Valeria Garcia Lopez is a Strategic Business and Program Consultant with over a decade of international experience across Latin America and Australia. She has worked with small businesses, financial cooperatives, and social organisations, bringing a multicultural perspective and strong ability to operate across different systems, languages, and markets.
Her expertise spans business diagnostics, strategic planning, program design, and project coordination. She combines practical tools (like Lean Startup and Design Thinking) with hands-on execution, turning strategy into clear, actionable frameworks that organisations can implement.
In Colombia, she supported over 150 financial cooperatives through institutional strengthening programs, delivering governance, digital transformation, and performance initiatives. In Australia, she played a key role in building the QWINBIZ entrepreneurship program, achieving high satisfaction rates and supporting hundreds of multicultural entrepreneurs.
Valeria is also deeply involved in community and volunteer work, particularly in multicultural and youth initiatives. She is known for her human-centred approach, strong communication, and ability to make complex ideas accessible while maintaining technical depth.
She holds qualifications in business and public management and is currently advancing her skills in IT, reflecting her continuous focus on growth and delivering greater value.
Education & Credentials
- Advanced Diploma in Information Technology (Ongoing) – CTI Canterbury Technical Institute, Australia
- Graduate Diploma in Public Management – Higher School of Public Administration, Colombia
- Graduate Diploma in Senior Management – National University of Colombia
- Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management – National University of Colombia
- English – Professional Working Proficiency
- Spanish – Native Speaker
- Blue Card and National Police Clearance held
- Strategic Planning, Business Plan Development, Strategic Frameworks and Diagnostic Tools
- Business Model Canvas, Lean Startup, Design Thinking
- Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Trello, Canva, CRM Platforms, Xero
- Program Design, Workshop and Training Delivery, Evaluation Frameworks
A Note from Valeria
I want to address something directly, because I think transparency is important. Eric tells jokes. Frequently, and with great enthusiasm. When I first arrived at SBAAS and did not laugh, I assumed it was a language issue. My English is strong, but perhaps, I thought, I was missing something in the delivery. So I listened more carefully. I paid closer attention to the punchlines. I consulted with Trudi, who confirmed, with the quiet authority of someone who has been dealing with this for a very long time, that there is nothing being lost in translation. The jokes are exactly as they appear to be. Trudi and I are united on this. We are also united on the view that Eric is a wonderful person who is brilliant at his work and who would benefit enormously from some gentle, professional, and confidential support in this one specific area.
The situation has been made considerably more complicated by Johnson, who laughs. Genuinely. This has given Eric confidence. It has made the intervention significantly harder to organise. We are working on it.😄