About Guadua
Grounded in Colombia. Committed to what matters.
We help organizations across Colombia face their responsibilities with clarity, without alarm and without the pressure to change everything at once.
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How Guadua came to be
Guadua was founded in Bogotá in 2019 by a small group of advisors who had spent years watching well-intentioned organizations struggle with sustainability efforts that felt either too vague or too large to act on. The name comes from the native bamboo that grows across Colombia — a plant that bends without breaking and provides structure from the inside out.
The founders shared a simple belief: that responsible business does not require dramatic transformation. It begins with an honest look at where things stand, followed by small, considered steps. That principle has shaped every engagement since the firm opened its doors.
Today, Guadua works with companies across sectors — from family-owned manufacturers in Cundinamarca to service firms in Bogotá's commercial neighborhoods. What they have in common is a genuine interest in doing things a little better, and the patience to build something lasting.
Our Mission
What guides our work
Honesty over performance
We do not help organizations present a better image. We help them understand what they are genuinely doing and where the real room for improvement lies.
Pace that fits reality
Sustainability efforts that outrun a company's actual capacity tend to stall and leave people discouraged. We plan around what is realistic.
Clear written outputs
Everything we discuss finds its way into plain language documents that your team can use without needing us in the room.
Our People
The advisors behind Guadua
A small, experienced group who believe that good advisory work requires listening more than speaking.
Mariana Castellanos
Founding Partner
Fifteen years advising Colombian firms on environmental compliance and stakeholder engagement. Leads the Sustainability Study practice.
Jorge Rincón
ESG Advisor
Specializes in governance frameworks and social impact measurement for mid-sized organizations in Bogotá and the surrounding regions.
Lucía Pedraza
Advisory Associate
Supports companies in their first steps toward responsible practice, with a background in environmental management and business communication.
How We Work
Our standards in practice
These are not aspirational values on a wall — they describe how each engagement is actually conducted.
Confidentiality
Everything shared during an engagement remains private. We do not reference client names or situations without explicit written permission.
Written delivery
All findings, plans, and recommendations are delivered in writing and reviewed with the client before being considered final.
Team involvement
Where appropriate, sessions include multiple members of the client's team so that understanding is shared, not concentrated in one person.
Respecting your time
Sessions are scheduled at intervals that suit the client's calendar. We do not create unnecessary urgency around meeting timelines.
Continued learning
Our team stays current with Colombian regulatory developments, international ESG standards, and sector-specific guidance relevant to our clients.
No pressure approach
We offer what seems most useful for each client's situation and leave the decision entirely to them. Our work does not depend on upselling.
Our Expertise
Business consulting with an environmental and social focus
Guadua operates at the intersection of business consulting and sustainability practice. For organizations in Colombia that are beginning to engage with their environmental, social, and governance responsibilities, the starting point is often not a strategy — it is understanding what information they already have and what gaps need to be addressed first.
Our advisory approach draws on familiarity with the Colombian regulatory environment, including Decree 1166 on environmental management, SFC guidelines for sustainable finance, and voluntary frameworks such as GRI and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We translate these into practical, manageable steps that fit within the real operating conditions of each client.
The organizations that work with us are typically in one of three situations: they are beginning to ask questions about their footprint for the first time; they are already taking steps but want a more structured approach; or they are preparing to document their practices for external stakeholders or reporting purposes. Each of these situations calls for a different kind of support, and Guadua's three services are designed with exactly these stages in mind.
We are based in Bogotá and serve clients across the country, working in Spanish and English. All advisory work is conducted by senior members of the team, without delegation to junior staff for substantive conversations.
Curious about working with us?
A short, informal conversation is usually the best place to begin. We are glad to hear about your organization and share what might be useful.
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