USHCC Congratulates Felipe Bayon for Appointment at Ecopetrol

WASHINGTON, DC, Dec. 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After more than 20 years at BP, Felipe Bayon, Senior Vice President of BP America and Head of Global Deepwater Response, has been named new Executive Vice President of Ecopetrol.

Ecopetrol is among the top four oil and gas companies in Latin America and among the top 50 companies in the world. Not only is it the largest company in Colombia (generating over 60 percent of the national production), Ecopetrol has exploration and production activities in Brazil, Peru, and the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

"We are thrilled to congratulate Felipe Bayon for his recent appointment to Ecopetrol, the largest company in Colombia and one of the most notable oil companies in the world," said USHCC President & CEO Javier Palomarez. "Felipe's exceptional wisdom, formidable talents, and years of dedicated experience have been crucial to BP America. We have no doubt that he will apply the same visionary leadership to his new endeavors at Ecopetrol. As always, the USHCC looks forward to continuing to serve America's Hispanic businesses alongside Felipe. "

"The USHCC is delighted to recognize Felipe for his new role as Executive Vice President of Ecopetrol," said USHCC Chairman Raymond Arroyo. "Year after year, Felipe has demonstrated true commitment to America's small business community. He is a truly accomplished leader and we are confident he will make an immediate positive impact on Ecopetrol."

As Senior Vice President of BP America and Head of Global Deepwater Response, Bayon has engaged with key internal and external stakeholders as well as led the company's efforts to share the lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon accident. BP America is the nation's largest energy investor and one of the country's top producers of oil and natural gas.

Prior to this role, Bayon was BP's Regional President for the Southern Cone and CEO of Pan American Energy (PAE), where he led the company's oil and gas exploration and production operations in Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay and Chile. Before that, Bayon worked in London as Head of BP's Exploration and Production Executive Office and Chief to BP's Upstream CEO. He started his career with BP in 1995 as a project engineer in Colombia.

About the USHCC

Founded in 1979, the USHCC actively promotes the economic growth and development of our nation's entrepreneurs. The USHCC advocates on behalf of nearly 4.1 million Hispanic-owned businesses, that together contribute in excess of $661 billion to the American economy, each year. As the leading organization of its kind, the USHCC serves as an umbrella to more than 200 local chambers and business associations across the nation, and partners with more than 250 major corporations.

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         Director, Executive Communications
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