Colombian Arturo Calle Appoints First Non-Family CEO: Taps former Agua Bendita

Arturo Calle marks a milestone in its history. For the first time in its history, the Colombian company has entrusted the general management of the company to a person outside the family. The chosen one has been Esteban González, who joins the team of the men’s fashion company from the also Colombian Agua Bendita, where he held the position of CEO for six years, from 2018 to 2024. He relieves Carlos Arturo Calle, CEO since 2012.

Esteban González thus replaces the hitherto top manager, who took the helm of the company in 2012. A graduate in Medicine and Business Administration, the Colombian took the helm of the family business at the end of the 1990s. Following the reins of the men’s fashion business of his father, Don Arturo Calle, the executive led the international expansion of the Colombian group in countries such as Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador.

On social media, Esteban González has celebrated his incorporation to “one of the companies and brands most loved by Colombians”. He has committed to “preserve and enhance the legacy of Arturo and his family”, as well as to “consolidate the company in Colombia and the world, growing profitably”. “The key will be to be consistent with the north that we define, to know how to give up, to retain and attract the best talent,“ he reflected.

At Agua Bendita, it was Natalia Morales who took over from Esteban González. She joined the company at the beginning of the year after more than two decades of experience at Procter & Gamble and L’Oréal. On her arrival, she says, she found a business model that was growing faster than its own structure. “The market has absorbed faster than our platform allowed; 2025 will be the year to put the house in order to keep flying,“ he acknowledged months after the appointment.

Esteban González takes over from Carlos Arturo Calle, son of the founder, who took the helm of the company in 2012

In a statement, the company said that “the changeover has been carefully planned to strengthen what the company has already achieved: international expansion, portfolio diversification, sustainability, innovation and talent development”. It has stated that the objective must now be “to project the future with strength, without renouncing the values and essence that have defined the brand”.

Mr. Arturo Calle is the founder of the men’s fashion company that bears his name. In 1965, the Colombian bought his first store and launched his first establishment, Danté, to start marketing under the name of Arturo Calle two years later. Previously, the businessman, who only completed his high school studies, worked in the fruit, vegetable and flower business.

The Colombian company operates its own stores in other Latin American countries. With more than one hundred points of sale, it is present in Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Peru. It has three independent brands: Colore, focused on the men’s segment and low prices; Freedom, specializing in young fashion, and Maravela, its latest venture specializing in beach and summer fashion for men, women and children.

Although it does not share its turnover data, Arturo Calle recorded a 6% increase in sales in 2024 and expects to continue growing, especially in Peru, the last international market it entered.