Meet the EcuaAssist Team
Overview
EcuaAssist is a company dedicated to providing comprehensive assistance services to expats in Ecuador, with emphasis on efficiency, punctuality, transparency, and the dissemination of complete, detailed information.
Mission
To improve the expat’s experience of Ecuador and bolster the national economy by making the investment process easy, enjoyable, and enriching, providing high-quality, personalized customer service, and fostering community involvement as a pathway to cross-cultural understanding.
Marcos Chiluisa
Founder / General Manager / Attorney
Legal Practice Area(s): Corporate, Real Estate, Immigration, Labor, Administrative
Marcos Chiluisa is a business development advisor and licensed attorney. Marcos’ legal practice focuses on Real Estate¸ Corporate, Labor, Administrative and Immigration counseling. With the Ecuadorian Ministry for the Environment’s “Forest Administration System”, Marcos has served on numerous committees, including the Policy Committee, Nominating Committee, Business Development Committee, and New Environmental Legislation Committee. Marcos began practicing professionally in 2004 as a Real Estate development litigator and counselor. He has litigated over 150 trials for tax collection and has tried numerous cases in administrative courts. He also has extensive experience in drafting original business contracts.
Prior to starting EcuaAssist, Marcos and a group of colleagues founded Ambientar, an environmental consulting firm. He was also the main Attorney for NGO Centro de la Niña Trabajadora [Center for the Girl Laborer] where he resolved family conflicts for disadvantaged families who could not otherwise access the justice system.
At EcuaAssist, Marcos has been very active in Immigration counseling. He has advised over 1000 foreign investors on a wide variety Immigration issues, ranging from the creation of new businesses and corporate mergers to financial management of “Foreign Investors with New Capital in Ecuador”, Ecuador’s most recent property tax benefit.
EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS
Bar Assn.: Colegio de Abogados de Pichincha, Lic. No. 9891
B.A., cum laude, Universidad de Las Américas, 2004
HOBBIES
Running cross country, hiking, surfing, kitesurfing, biking, ping pong, yoga.
Engr. Adriana Rosado
Specializes in Human Resources, Translations and Management
Ana was born and raised in Guayaquil. In her early childhood she lived in Tampa, Florida and then returned to Ecuador. While she was living in Guayaquil she found the love of her life Marcos Goncalves (at that time he was a local surf champion and international professional surfer). After they got married, they decided to improve their quality of life and move to Salinas, a beautiful beach town 90kms away from the city. Now they have two lovely daughters, Moana and Petra.
Ana and her husband own GONCALVES SURFCAMP. Together they have made a great team. Ana is the manager, Marcos with his crew teach this awesome sport to people of all ages and places. This experience by far has been very fulfilling to her, "A family that works together, grows and stays together".
On her free time she loves being at the beach with her family, reading a good book, being with friends or paddle boarding. She also practices pilates and yoga.
It has been 14 years since Ana and her family moved to Salinas. Everything has been beautiful, the beaches, the climate, the people, etc. Salinas isn't just a winter vacation town; people from around the world come just for a quick trip and end up living there forever. As she did :)
Adriana was born in Manta and learned English at a young age, she moved to Vancouver-Canada in 2004 and started working in the retail industry, starting as a part time cashier but soon moving up the ladder. At the retail industry, Adriana’s strength was always customer service; she firmly believes that a happy customer is a loyal customer.
After a while she decided to go back to the wonderful student’s life in the “Vancouver Career College”, where she got a degree with honors in International Trade, juggling this with two part time jobs and spending whatever free time she could have on her favorite hobby, photography.
But although she loved her life in Vancouver, she missed her family and friends back home, so she moved back to Ecuador in 2009 and opened her own small business, a sandwich and coffee place, and after a couple of successful years she felt the need of going back to school for a degree that she actually felt connected to.
Adriana graduated in 2019 from "Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja" obtaining a bachelor's degree in Ingeniería en Administración de Empresas Turisticas y Hoteleras.
She loves visiting new restaurants in town and enjoying the everyday growing gastronomy in Manta, as well as playing with her hyperactive white schnauzer Rocco and playing board games with her family every Sunday!
Serena Macías
Office Director - Quito
Specializes in Due Diligen, Research,
Public Relations and corporate clients
Serena was born in Manta- Ecuador. She spent her teenage years in the US where she studied high school and got an Associate Degree in Accounting. She moved back to Manta and starting immediately working as a translator at a law firm. Because of her schedule, Serena left work and focused in school. In 2014, she started working for EcuaAssist and as an ESL teacher at the University in Manta. Serena stayed in EcuaAssist for 3 years. She moved to Quito to work on her thesis. She worked at a camp in Pastaza with students from the UK who came to Ecuador to do volunteer work. After an unfortunate event in her family, Serena and her mom decided to travel to different countries for a few months.
Thanks to her favorite sport, which is swimming, she could go back to her old life step by step. In December of 2017, she graduated and got a degree in Economics. In 2018, Serena started working in Zamora Chinchipe Province at a Canadian Mine, she was in charge of the Maintenance Department personnel, and hour meters of surface and underground machinery. This was a completely enriching experience for her, where she met great people and made many friends. Life at work was completely different to what she was used to, working 14/14 shifts. Serena got married in 2019, and because of being homesick during all her shifts, she decides to change jobs to a Hospital in Guayaquil to be close to her loved ones. In February 2020, Serena moved back to Quito and came back to EcuaAssist to work as Office Director.
