The construction industry is always changing, and building strong communities involves much more than just following blueprints and meeting deadlines. Real success comes from valuing the people who bring these projects to life, supporting them through challenges, and inspiring creativity at every stage. Understanding that the strength of any project relies on the dedication, resilience, and well-being of its workforce is essential. When employees feel appreciated and motivated, they give their best, turning ideas into lasting structures that positively impact communities.
Leading this important focus on people is Faber Zapata Agudelo, the Director of Human Resources and Organizational Development at Constructora Las Galias. He is responsible for guiding over 3,400 employees with thoughtful and strategic leadership that aligns the workforce with the company’s goals. With two undergraduate degrees—Telematics Engineering and Business Administration—and a master’s degree in Human Resources and Knowledge Management, along with an MBA, Faber Zapata expertly manages talent recruitment, compensation, training programs, and cultural initiatives. His commitment to employee well-being, change management, and sustainability has earned him recognition as one of the top HR managers in Colombia and throughout Latin America.
Building Strong Organizations Through People and Leadership
A clear belief has guided Faber Zapata’s professional career: organizations cannot grow sustainably unless they first develop their leaders, organizational culture, and human capabilities. Over time, he has focused on turning strategy into action through talent management, leadership development, and organizational transformation.
He has learned that Human Resources should not function merely as an administrative or operational department. Instead, it is a strategic driver of the business, as it builds the essential capabilities to execute effectively, such as confidence, commitment, discipline, security, innovation, learning, and results.
One of the most important realizations in his career was understanding that in high-performing organizations, the “how” matters as much as the “what.” While achieving results is important, sustainability depends on how leaders lead, communicate, manage change, and care for people. This insight changed his perspective: it is no longer enough to simply manage talent; instead, it is necessary to design talent ecosystems that enable people to grow, thrive, and contribute to a profitable and sustainable business.
Today, as Director of Human Resources and Organizational Development at Constructora Las Galias, Faber Zapata’s goal is to align talent strategy—the people—with corporate strategy by strengthening leadership, culture, and performance. His greatest lesson is this: “real transformation does not happen by speeches, it happens by coherence: what we say, what we do, what we measure and what we recognize.”
A Company Built on Quality, Values, and Responsibility
Constructora Las Galias was founded with a strong human focus: to build projects that create progress. Since its establishment in 1992, the company has recognized that construction is about much more than just buildings. It is a means to transform communities, improve the quality of life, and create opportunities.
The company’s history is built on solid principles: discipline, compliance, quality, and a long-term vision. This vision has shaped its mission: to provide housing solutions and projects that meet high-quality standards while fostering trust-based relationships with customers, communities, partners, and employees.
Over the years, Constructora Las Galias has earned a reputation for its reliable execution, its commitment to sustainability and profitability, and its strong organizational culture.
In short, it is a company that understands that building well is not only a technical challenge but also an ethical, social, and sustainability responsibility.
Constructora Las Galias: Key Stats
- Workforce: 702 direct + 2,278 indirect = 2,980 total employees
- Projects: 27 per year across Bogotá, Manizales, Pereira, Cali
- Safety: 37% accident reduction (88 incidents last year)
- Leadership: 78 leaders trained internally
- Engagement: eNPS: 47
Certifications
- ISO 9001:2015 (Quality)
- ISO 45001:2018 (Health & Safety)
- ISO 14001:2015 (Environment)
- EDGE
- CASA Colombia
Managing Risk, Change, and Performance in Construction
The construction industry faces ongoing challenges such as economic uncertainty, regulatory changes, pressure to control costs and meet deadlines, difficulty in finding specialized talent, and high demands regarding safety, quality, and employer reputation.
One of the major challenges Faber Zapata has addressed is maintaining a strong organizational culture, effective processes, occupational health and safety, and leadership even under intense operational pressure. In construction, small mistakes can lead to serious consequences, making this focus essential.
To meet these challenges, the approach has been both managerial and systemic. This includes strengthening project execution discipline by improving routines, control, planning, and monitoring. Change management has involved clearly defining roles and their contributions to talent development, communication, and adopting ISO standards based on best practices.
Leadership development focuses on cultivating leaders who can achieve results with both humanity and profitability. Additionally, fostering a preventive culture and encouraging continuous organizational learning helps the company quickly correct problems, learn from them, and improve over time.
Constructora Las Galias has found that “when the environment becomes more uncertain, organizational culture becomes the most powerful stabilizing force, and leadership becomes the performance multiplier.”
Creating a Strong Culture Through Leadership and Care
Constructora Las Galias operates on a simple principle: organizational culture must be actively managed, not left to chance.
For this reason, the company views talent, leadership, and culture as a strategic ecosystem. Talent attraction and retention focus on connecting people not only through technical skills but also by shared values and behaviors. Leadership development emphasizes training leaders with a human-centered approach combined with a strong commitment to execution. To lead means to provide clear direction, build trust, and sustain results.
The company also promotes a culture of recognition, understanding that recognition is not just a symbolic gesture but a powerful leadership tool to encourage positive behaviors. Employee experience is prioritized through well-being, opportunities for growth, active listening, and genuine support. Performance and management are driven by clear goals, frequent conversations, and a focus on meaningful impact.
Its goal is for every employee to feel that “I belong here, I contribute here, and I grow here.”
Innovation Through Better Processes and Leadership
Constructora Las Galias understands that innovation is not only about technology; it is a mindset and a way of working. Innovation occurs when construction is done with greater efficiency, higher quality, improved safety, and reduced waste.
