After a successful but brief career in Civil Engineering, Mr. Avilés went back to school to complete a degree in International Studies (French) at the University of Calgary. His newly unveiled passion for people and social issues took him to all four corners of the globe to manage green field, sustainable projects and serve as cross-cultural diplomat in some of the most challenging socio-political systems in the world.

His years as an overseas Sustainable Projects Manager provided him with more than a decade’s experience in communicating, training and negotiating with Indigenous groups in Latin America, West Africa and Southeast Asia. A true citizen of the world, Mr. Avilés not only makes good use of the 4 languages he’s fluent in, but he also trains other professionals in the art of cross-cultural communications and negotiations. He also takes the time to volunteer as a Mentor for the University of Calgary’s Haskayne graduate students program. In 2017, Mr. Avilés collaborated with members of the United Nations and the local Governments to organize and run the first Sustainable Development Goals Symposium – “Together 2017”, serving as part of the Advisory Committee that helped put this very successful conference in place.