Norman Maurice Armitage

Norman Maurice Armitage (born 13 June 1945) is a Colombian businessman, politician, and philanthropist who served as the mayor of Cali, the third-largest city in Colombia and the economic hub of Southwestern Colombia from 2016 to 2019.

Maurice Armitage
Armitage in 2018
Mayor of Cali
In office
1 January 2016 – 31 December 2019
Preceded byRodriguo Gerrero
Succeeded byJorge Iván Ospina
Personal details
Born
Norman Maurice Armitage

(1945-06-13) 13 June 1945 (age 78)
Cali, Cauca Valley, Colombia
Political partyIndependent
SpousePatricia Tella Doronsorro
Alma materUniversity of Valle
University San Buenaventura
Profession
  • Entrepreneur
  • politician
WebsiteMaurice Armitage[dead link]

Education and early career edit

Armitage studied law at the university and then went to work in steel mining. He bought his first company SIDOC (Siderúrgica de Occidente) which he still owns. Armitage also owns Ingenio de Ocidente which is an Agribusiness company whose main product is refined sugar and owns 3,000 hectares of land used for production.[1] Armitage is also a shareholder of Cementos San Marcos and is a part of the board of directors of the Cali Chamber of Commerce and Fenalco Valle.

Social Work edit

Armitage is well known for his philanthropy and social work in the suburbs, such as Siloé[citation needed]. He endorsed the peace process to end the armed conflict in Colombia and volunteered to put his foundation to use to help destroy weapons when the (M19) demobilised.[citation needed] All of the companies owned by Armitage split a share of the profits with their employees every 3 months and he advocates paying more than the standard minimum wage to his workers.[citation needed]

Mayor of Cali (2016-2019) edit

Peace in Colombia edit

Due to his past experiences, including the experience of being kidnapped, Armitage became more involved in charitable causes and organizations that sought to bring peace to Colombia. Subsequently when President Juan Manuel Santos announced to the world and to the Colombian people that he was holding peace talks with the FARC in Havana, Cuba, Maurice Armitage formed part of a group of victims who travelled to Havana to take part in the peace talks and help the Government.

Personal life edit

Armitage is married to Patricia Tello Dorronsoro and they have two daughters. Armitage's father was English and his mother was from Antioquia.[2] Armitage was a cousin of former Colombian senator and politician Esmeralda Arboleda Cadavid, as well as Arboleda's sister, Mireya Arboleda, a classical pianist.

References edit

  1. ^ "El ingenio azucarero de Armitage – Las2orillas" [The Armitage Sugar Mill] (in Spanish). 19 October 2015.
  2. ^ Armitage, Maurice (26 August 2014). "Entrevista en BOCAS: Maurice Armitage – Bocas – El Tiempo" [BOCAS interview: Maurice Armitage]. eltiempo.com (in Spanish). Interviewed by Amira Abultaif Kadamani. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016.