Most investors eyeing opportunities in developing economies focus first on infrastructure: factories, logistics networks, production facilities. Alejandro Betancourt López takes a different approach. Before breaking ground on any major operation, he prioritizes something less tangible but arguably more consequential—training programs and educational infrastructure designed to cultivate local talent.
This philosophy stems from decades of operating across multiple continents and industries. As the founder of O’Hara Administration, an international investment group with holdings spanning energy, finance, technology, and consumer retail, Betancourt López has observed what happens when capital enters a community without corresponding investment in human development. The results, he argues, are often disappointing for both investors and local populations.
“Once you make an investment in an emerging market and you see you need talent, you create a pool for—or try to form a pool of talent by creating an environment, building formation centers and all of that,” Betancourt López explained in a recent interview. “So it goes hand in hand, it comes natural.”
His approach reflects a broader conviction that sustainable business growth depends on developing local capacity rather than importing expertise. Rather than shipping in experienced workers from other regions, Betancourt López advocates building training infrastructure that allows communities to staff operations themselves. His investments have funded educational facilities, including construction of a new wing for the Carmen Salles School in Ciudad Bolívar and support for initiatives at the Universidad Simón Bolívar.
People Over Ideas: The Talent Pipeline Philosophy
Alejandro Betancourt López has built a reputation as someone willing to invest across unfamiliar sectors—from oil and gas to fashion eyewear to ride-sharing services. What explains his willingness to enter industries where he lacks deep expertise? His answer centers on human capital rather than market analysis.
“My first point of focus when choosing an investment is people,” he has said. “There are 10,000 good ideas out there. But not all of them come to be a successful venture—because there are many factors that make them successful. The most critical one is the people.”
This people-first mentality shapes how Alejandro Betancourt López structures his presence in developing regions. When his investments enter a new market, education and training programs often precede or accompany the primary business operations. The logic is straightforward: without skilled local workers, even well-capitalized ventures struggle to execute consistently. And without pathways to employment, communities see little lasting benefit from outside investment.
“Social responsibility is not only to build a school or build a hospital, but also to make sure that you have job creations, that all the people in that community have something to do and have an income, have something to go to and to wake up for every day,” Betancourt López noted. “Because you build a hospital and you cure people from disease, but if you don’t build a community that has the right amount of job creation that makes it sustainable, then that society or that community suffers.”
Witnessing Transformation Firsthand
Alejandro Betancourt López speaks about these community transformations with notable specificity. His experiences operating large-scale enterprises have provided direct exposure to how wealth generation—when channeled properly—can reshape entire regions.
“We’re investing in an emerging market right now, highly, and you can see how the economy around the community is incredibly revitalized and coming alive,” he observed. “It’s flourishing. It was very let go, and it’s not only by the job creation, but by the whole mood and the mentality of the community changes. And around that you build the formation centers, the schools, and you see the change. It’s very motivating.”
His earlier work in the energy sector offered similar lessons. Operations employed thousands directly while generating economic activity that rippled outward through local communities. Schools were constructed, families saw their economic circumstances improve dramatically, and social infrastructure expanded alongside industrial development.
“I saw it firsthand when we were very active—schools were being built, a lot of jobs, people were thriving,” Betancourt López recalled. “Families, their life, their social life, their economic life, everything was triple what it used to be, with the wealth being injected into the community.”
These observations have hardened into conviction. For Alejandro Betancourt López, talent formation centers aren’t philanthropic afterthoughts or public relations exercises. They function as essential infrastructure—as necessary as power lines or transportation networks—for any operation hoping to achieve long-term success in emerging markets.
Structuring Social Responsibility
Whether corporate social responsibility should be formalized within organizations—with dedicated departments and budgets—draws a nuanced response from Alejandro Betancourt López. He sees value in both structured programs and organic development that emerges naturally from business operations.
“I think social responsibility is something that should be structured as a department. I do believe it comes natural also,” he explained. “Once you make an investment in an emerging market and you see you need talent and you create a pool for—or try to form a pool of talent by creating an environment, building formation centers and all of that—so it goes hand in hand.”
At Hawkers, the Spanish eyewear company where Betancourt López serves as president and largest shareholder, social initiatives have focused on providing access to eyewear for underserved populations. The company has developed programs targeting communities with limited access to vision care—a cause that connects directly to its core business while addressing genuine need.
Auro Travel, the Spanish ride-sharing service where Alejandro Betancourt López holds a founding stake, has committed to transitioning its entire fleet to electric vehicles by 2026. The environmental initiative matches both regulatory trends and consumer preferences while demonstrating how operational decisions can carry social implications.
Building Before Extracting
What distinguishes the approach of Alejandro Betancourt López from conventional investment models is the sequencing. Traditional investors often view community programs as downstream activities—things to consider after profitability has been established. His framework inverts this logic, treating talent development as upstream infrastructure that enables sustainable returns.
“When you develop those resources, you see how dramatically it changes for them,” he said of communities where his investments have operated. The observation carries both humanitarian and pragmatic weight. Communities that benefit from investment become partners in its success rather than passive recipients of economic activity.
For entrepreneurs considering emerging market opportunities, the talent formation model offers a potential template. Alejandro Betancourt López suggests that building educational infrastructure before extraction operations creates alignment between investor interests and community welfare—a foundation that proves difficult to establish after the fact.
“It’s very motivating,” he said of watching communities transform. “Very, very motivating.”
Related: How Alejandro Betancourt López steered hawkers through Spain’s economic crisis