In terms of organizational and operational progress, the company has advanced in several areas. These include implementing management and control tools that ensure traceability, monitoring, and informed decision-making. The company has standardized processes to increase predictability in project execution and has moved toward data-driven management and reporting. Communication and coordination across departments have also improved significantly.
Its vision is clear: “technology only generates value when it is combined with leadership, culture, and discipline.” In other words, digitizing is not the same as transforming; true transformation means changing the way decisions are made and projects are carried out.
Creating Trust Through Responsible Business Practices
Constructora Las Galias believes that trust is built through consistent actions, not just promises. To ensure compliance and ethical conduct, the company follows clear frameworks for corporate governance and decision-making. It implements thorough control, auditing, and traceability processes, supported by a culture of compliance and accountability throughout the organization.
The company maintains open and transparent communication with clients and manages risks clearly. It is also committed to upholding high standards of quality, safety, and sustainability.
In the construction industry, reputation must be protected every day. Its approach is straightforward: “do the right thing, do it well, and be able to prove it.”
Constructora Las Galias: Awards & Successes
CAMACOL 2023 Award
- Best Practices in Social & Labor Management
- Leads in HR, well-being, and sustainability
CCCS Green Leaders
- Sustainable construction excellence
- Authority in eco-friendly housing
Safety Success Story
- National invite: Accident reduction
- Ministry of Labor Commission
- Proven risk management leadership
Connecting With Partners to Build Better Projects
Constructora Las Galias maintains an open approach to partnerships that enhance its capabilities in four key areas: innovation and operational efficiency, sustainability and responsible construction, talent and leadership development, and best practices and profitability.
The company believes that the best partnerships are those that expand its perspective, raise industry standards, and increase its overall impact. In the construction sector, the future belongs to those who build strong networks with suppliers, industry associations, experts, academic institutions, and communities.
Industry Recognition for Culture and Sustainability Efforts
Faber Zapata and Constructora Las Galias have garnered notable media coverage that underscores their leadership in human resources, culture, and sustainability. Key features include his insights on turning recognition into a driver of success (YouTube video) and how culture shapes strategy (YouTube video).
Additional coverage highlights employee advocacy in the DCH Human Insights Future of Work (3rd Edition, ISSN 3045-8765, page 28), talent strategies for culture and growth in Manage HR Magazine LATAM (ISSN 2832-3572), and unity in sustainability. He also received the TOP HR Manager LATAM 2025 recognition, with full awards listed on his LinkedIn profile.
Improving Results by Investing in People
Under Faber Zapata’s leadership in Human Resources and Organizational Development, Constructora Las Galias has made significant progress in strengthening its culture and enhancing the organization’s ability to execute effectively. Some of the key achievements include:
- Strengthening internal leadership through structured programs like Master Leaders, which create a common leadership language and a consistent way to motivate teams.
- Developing and advancing models for organizational culture, recognition, and employee well-being as part of the overall business strategy, rather than as isolated efforts.
- Improving alignment between performance, strategic goals, and development discussions, thereby strengthening both human talent and business outcomes.
- Promoting a people-centered organizational culture while maintaining a strong focus on efficiency, productivity, and operational control.
- Reducing workplace accidents by following ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety standards, fostering a culture of safety and self-care.
Faber Zapata believes the most important achievement is not tied to a single project or metric but lies in helping the organization recognize that “high performance and well-being are not competing forces; they are mutually reinforcing.”
A Clear Vision for Sustainable and Ethical Growth
Constructora Las Galias’ vision for the next five to ten years is based on a clear strategy. Sustainability will become the standard, rather than a distinguishing feature, focusing on responsible construction, environmental efficiency, and creating social value. The company aims for scalable operational excellence by enhancing project control, productivity, quality, and strong governance.
Developing talent for the future is a priority, preparing leaders to handle digitalization, cultural changes, risks, and growing market demands. Constructora Las Galias also seeks to build with confidence by strengthening its reputation, improving customer experience, and maintaining transparency. Finally, the company views culture as a competitive advantage, reinforcing its identity, pride, and sense of purpose.
Faber Zapata is convinced that the construction companies that will lead in the future will not only be those that grow the fastest but those that grow better: “with greater safety, greater sustainability, greater innovation, and greater humanity.”
Open Letter to Aspiring Leaders, Entrepreneurs, and Professionals Entering the Construction Industry
Dear future leaders,
Before you build projects, build judgment. Before you advance in positions, develop your character. This demanding sector tests leadership through decisions, standards, and consistency. Here is my advice: Develop discipline, as success endures through method. Be obsessive about safety; a life outweighs any deadline. Learn to lead diverse teams, for that is where true greatness emerges. Understand that the future will be sustainable, or it will not exist.
Today, the leadership that transforms our industry is not the strongest, but the most conscious, consistent, and prepared.
Faber Zapata
Director of Human Resources and Organizational Development
Constructora Las Galias
5 Key Takeaways from Faber Zapata’s Impact on People-Centered Leadership in Construction
- People Are the Strongest Foundation: Long-term success starts with valuing employees, supporting their well-being, and helping them grow.
- Culture and Leadership Drive Results: Strong values, clear leadership, and consistent actions create high performance and lasting trust.
- Sustainable Growth Matters More Than Fast Growth: True progress comes from building safely, responsibly, and with care for communities and the environment.
- Innovation Works Best With Discipline and Purpose: Technology creates value only when supported by strong systems, leadership, and accountability.
- Integrity Builds Reputation and Confidence: Honest practices, transparency, and ethical decisions strengthen credibility in a demanding industry.
