Working with people that share our vision and values is key to our success
Leadership
Walter Gonzalez, Jr.
CEO, President, and Founder
An entrepreneur through and through, he built the company from the ground up more than 11 years ago by applying his mixed expertise in accounting, law, and finance to make GOJA one of the largest and fastest-growing Amazon and marketplace sellers in the world. That experience has helped GOJA evolve from an ecommerce retailer into product and software development. His vision was to develop the CPG company of the future, able to capitalize on the Amazon-dominated landscape, and today GOJA is that company.
He holds a dual bachelor’s degree in Finance and International Business from Florida International University and a Law degree from The George Washington University School of Law. He resides in Miami with his family.
Tony Patao
Chief Financial Officer
As Chief Financial Officer at GOJA, Tony Patao brings over 25 years of extensive financial management experience. Before joining GOJA, Tony successfully led a variety of organizations from Fortune 100 to mid-sized private companies, including National Beverage, Revlon, Medtronic, Auxis (a boutique management consulting company), PepsiCo, Ryder System, and Arthur Andersen. Tony has diverse experience developing and implementing profitable growth strategies across various geographies, including back-office consolidation/outsourcing, cost redeployment, and process re-engineering. He is also a frequent public speaker at various professional organizations and universities on business transformation, strategic and organizational topics.
Tony holds a Master’s in Business Administration and Bachelor’s in Business Administration in Accounting and Finance from Wilmington University in Delaware. Not only is Tony a United States Air Force veteran, but he is an avid athlete, having completed two full Ironman competitions and over 15 marathons. He resides in Coral Gables with his family.
Carlos Barrozzi
Senior Vice President, Corporate Development
Carlos works with our senior leadership team to develop GOJA’s strategic plans and leads inorganic growth initiatives, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, investments, and the establishment of strategic partnerships.
Before joining GOJA, Carlos spent most of his career in corporate finance on both the advisory and investment fronts. He gained firsthand knowledge of Amazon through a family business in the consumer products space, developing insights into the opportunities and challenges it presents.
Carlos is a proud graduate of the University of Miami and Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia. He received a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and a Master of Business Administration degree, respectively. Carlos is a CFA® charterholder.
Steve Licht
Vice President and Corporate Controller, Finance
Steve oversees the day-to-day accounting operations and financial reporting for GOJA. With more than 30 years of experience in accounting-related positions for both public and private companies, Steve has gained extensive knowledge and experience developing and perfecting processes and systems to help improve financial and operational efficiency, functionality, and controls.
In addition, he has held various Controller positions including Vice President & Controller of HVM, L.L.C., and the operator of 685 Extended Stay Hotels in 43 states and Canada. He also served as an Audit Manager with Deloitte & Touche LLP.
Steve received both a Masters in Accounting Information Systems and a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Florida. He has been a Florida Licensed Certified Public Accountant since 1992. When he’s not crunching numbers, Steve enjoys carpentry, light construction, hiking, and being in nature surrounded by wildlife.
Erika Mayer
Director, People and Culture
Erika leads the development of a great culture for GOJA’s employees in the Miami, Bolivia, and China offices.
Her experience includes over 13 years with Kimberly Clark in various roles, from HRBP to HR Manager. Her passion for people and the development of great work culture have helped her throughout her career.
Erika holds a Master in Human Resources Management and Development from the University of Sevilla- Spain. She also holds a degree in Commercial Engineering from the Universidad Privada Boliviana where she graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors.
She is the proud mother of two boys who is happiest when she’s helping others succeed.
Luis Canedo
Vice President, Operations
Luis Canedo is an accomplished ecommerce industry leader with over 17 years of experience in business strategy and Amazon operations. As the Vice President of Operations at GOJA, he oversees the company's Merchandising Operations, Customer Operations, and Supply Chain departments, helping drive growth and success. Luis is also the President of GOJA, Bolivia, actively supporting the Bolivian entrepreneurial ecosystem.
With a telecommunication engineering degree from Universidad Catolica Boliviana and a Master's degree in management information technology from the University of Salford in Manchester, United Kingdom, Luis leverages his expertise as an Amazon expert to provide valuable insights in inventory, logistics, and customer experience solutions. He excels in building and mentoring exceptional teams.
Luis's achievements include being honored as one of Bolivia's Top 100 business leaders in 2021. He won the eBay Global Seller Contest in 2013 and, in 2017, helped create the Riskless analytics tool for optimizing Amazon sales.
Committed to driving business success through innovation, Luis resides in Miami with his family, eagerly seeking new opportunities for positive change and growth.
Sebastian Gonzalez
Vice President, Ecommerce and Amazon Strategy
Sebastian is the Vice President of Ecommerce and Amazon Strategy at GOJA. He helps GOJA achieve double-digit year-over-year growth by applying his extensive ecommerce insights to all aspects of the sales process, from product development and branding to SEO and customer engagement.
Sebastian started his first Amazon business while still in high school buying textbooks from local schools and reselling them across the country. Today, he is a leading expert on Amazon marketing and sales strategy responsible for millions of orders.
He earned his BA from Florida State University and continued his education in China (BLCU), learning Mandarin and developing the skills he would use to source dozens of Amazon #1 best sellers at GOJA. With Sebastian’s sales and merchandising leadership GOJA has become one of the top online marketplace sellers in the world.
Gustavo Nicot
Vice President, Technology
Gustavo Nicot leads the Technology Team at GOJA. He is a seasoned software engineer with over a decade of experience in the industry. He holds a degree in Computer Science from the National University of Córdoba, Argentina, and has worked on projects ranging from small-scale web applications to large-scale enterprise systems.
Gustavo has a particular passion for backend development and has deep expertise in Java, Spring, and Microservices. He is also a strong believer in agile methodologies and has extensive experience working in cross-functional teams. Gustavo is always seeking new challenges and opportunities to learn, and he thrives in fast-paced environments where he can apply his technical expertise to solve complex problems.
Our investors
As private equity investors since 1980, the J.P. Morgan Private Equity Group (PEG) is one of the longest-standing and most successful PE firms in the industry. J.P. Morgan believes that successful private equity investing involves having access to best-in-class investment opportunities and managers; conducting objective, rigorous and thoughtful due-diligence; and making disciplined investment decisions that consistently generate attractive returns over time.
3L is a multi-stage growth equity firm that invests across tech-enabled consumer and enterprise businesses. 3L provides exceptional teams with the capital, perspective, and relationships needed to become category leaders.
Next Coast Ventures invests in entrepreneurs who are building disruptive companies in big markets. Next Coast focuses on supporting the best entrepreneurs in the world as they build their businesses. Passion is key for their entrepreneurs in solving big problems. And market size is important because life is too short to focus on the small stuff.
