Our team
Experience and judgement that make the difference
The quality of our service is underpinned by a diverse team, with extensive experience and in-depth market knowledge.
We combine a comprehensive understanding of the industry — its disciplines and organisational cultures — with judgement and rigour to identify, attract and assess the talent that best fits each challenge.
Ricardo León
Founding Partner - General Manager
Ricardo León
Founding Partner - General ManagerRicardo is a Geologist from Universidad de Chile, with training in International Human Resources Management (MCE, Belgium), Selection and Career Development (ECA, United Kingdom) and Business Management (Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Chile).
He began his professional career in the field of geology, before going on to build a solid executive career at the Royal Dutch Shell Group, where he held positions such as Human Resources Manager for Billiton International Metals (Netherlands) and Human Resources & Corporate Affairs Manager at Grupo Forestal Santa Fe (Chile).
He has led Downing Teal Chile since 2001, where he has established a management style based on ethics, professional rigour and a genuine focus on people. His experience spans the mining, forestry, industrial and services sectors, combining a strategic view of the business with a deep understanding of the role of Human Resources as a driver of sustainable results.
Miguel Saavedra
Partner - Senior Consultant
Miguel Saavedra
Partner - Senior ConsultantMiguel is a Business Engineer from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He has studies in High Performance Teams (Ken Blanchard Co., USA), Human Resources Strategy and Planning (Stephen Covey, USA) and Strategic Human Resources Management (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), among others.
Since the start of his professional career at Minera Disputada de Las Condes, he has focused his career on people development, building a distinguished executive track record at large-scale companies with an international presence. He has held positions such as Corporate Human Resources Manager at Antofagasta Minerals and Vice-President of Human Resources at BHP Billiton Base Metals.
At Downing Teal Chile since 2009, he brings a strategic view of the business combined with a deep understanding of the human factor, contributing to the development of high-impact solutions for clients and organisations.
Ivan Violic
Partner - Senior Consultant
Ivan Violic
Partner - Senior ConsultantIván is a Civil Mining Engineer from Universidad de Chile and holds a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of California, USA. He complemented his training with studies in High Performance Leadership (University of Virginia, USA) and Production Control (Queen’s University, Canada).
He has an extensive career in large-scale mining, in both operations and people management. He built a notable career at ExxonMobil, where he went on to serve as General Manager of Los Bronces for Minera Disputada de Las Condes, later leading the Human Resources and Organisational Effectiveness function at the same company.
He has been part of Downing Teal Chile since 2004, combining a solid technical foundation with a deep conviction in the value of people, bringing a comprehensive view of the business and a commitment to professional excellence.
Juan Enrique Schiesewitz
Partner - Senior Consultant
Juan Enrique Schiesewitz
Partner - Senior ConsultantJuan Enrique is a retired Officer of the Chilean Air Force and has studies from the Global Management Programme at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA, USA), the Influence Skills Programme from Shepard Moscow (USA) and Six Sigma / Green Belt from BHP Billiton (Chile), among others.
His career began in the commercial and operations area at Mobil Oil Corporation, where he went on to serve as Human Resources Manager of Copec Mobil (Chile). He then consolidated his experience at BHP Billiton (Chile), as Human Resources Manager at Cerro Colorado and at Minera Escondida.
At Downing Teal Chile since 2006, he brings a comprehensive perspective on talent management, sustainability and social licence to operate, with a strategic and human-centred approach to creating organisational value.
Humberto Fernandois
Partner - Senior Consultant
Humberto Fernandois
Partner - Senior ConsultantHumberto is a Chemical Civil Engineer from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, with studies in Senior Management at London Business School (UK), the Advanced Programme for Directors at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and Business Management Assessment at Universidad de Chile, among others.
The early years of his career were spent in metallurgical processes at Minera Disputada de Las Condes (Exxon), before he went on to specialise in people management. He has led the Human Resources Management function at large-scale mining companies such as Barrick, Antofagasta Minerals, Codelco and Capstone Copper, where he served as Corporate Human Resources Manager before joining the Downing Teal team in 2025.
Throughout his career, he has integrated people strategy with business and sustainability objectives, driving the development of leaders, teams and young professionals.
Macarena León
Partner - Consultant
Macarena León
Partner - ConsultantMacarena is a Business Engineer from Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, with diplomas in Human Resources Management and Leadership and Coaching from Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, and a certification as an Ontological Coach from Newfield Network.
She has built her professional career by combining her role at Downing Teal Chile, where she has held various positions, with her experience at other organisations, notably as Chile–Peru Administration and Finance Manager at Newfield Network, and Chile–Argentina Head of Administration and Finance for the Exploration Vice-Presidency of Hochschild Mining.
She has solid professional experience in executive search and selection, talent management and finance, with a comprehensive approach focused on operational excellence and people development.
María José Blanco
Partner - Consultant
María José Blanco
Partner - ConsultantMaría José is a Psychologist from Universidad de Las Américas (Chile), with a Diploma in Human Resources Management from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and in Strategic Management of Workplace Psychological Assessment from Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, among other specialised studies.
She trained professionally at Downing Teal Chile, where she has led executive and professional search, assessment and selection processes for the mining, energy, oil and gas industries, and related sectors.
Over time, she has built solid business knowledge and a comprehensive understanding of talent, standing out for her ability to build relationships of trust and collaboration, and her strategic vision in understanding the needs and particularities of each organisation.
