OUR TEAM
Andrés Ballestas, CIMA®
MANAGING PARTNER
Andrés Ballestas is the founder and managing partner of Ballestas Group. Mr. Ballestas leads a group of highly qualified specialists focused on wealth management and advisory services to high net worth families and "Family Offices" located in Latin America and Europe. Its main objective is to offer alternatives and a differentiated service to those typically offered by private banks in the US and Europe. Since 2002 he has held the designation of Certified Investment Management Consulting Analyst (CIMA) and is a member of the Investment Management Consulting Association (IMCA). In his role as managing partner, Andrés' main focus is risk management in client portfolios.
Prior to founding Ballestas Group, Andrés worked for 29 years at Merrill Lynch as First Vice President of Investments and Private Wealth Advisor, where he advised high net worth families. He was a member of the Charles E. Merrill Circle, a distinction few in the industry achieve.
Andrés graduated from the University of San Diego in Administration and Economics. He has completed several courses in leadership, liability management and administration, and alternative investments at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago.
Felipe Ballestas
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Felipe Ballestas is the Managing Director of Ballestas Group. Felipe joined the team in June 2016. Prior to joining Ballestas Group, Felipe worked at Merrill Lynch for 22 years in the position of Senior Vice President advising high net worth families. He was a member of the Merrill Lynch Circle of Excellence.
During his time at Merrill Lynch, Felipe also worked at Merrill Lynch Bank Suisse and led the Financial Advisory Group team in Miami, helping advisors and clients with fixed income, equity, options and currency trading.
Felipe graduated from the University of Georgia where he received his degree in Engineering.
Robert Ballestas
INVESTMENT ANALYST
Robert Ballestas has been working as an Investment Analyst since joining Ballestas Group in February 2021. Within the group, his primary responsibilities include analyzing potential investments to enhance risk-adjusted returns, executing client trades, rebalancing accounts, and providing market analysis for client discussions.
Robert is fully registered, having completed the Series 7 and 66 exams, and he is currently a candidate for Level 1 of the CFA program. Additionally, he has obtained the Florida 2-15 insurance license, enabling him to offer clients a more holistic approach to estate planning.
Robert successfully completed his bachelor's degree in Finance and Real Estate at Florida State University. Subsequently, he furthered his education by earning a master's degree in Finance from Florida International University. During his studies, he focused on various subjects, including portfolio management, financial statement analysis, and economics.
María del Pilar Ballestas
OPERATIONS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE
María Del Pilar Ballestas is the operational manager of Ballestas Group with 24 years of experience in the industry. Pilar joined the team in October 2021. Prior to joining Ballestas Group, Pilar worked at Merrill Lynch for 16 years in the position of Senior Client Associate, with a team advising high net worth families as their operations leader, helping advisors and clients with day-to-day operations and training new staff.
María del Pilar graduated from the University of Southern Virginia with a degree in Liberal Arts.
Michael Moron-Morales
RELATIONSHIP MANAGER
Michael Moron-Morales joined Ballestas Group in August 2022 to help with client engagement and expansion of assets under management. The main responsibilities are to deepen relationship with current clients, get new clients and be able to create a relationship with those who place their trust in us.
Michael initially worked in an Investment Bank focused on small and medium-sized companies where he was a financial analyst, then joined Banco Agrario de Colombia where he analyzed the bank's assets and liabilities, prior to working with Ballestas Group he was a strategy consultant.
He studied at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá where he graduated in business administration with an emphasis in finance and has a specialization from the Universidad de los Andes in Financial Administration.
