linked to politics. Her father, Álvaro Araújo Noguera, was part of the government of Alfonso López Michelsen, her aunt Consuelo Araújo Noguera was Minister of Culture of Andrés Pastrana and her brother, Álvaro Araújo Castro, was a senator and leader of the ALAS-Team Colombia.
She studied Finance and International Relations at the Externado University of Colombia and is a specialist in Government, Management and Public Affairs from the same institution. She was director of the José Celestino Mutis Botanical Garden during the administration of Enrique Peñalosa as Mayor of Bogotá (1998–2000) and of the city's District Institute of Recreation and Sports, under the government of Antanas Mockus (2001–2003).
After resigning from her position as chancellor she went on to serve as postgraduate director of the Faculty of Finance, Government and International Relations of the Externado University of Colombia.
She is married to the Argentine photographer Ricardo Mazalán and has a daughter, Susana, in 2002.
Ministerial positions
During the first term of President Álvaro Uribe Vélez (2002 - 2006), Araújo served as Minister of Culture. In 2006, after a diplomatic crisis caused by former presidents Ernesto Samper and Andrés Pastrana, Araújo, who had been designated as a future ambassador to Mexico, was appointed chancellor, replacing Carolina Barco, who went on to replace Andrés Pastrana in the United States embassy. position he held since August 7 of the same year.
On 19 February 2007, she resigned from her ministerial portfolio[3] following the arrest of her brother, Senator Álvaro Araújo Castro, investigated and charged with giving support to paramilitary groups active in the country's ongoing internal conflict. Her father was under investigation for the same crimes.[4]
She recommended Fernando Araújo Perdomo (no relation) and he was appointed as new minister by the president.
Post resignation
She has been the CEO of Gran Colombia Gold Corp. since 20 August 2010.[1][2]
Araújo returned to public service during the second administration of Enrique Peñalosa. In 2016, she was appointed Secretary of Social Integration of Bogotá, overseeing the city's social welfare, child protection, elderly care, homelessness, disability, and poverty-reduction programs.[5]
In February 2018, Peñalosa appointed her General Manager of TransMilenio, Bogotá's mass transit authority. [6][7]
In December 2025, the National Board of the Colombian Chamber of Infrastructure unanimously elected Araújo as its next Executive President. She formally assumed office on 25 February 2026, succeeding Juan Martín Caicedo Ferrer after more than two decades in the role. [8]
References
- 1 2 "Maria Consuelo Araujo | AS/COA". www.as-coa.org. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- 1 2 "Maria Consuelo Araujo: Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Colombian foreign minister quits". BBC News. 19 February 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2007.
- ↑ Muse, Toby (16 February 2007). "Colombia Won't Resign Despite Scandal". ABC News. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ↑ "Jorge Castellanos Rueda Named New President of ETB, Bogotá's Telecommunications Company". Finance Colombia. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ Radio, Caracol (5 February 2018). "María Consuelo Araujo nueva gerente de Transmilenio". Caracol Radio (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ Comunicaciones (5 February 2018). "María Consuelo Araújo se despide de la Secretaría Social con un balance satisfactorio". www.integracionsocial.gov.co (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 July 2026.
- ↑ "Junta Nacional nombra a María Consuelo Araújo Castro como nueva presidenta Ejecutiva de la CCI | CCI - Cámara Colombiana de la Infraestructura". infraestructura.org.co. Retrieved 30 July 2026.
External links
- 1971 births
- Living people
- People from Valledupar
- Araújo family
- Ministers of foreign affairs of Colombia
- Ministers of culture of Colombia
- Women government ministers of Colombia
- Female foreign ministers
- 21st-century Colombian women politicians
- 21st-century Colombian politicians
- Colombian women diplomats
- Colombian politician stubs