Carlos Ardila Lülle

Carlos Ardila Lülle was born in Bucaramanga on July 4, 1931. He studied Civl Engineering at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. He is married to Beatriz Gaviria (daughter of José Gaviria, one of the owners of the company Gaseosas Lux, company in which Ardila bagan his career) with whom he has four children: Carlos Julio –who has inherited the liability in the media–, Antonio José (married to Luz Ángela Sarmiento, daughter of Luis Carlos Sarmiento), María Emma and María Eugenia.

Ardila Lülle is one of the most important and powerful businessmen in the country. In the Forbes list, he ranks third among Colombia’s wealthiest entrepreneurs and ranks among the world’s 1.000 richest (with the position no. 949). According to the American magazine, his fortune amounts to 1.69 billion dollars.

Through the Organización Ardila Lülle (OAL) Carlos Ardila Lülle owns more than fifty companies in the agribusiness, industrial, communications and entertainment, finance and insurances, real estate and automotive sectors. Among its companies are the largest sugar refinery of the country (Incauca SA) and one of the most important non-alcoholic beverages companies in Colombia (Postobon S.A).

In the media sector, Ardila Lülle owns the largest Radio Network of the country (according to number of owned, affiliated and leased stations): the RCN Radio Network and the second television channel with the largest audience: Canal RCN.

OAL also participates in communication projects of international scope like Mundo Max (formerly Mundo Fox) and NTN 24, which have presence in the United States and Latin America.

Lülle has ownership of his companies through CARBE SA (parent company of the OAL organization) and six investment companies in which he and his family members are –directly or indirectly– the main shareholders.

Media Companies / Groups

18.2%

Organización Ardila Lülle S.A.

Media Outlets

Facts

Business

Beverages

Postobón S.A

Productora de Jugos S.A.S

Projugos

Gaseosas Caribe SAS

Gaseosas Colombianas S.A

Gaseosas de Córdoba S.A

Gaseosas de la Sabana S.A

Gaseosas Hipinto SAS

Gaseosas Lux S.A

Gaseosas Posada Tobón S.A

Iberplast

Central Cervecera de Colombia S.A.S. (CCC)

Agribusiness

Incauca S.A

Providencia Cosecha y Servicios Agrícolas S.A

Incauca Servicios Agrícolas y Cosecha SA

Ingenio Providencia S.A

Ingenio Presidente Benito Juarez S.A de C.V

Automotive

Distribuidora los Autos de Colombia S.A.S

Distribuidora Los Coches de la Sabana

Los Coches CJDR S.A.S

Others

ARESS Corredor de seguros S.A

Atlético Nacional S.A

Besmit S.A

CARBE S.A

Cinepolis S.A

Cipreses de Colombia S.A

Empresa de Distribuciones Industriales S A – Edinsa

Heraga S.A

Inversiones Gamesa

Lajagua S.A

Núcleos e inversiones foréstales de Colombia

Producciones Vista

Proma S.A

Servicio Radial Integrado S.A.S

Servinsa OAL S.A

Sotará; Sucroal S.A

TM Codemaco SAS.

Media

Digital Estéreo

Empresa

Colombiana de Radio S.A.S

Horizonte Emisora Colombiana S.A.S

Promotora Radial Colombiana S.A

NTN24 S.A.S

Radio Cadena Nacional S.A

RCN Televisión S.A

RCN USA Inc

Servicio Radio Integrado S.A.S

Family & Friends

Affiliated Interests Family Members Friends

Carlos Julio Ardila Gaviria

Son. Born in Medellín. He is the oldest son of Carlos Ardila Lülle and María Eugenia Gaviria. His siblings are: Carlos José, Maria Emma, Maria Eugenia. He is married to Patricia Escallon Lloreda, with whom he has three children: Juan Carlos Ardila Escallon, Felipe Ardila Escallon and Mauricio Ardila Escallon.
He is a Business Administrator from the Georgetown University. Specialist in Economics at the University of Miami. He was ambassador in Spain between 1998 and 2001. In the presidential term of Andrés Pastrana, of whom he is also a close friend. His appointment as ambassador is said to have responded not only to the existing friendship, but to a retribution for the collaboration offered by the Organización Ardila Lülle to the presidential campaign.
In 2001, as part of a tense relationship between the government and the Canal RCN, Ardila Gaviria resigned as ambassador. Although it is not known with certainty what motivated this resignation, it is known that the relations were affected by a request of the government to suspend the transmission of the La Noche program after some interviews made by Claudia Gurisatti to Carlos Castaño, the head of the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia AUC. The government questioned the Canal’s handling of information to the negotiation process in San Vicente del Caguán, and considered that the program jeopardized the negotiation itself. However, after evaluating the request sent by the presidency, RCN did not suspend the transmission and the program was aired. It is worth mentioning that Ardila Gaviria is close to the journalist Claudia Gurisatti, whom he recently appointed news director of Canal RCN.
As for his political tendency, it is highlighted the support he offered to the the campaigns to the mayor of Cartagena of Campo Elías Terán and Dionisio Vélez. Since an early age Carlos Julio has been linked to his father’s business, working in different consultive and administrative positions in the companies. Currently he is a member of the Board of Directors of several companies of the Organización Ardila Lülle, namely: Carbe S.A (parent company of the organization), RCN Televisión S.A, Radio Cadena Nacional S.A. Carlos Julio -like his mother and siblings- has shares in the different investment companies through which OAL controls its companies.