Sofía Lechuga
Consultant
Natalie Amigo
Consultant
Natalie Amigo
ConsultantNatalie is a Business Engineer from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
With an outstanding track record in the mining industry, she has developed a deep understanding of the business and its strategic, operational and cultural challenges, combining her field and corporate experience in the areas of People and Organisation and Talent Attraction.
Before joining Downing Teal, she was part of Anglo American’s global Talent Acquisition team, leading highly specialised and executive talent attraction processes in Chile, Peru, Brazil, the United Kingdom and South Africa. Her approach is characterised by an analytical and collaborative style, balancing an understanding of the organisational environment with a people-centred perspective.
Bianca Roa
Consultant
Bianca Roa
ConsultantBianca is a Social Worker from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, with a Diploma in Human Resources Management and in Organisational Development and Change from Universidad de Chile.
She has experience in Human Resources and Organisational Development, mainly in large-scale copper mining. She has led training and development projects and assisted redundancy plans for various Codelco divisions, contributing to organisational transformation processes with a human and strategic approach.
Before joining Downing Teal Chile, she worked as a Senior Consultant in people management, Deputy Director of Operations and Deputy Director of Academic Management at the Faculty of Economics and Business of Universidad de Chile, where she consolidated her experience in team leadership, process design and change management.
Liz Quiroz
Consultant
Liz Quiroz
ConsultantLiz is an Industrial Engineer from Universidad de Lima (Peru), holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Universidad ESAN, and a Diploma in Human Resources from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú.
She has extensive experience in Human Resources management, in areas such as Organisational Development, Attraction and Selection, Training, Compensation, Workplace Climate and Organisational Effectiveness, at companies in the banking, insurance and consulting sectors. Throughout her career, she has combined her development at Downing Teal with leadership positions at leading Peruvian organisations, having worked as Human Capital Manager at Grupo Salinas and Deputy Manager of Organisational Human Development at Banco Pichincha.
She stands out for her ability to align talent management with business objectives.
Carolina Barraza
Senior Psychologist
Carolina Barraza
Senior PsychologistCarolina is a Psychologist from Universidad de Chile and holds a Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management from Instituto de Directivos de Empresa (IDE CESEM). She also specialises in Competency-Based Interviews and Competency Management Models.
She has built a solid professional career in the field of human capital, taking part in talent selection and management, organisational development and change management projects. She has held positions such as Head of the Recruitment and Selection Unit at the Corporación Administrativa del Poder Judicial and at the Civil Service, where she strengthened her experience in designing and implementing talent attraction and assessment processes.
At Downing Teal, she is responsible for the technical rigour of competency-based assessments and psychometric tests, also contributing to the continuous improvement of processes from the organisation’s workplace psychology perspective.
Zorka Cervellino
Senior Psychologist
Zorka Cervellino
Senior PsychologistZorka is a Psychologist from Universidad de Chile, specialising in Competency-Based Interviews and Competency Management Models.
She began her professional path in talent assessment, working as a Selection Analyst at Asociación Chilena de Seguridad, before consolidating her experience as a Senior Consultant at various companies, specialising in competency-based assessment methodologies and executive and professional selection processes.
She is currently part of the Downing Teal team as Senior Psychologist, contributing extensive experience in workplace psychological assessment and potential diagnostics, from a broad perspective of people and organisations.
Sureily Ledezma
Recruitment Analyst
Sureily Ledezma
Recruitment AnalystSureily holds a degree in Human Resources Management from Universidad de Carabobo (Venezuela), a Diploma in Occupational Psychology from Universidad José Antonio Páez, and a Diploma in Foreign Trade from Universidad de Carabobo.
She took her first professional steps in people management, working at Corporación Anubis (Venezuela), where she took part in developing policies and procedures, and later at Ecomarket, as a Human Resources Analyst, supporting recruitment and selection processes, training, organisational development and HR administrative management.
Since arriving in Chile, she has worked at Downing Teal as a Recruitment Analyst, where she actively takes part in and contributes to the organisation’s various processes.
Mildred Briceño
Recruitment Analyst
Mildred Briceño
Recruitment AnalystMildred is a Psychologist from Universidad Yacambú (Venezuela).
She began her career in talent recruitment and selection, working as a Recruitment and Selection Assistant at Toyota Venezuela, where she took part in candidate attraction and assessment processes, as well as in organisational development activities. She continued her career in Chile, first as a facilitator of organisational development workshops at Wright Consultores, and later joined Foco Humano Consultores, where she specialised in competency-based selection processes, profile development and workplace psychological assessments for various sectors.
She is currently part of the Downing Teal team, where she works as a Recruitment Analyst, supporting the successful development of our processes.
Marianela Rivas
Operations Assistant
Marianela Rivas
Operations AssistantMarianela is an Executive Secretary from Centro de Formación Técnica Diego Portales (Chile).
She has extensive experience in executive assistance and management support roles, having built up notable experience at companies in the communications and human resources fields. She joined the team in 2011 as an Executive Assistant, providing comprehensive support to the consulting team and management. She currently works as Operations Assistant, a role that includes direct collaboration in the processes.
Her work is characterised by her commitment and collaborative style, qualities that contribute to the effective functioning of the organisation and the achievement of its objectives.
Nicolás Rojas
Head of Administration and Finance
Nicolás Rojas
Head of Administration and FinanceNicolás is a Certified Public Accountant from Universidad Diego Portales (Chile).
He has extensive experience in Administration and Finance, having worked at Downing Teal Chile since 2008, where he has made a sustained contribution to the organisation’s accounting, administrative and financial management.
He has strong analytical skills, a results-driven approach, and a marked sense of responsibility in managing accounting and tax processes.