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Jacobo Velásquez Botero

Benefits Commercial Assistant Manager | Bogotá

  • Job Title: Benefits Commercial Assistant Manager
  • Department: Mercer Marsh Benefits
  • Office Location: Bogotá, Colombia
  • Joined Marsh: January 2021
  • Hometown: Armenia, Colombia
  • Education: Externado de Colombia University, Bachelor in Finance and International Affairs
  • Personal Interests and Hobbies: Gym, cooking, reading spirituality books


Meet Jacobo

As a broker and commercial assistant manager, I advise our clients and prospects on the benefits plan designs they offer their employees, which vary by industry and client. Every day is different. I constantly collaborate with colleagues to help provide tailored solutions for our clients. At our company, everyone’s point of view is valued, and seeking out others' opinions and experiences strengthens our work.

How does your work support our company in being the Risk Advisor of the Future?

I help deliver the most innovative and efficient insurance solutions to our clients by keeping myself updated on benefits market tendencies and new products. I do this through ongoing conversations with colleagues in the industry, being active on LinkedIn, analyzing benchmarks, and participating in conferences. Discussions with our company’s internal subject matter experts and clients push me to learn and stay current. The booster is being interested in the subject.

Tell us something important about your family or background that helped form the person and colleague you are today.

My parents, especially my mother, worked hard to give me the best education. For example, I went to a bilingual school and university. My family always made it clear what our priorities were, and that resilience and hard work pay off. Therefore, giving up was never an option in my life, which has made me strong and given me a sense of being unstoppable.

How has the company supported your professional and personal growth?

It’s the possibilities the company gives us to work on projects aside from our jobs. For example, I created the Pride colleague resource group for Colombia because it didn’t exist. We now have 12 members, our Colombia chapter was approved for a budget, and we continue growing.

What’s the best career advice you’ve received?

When I first joined the company, I participated in the Young Talent program, an incredible year-long program for colleagues under the age of thirty. I learned so much from senior leaders across the business. The best career advice I received is that growth isn’t always vertical –sometimes it’s horizontal or diagonal, and that’s totally OK. This means exploring different areas of one’s organization or alternatives in one’s life can help you find the gift that you didn’t know you carried.

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