Dr. Juan Ernesto de Bedout retired as the Group President of the Latin American Operations of Kimberly-Clark Corporation in December 2011. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of VF Corporation. He helped launch the Colombia-Purdue Institute, promoting mutually beneficial initiatives aligned with Colombia's strategic priorities and Purdue's strengths. He earned his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in industrial engineering from Purdue and more recently received an honorary doctorate in engineering from his alma mater.