Founding Partner

José Barrios Ng, co-founder and partner at ABCO Global, is a successful business director and entrepreneur.

He has worked as Director of Planning and Project Manager and/or Vice-President of Finance in companies such as ESSO, Cervecería Nacional (largest brewery in Panama), Cable & Wireless and the Panama Canal.

In 2002 José Barrios Ng joined the managing team at the Panama Canal Authority as Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance, where he was responsible for planning, financial analysis, risk management, administration of ACP contracts, and the strategy and policy design of financial continuous improvement.  In 2007, he was appointed Deputy Administrator of the Panama Canal where he directed the group that managed the financing for the five billion dollar expansion project of the Panama Canal.

He currently acts as president and chairman of the board for one of the largest private universities in Panama, Universidad Latina de Panama.  Under his leadership, enrollment at Universidad Latina has more than doubled.   He is also board member of two other universities: Universidad Americana and UNESCPA, a university specialized in training and certifying public accountants.

José Barrios Ng serves as President for 4AB Distribution Company, and has served as President of the Panama Stock Market for 3 years, President for Optima Insurance, the media group Nueva Prensa Financiera (Capital Financiero newspaper), and the Panama Rotary Club. He is a member of the Board of Directors for numerous important enterprises including ABCO Global, Panama Metro, Panama Maritime Authority, the real estate trust Alianza Properties, and San Fernando Hospital, accumulating vast experience in diverse economic sectors. 

José Barrios is a distinguished ex alumnus and member of the Advisory Board of the School of Engineering of Georgia Tech.

In 2014, he was awarded Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa, from Southeastern Louisiana University, and has received numerous other recognitions such as: Executive of the Year (Capital Financiero); Financial Executive of the year, 1996 & 2011 (Panama stock exchange); Outstanding Teaching Award 1997, 2000, 2001 (ULACIT); and Outstanding member award-  Rotary Club of Panama, among others.

He is an Electrical Engineer from Louisiana State University, has a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech, and a Master’s degree in Economic Engineering from the University of California—Los Angeles (UCLA), and completed additional post graduate studies in Operational Investigation at UCLA. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Pennsylvania in Higher Education Administration.