Manuel Barreiro Castañeda
Real Estate Leader Emphasizing Sustainability
Manuel Barreiro Castañeda is the founder and chairman of the Aston Group, a private equity firm with over $1 billion in investments to date. The firm specializes in real estate development and private equity investments, focusing primarily on North America and Europe. With more than 20 years of high-level experience in international real estate, Mr. Barreiro Castañeda has consistently delivered strategic leadership, successfully advising both public and private sector stakeholders on the intersection of technology, sustainability, mobility, and smart cities.
Mr. Barreiro Castañeda is committed to integrating sustainability into his firm’s projects, ensuring that their impact on local communities enhances the quality of life, reduces inequality, and aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Passionate about fostering entrepreneurship, he has coached, mentored, and supported several emerging technology entrepreneurs, helping them transform their ideas into innovative, world-changing companies.
In addition to his business career, Mr. Barreiro Castañeda is an active member of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialized agency of the United Nations for information and communication technologies. He previously served as the Vice Chairman of the ITU’s “WG 8 on the Metaverse – Sustainability, Accessibility & Inclusion,” where he focused on accessibility, environmental sustainability, and social equity within the metaverse. He also serves as a board member of the Executive Committee of the Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds – Discovering the CitiVerse, a forward-thinking initiative that evaluates the societal impact of emerging technologies and promotes the development of open, interoperable, and innovative virtual worlds.
Complementing his industry experience, Mr. Barreiro Castañeda has completed the Oxford Real Estate and the Oxford Programme on Valuation of Private Assets at the University of Oxford. He is a lecturer in the Real Estate Programme at Oxford, where he educates executives on the intricacies of investing in both developed and developing markets, offering invaluable insights to the academic community. He also holds an Executive Master of Science (MSc) in Cities from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), focusing on sustainable urban development, mobility, and water management. This program ignited his interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), areas that will be pivotal in his upcoming projects. Currently, Mr. Barreiro Castañeda is enrolled in the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School, further refining his leadership and business acumen.
Mr. Barreiro Castañeda also holds an MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor’s in International Business from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM). During his academic journey, he completed exchange programs in Japan and Argentina. His time in Japan, where he witnessed firsthand the transformative power of technology for vulnerable groups, solidified his lifelong mission to create better cities for the future, starting in his native Mexico.
Additionally, in recognition of his significant contributions to Mexico’s development, education, and innovation, Mr. Barreiro Castañeda was awarded an Honorary Doctorate. Beyond his business and academic pursuits, Mr. Barreiro Castañeda is dedicated to raising awareness on mobility issues, regularly speaking at prominent international events. He is also deeply involved in sustainability projects in his hometown of Querétaro, focusing on initiatives that contribute to the city’s environmental and social well-being. Additionally, he serves as president of the Aston Barreiro-Ugalde Foundation (www.astonfoundationbu.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational support to children from low-income families.
