SURA is celebrating 80 years of growth and progress in both Colombia and Latin America

Grupo SURA SURA SURA Asset Management Suramericana
  • Grupo SURA and its subsidiaries, Suramericana and SURA Asset Management, are celebrating eight decades of existence, during which time their firm purpose of creating wellbeing for individuals, companies as well as the territories in which they are present has positioned them as a group of benchmark companies in Latin America.
  • SURA's footprint has expanded through its Companies throughout the region, whose different lines of business are present in 8 Latin American countries, where a team of almost 28 thousand employees responds to the trust placed in our brand attending more than 44 million clients.
  • Grupo SURA( a financial services investment holding) and its subsidiaries Suramericana (insurance), SURA Asset Management (pension savings and asset management), share not only a way of doing business that identifies them but also a firm commitment to continuing to help drive the development of the region through their different lines of business as well as through the SURA Foundation thanks to its own commitment to art and culture.
  • As part of this anniversary celebration, the exhibition "We are Company" shall remain open to the public until April 2025 at the Suramericana Art Gallery in Medellin.

Medellín. December 12, 2024 On December 12, 1944, in Medellín, a visionary group of 36 companies and 151 individuals founded the Suramericana de Seguros Company (today known as Seguros SURA Colombia), which gave rise to what, 80 years later, became the group of companies that make up the SURA Business Group present in eight Latin American countries where it attends 44 million customers, both individuals and companies, providing their financial products, solutions and services.

After eight decades, SURA has almost as many employees as days of activity. Nearly 28 thousand people work today for the purpose of maintaining sustainable growth with a long-term vision through its different Companies, as well as through the work of the SURA Foundation in various communities and territories throughout the region.

It has been eight decades of treading a forged path based on a common purpose, creating well-being for society at large, as well as cultivating and maintaining the trust of millions of individuals and thousands of companies that have believed in SURA as their insurer, their retirement savings manager and their investment advisor. Also, through the SURA Foundation, we have partnered with thousands of entities in order to  contribute together to social, educational and cultural development in both Colombia as well as the rest of the region. Likewise, this path has been the result of its broad and pluralistic shareholder base, as a company that has been listed on the local stock exchange since 1945.

"We are celebrating 80 years of history and a way of doing business that identifies us at SURA, based on our corporate principles and our firm commitment to both society and the environment. With this essential quality that remains at our core, we now look to the future so as to continue growing in a sustainable manner in a region of opportunities and with the strength of our group of sound companies that are becoming increasingly relevant in the lives of our Latin American people," stated Ricardo Jaramillo, the Chief Executive Officer of Grupo SURA, the holding company of the SURA Business Group 

With a corporate history serving as an inspiration, our SURA Companies continue to evolve and strengthen their new lines of business in order to respond to current changes in the environment, markets, clients and stakeholder expectations; this in order to continue providing added value in a sustainable manner and contributing to a more inclusive development in Latin America:

  • Grupo SURA: shall strengthen its position as a leading investment manager in Latin America in the financial service sector, as a relevant shareholder in SURA Asset Management, Suramericana and Bancolombia, and shall continue to further its role as a corporate citizen promoting initiatives and alliances in favor of the ongoing development and institutional reinforcement throughout the region.
  • Suramericana, an insurance, trends and risks management company: shall continue to provide well-being and competitiveness in all seven countries where it operates with a relevant investment in life insurance, health care and sustainability solutions as well as its digital channels. It shall also continue consolidating its recent investments such as VaxThera (vaccine production and packaging) and new business units such as BIVETT (animal welfare) and the Trends and Risk Management Unit.
  • SURA Asset Management: shall continue to strengthen its regional leadership as an efficient pension fund management firm for its fund members, while continuing to position SURA Investments as a regional expert platform in investment and asset management, as well as the stake held in Asulado offering pension insurance and annuities in Colombia.

The exhibition "We are Company" opens

As part of the celebration of SURA's 80th anniversary, the public in Medellín shall be able to visit "We are Company", an exhibition of objects that narrates its history. This exhibition, which will be on display at the Suramericana Art Gallery, is the result of the curatorial team's research showing objects from significant moments in the careers of our employees, advisors, retirees and allied entities. This exhibition shall be open from December 13 until April 2025, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Milestones in SURA's eight-decade history

  • Growth in Colombia: Suramericana de Seguros began offering solutions in the Property and Casualty Insurance segment (1944), then ventured into Life Insurance (1947). It also participated in founding the Banco Industrial Colombiano (BIC, 1945, today known as Bancolombia) and was able to diversify its portfolio  with additional financial services through companies such as Sucapitalización (1958), Sufinanciamiento (1980), and Suleasing (1981). In 1972, the Company created the Suramericana Foundation (today known as the SURA Foundation) and began to collate the SURA Art Collection. In 1985 the SURA Cultural Committee was created.
  • Participating in Colombia´s social security system and gaining a national leadership position in the insurance sector. In the nineties, Susalud (1990, today known as EPS SURA), Protección (1991, pensions and severance payments), Suratep (1995, today known as ARL SURA) came into being. Corfinsura (1993, today known as Banca de Inversión Bancolombia) was also created and Interoceánica (1998, today known as Seguros SURA Panamá) was purchased. Upon separating the non-insurance from the remaining insurance portfolio, Compañía de Inversiones Suramericana (1997, today known as Grupo SURA) and Inversura (1999, today known as Suramericana) were created, the latter governing the Group´s insurance activities. Suramericana consolidated its national leadership position with the purchase of Agrícola de Seguros (2006).
  • Internationalization of the SURA brand. Grupo SURA acquired ING's assets throughout the region giving rise to the creation of SURA Asset Management (2011). Suramericana made its biggest international leap when it acquired the assets of RSA (2015). Since 2011, Grupo SURA has been listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Global Index, thereby reflecting the commitment of all of the SURA Business Group´s companies to upholding best practices  Likewise, the SURA Foundation was created in Mexico and Chile (2017).
  • Consolidating the SURA brand in Latin America The Covid pandemic (2020-2021) clearly demonstrated the Company’s genuine commitment to the health of the Colombian people through both the mandatory and voluntary health care insurance offered. SURA Asset Management acquired Gestión Fiduciaria (2020, now Fiduciaria SURA). Suramericana invested in creating its new biotech company VaxThera (2021), while SURA AM created Asulado (2022). For its part Grupo SURA continues to focus its investment portfolio on the financial service sector (2023 and 2024). 

About the SURA Business Group:
We are a Colombian Organization founded 80 years ago, that is present in 8 countries in Latin America where we serve more than 44 million clients thanks to the talent of nearly 28 thousand employees. Our holding company is Grupo SURA, which manages a portfolio focusing on the financial service sector that includes its subsidiaries Suramericana, specializing in insurance as well as trends & risk management through its companies Seguros SURA, a leader in its industry in Colombia and present in six other countries throughout the region; SURA Asset Management an expert player in asset management, which also has a direct presence in five other countries through its Savings and Retirement business units (pension fund management) as well as its regional platform SURA Investments. Likewise, the Organization has its own SURA Foundation, incorporated in Colombia, Mexico and Chil