Colombia Business Lobby Chief Quits After Nearly 13 Years, Citing Pressure
COLOMBIA · BUSINESS
Key Facts
- —The country Colombia, with about 53 million people, is one of Latin America’s largest economies. Its business associations negotiate directly with the government over taxes, health and the budget.
- —The background ANDI, the National Business Association of Colombia, is the country’s main industry lobby and is 82 years old. Bruce Mac Master had led it since 2013, and its board reconfirmed him in September.
- —Why now Weeks of conflict with the new government of President Abelardo de la Espriella. Semana reported that the presidency would receive neither him nor anyone from ANDI while he stayed.
- —What happened On Thursday, 1 October 2026, Mac Master resigned in a letter to ANDI’s board, saying “multiple pressures” had hurt its ability to act freely.
- —Who is who Mac Master is an economist and former deputy finance minister. Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara called the resignation “an autonomous decision within ANDI”.
- —What it means for you Firms dealing with Colombia’s government should expect access to depend more on political relations. No tax, trade or investment rule has changed.
- —Still open Who will lead ANDI, and whether ministers reopen their doors to the association once he has gone.
Bruce Mac Master, head of the National Business Association of Colombia (ANDI), resigned on Thursday, 1 October 2026. In a letter to the association’s board, he said “multiple pressures” had hurt its ability to act freely.
His exit ends a standoff of several weeks with the government of President Abelardo de la Espriella. He had led ANDI, the country’s main industry lobby, since 2013.
What he wrote
Mac Master said the decision was not easy, because he had planned to work with the government on the country’s challenges. Unexpected circumstances in recent weeks, he wrote, had changed that.
“Multiple pressures have affected its capacity to act freely and fulfil its functions with autonomy,” he wrote of ANDI. Semana published the full text of the letter, which La República also summarised.
He said the board, its executive committee and he himself had tried everything to keep dialogue with the government open.
“All those attempts were fruitless,” he added, according to Semana. “We tried and did not succeed.”
He said he hoped his departure would help “recover the joint work between the national government and the business community”. He also called checks and balances essential to the limits “that protect democracy”, Infobae reported.
How the standoff built up
In early September, ANDI’s new board reconfirmed Mac Master as president until the end of 2027, Infobae reported. On 21 September came a reported order keeping ministers away from him.
According to Semana, the presidency had said it would receive neither Mac Master nor anyone from ANDI while he held the post. The magazine reported that this instruction was passed to all ministers.
Members began to move. Last week the sugar mills Incauca and Providencia and the firm Sucroal left ANDI, Semana reported.
Coca-Cola FEMSA, a major bottler, left ANDI’s beverage chamber and said it was considering leaving the association entirely. Six days before resigning, Mac Master still defended staying, writing that “ANDI is much more than its president”.
The government’s answer
“It is an autonomous decision within ANDI; I really have nothing to comment,” Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara said. He spoke to reporters outside Congress, Infobae reported.
Lara added that business associations are “spaces for dialogue” between companies and the government. “The more that communication flows and the easier it is, the better for both sides,” he said.
The Rio Times found no published written order on meetings with ANDI. The account of the veto rests on press reports, chiefly in Semana.
Who Mac Master is
Mac Master is an economist who served as deputy finance minister in 2010 and 2011. He was acting mayor of Cartagena in 2012 and ran the Department for Social Prosperity, the government agency for social programmes.
In the private sector he was finance director at Propilco, Aceitales and Siderúrgica del Caribe, La República reported. He has written two books on Colombia and Latin America.
What comes next
ANDI’s board must now choose a new president; reports on 1 October named no successor. The first test is whether ministers resume meetings with the association.
The resignation does not change any law, tax or trade rule. Nor does it mean business has broken with the government, since Mac Master framed his exit as a way to restore cooperation.
What it does show is how far the new government is willing to press an organised critic. Other business groups will watch how ANDI’s next leader is received.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ANDI?
ANDI, the National Business Association of Colombia, is the country’s main industry lobby, founded 82 years ago. It represents large companies in talks with the government on taxes, the budget and regulation.
Why did Bruce Mac Master resign?
In his letter he said “multiple pressures” had hurt ANDI’s ability to act freely, and that attempts to restore dialogue with the government had failed. Semana reported that the presidency had refused to receive him or anyone from ANDI while he stayed.
What did the government say?
Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara called it “an autonomous decision within ANDI” and said he had nothing to comment. He added that business associations are spaces for dialogue with the government.
Does this change anything for investors in Colombia?
No rule or tax has changed. The episode is a signal about how President Abelardo de la Espriella’s government deals with critics, not a change in policy.
Sources: La República, 1 October 2026, Semana, resignation letter, 1 October 2026, Semana, the standoff, 1 October 2026, Infobae, government reaction, 1 October 2026. All retrieved 2 October 2026.
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