She has 5 pets: 3 jack Russell’s, 1 stray dog and her little cocker Spaniel. She is currently looking around for a good swimming pool to do what she loves the most, swimming! Serena’s priority is to get settled in Quito completely and a year from who knows, a baby maybe.
She was born and raised in Switzerland, in the countryside, surrounded by forest, chickens, cats, dogs, horses, and cows.
She studied marketing and finance, and before she decided to live in Ecuador she finished the first part of her journalism study.
In Switzerland, She was born and raised in Switzerland, in the countryside, surrounded by forest, chickens, cats, dogs, horses, and cows.
She studied marketing and finance, and before she decided to live in Ecuador she finished the first part of her journalism study.
In Switzerland, she worked for many years in a famous tourist destination, in different jobs in the field of tourism - Receptionist, office manager, manager of a hostel, manager of a coffee, a casino employee, bar woman, chambermaid, marketing assistant, head of events, head of finance, etc. The idea was to get to know as many areas as possible. She believes, to be good in an area, you have to learn it from the bottom to the top.
She loves chocolate and cheese, animals, discover and test medicine plants, cooking. And in her free time, Michaela loves to spend time in the tropical dry forest at her home, the Reserva Biológica Cerro Seco and she likes to relax in the hammock with a good book in her hand.
Danna Encalada was born in Loja, however, she has lived with her family in Cuenca since the early age of 3. Although she loves Cuenca, she never forgets her hometown where part of her family still lives. That is why she travels to Loja to visit them whenever she has an opportunity.
Danna holds a BA in International Studies from the Universidad del Azuay in Cuenca. In addition, in 2008 she obtained her English Degree Certificate at the CEDEI institute and in 2012 she obtained her French Degree Certificate at the University of Cuenca.
From 2010 to 2013 she was a founding member, active member and secretary of the Trade and International Business Club (CCYNIUDA) at the Universidad del Azuay.
Also, in 2012 she was part of the English Education program in communities, and from 2011 to 2012 she was a columnist and area coordinator for the Matices Journal at the Universidad del Azuay.
For Danna, the most important thing in life is her family, and because she has a child, her greatest challenge has been to educate her son with great empathy and a deep sense of justice and responsibility. In her free time, for Danna there is nothing better than reading a good book with a steaming cup of coffee while sharing and enjoying life with her loved ones.
Andres was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and has been living in Salinas for three years. His family always came to Salinas on holidays and he promised himself that one day he would move to Salinas.
Andres graduated high school in 2010 in Guayaquil with a specialty in Social Sciences, then he studied at Universidad Casa Grande Audiovisual and Multimedia Communication and earned the title of a technician.
He has worked as a photographer with a friend and opened an express photography studio for two years; they did fashion shoots, publicity, editorials, and products.
Andres loves cooking and eating desserts. He opened a cafeteria in Salinas knowing that his true passion was to become a pastry chef, and after that experience, he began school to be a pastry chef.
He thinks that the arts are very important because they are the expression of mind and body; sometimes arts mix with science and make a perfect expression of art.
He loves to be at the beach and do outside sports like bicycling and running. He thinks that health begins with how you treat your body, what you eat, and what you do in your daily life.
Emilio is originally from Bahía de Caráquez and is known to everyone there as “Vientito”, or little wind in English. There is some speculation about where this nickname name comes from; most people say it is because as a child he was so thin they thought even a little wind would blow him away
Now that he’s older, that name can be applied differently as he is the best at getting a variety of jobs done quickly, “like the wind”. Emilio is known as a star athlete of EcuaVolley and he was part of the team representing the province of Manabi.
He graduated from High school in Bahia and has since been working in a variety of jobs and is well known for his ability to be a good mediator, his honesty and his work ethic, qualities that have contributed to the spirit and operation of the Bahia EcuaAssist office.
Adriana was born in Loja. She grew up in a family where most of her members are lawyers. During her childhood, she showed a great passion for music, especially for singing.
Before finishing high school, she got interested in learning another language, that is why she traveled to Orono, Maine where she learned English.
Adriana studied economics at Universidad Internacional del Ecuador. There, she managed to be president of her career. She represented the university in a Forum of economic perspectives in 2018. In turn, she also studied law at Universidad Nacional de Loja. As she belongs to a family of lawyers, she worked in her family business, a law firm in the city of Loja.
She worked there for 3 years while studying both careers. Adriana also worked at a prestigious bank in Loja giving professional services.
In 2019 she traveled to Costa Rica where she got a Diploma in business administration for lawyers at INCAE Business School. She was the youngest of her prom.
In 2020 she decided to move to the city of Quito to take a master`s degree.
She enjoys traveling, cooking and being with her family.
Fernando was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and raised in Manta. When he was 14 years old he started working part-time at a printing press with one of his uncles.
He graduated from high school in Manta and has since been working in a variety of jobs, including in the dining facility of the American military base, and in the dining facility of the German NATO camp in Afghanistan. After this, he returned to be with his family in Ecuador.
He loves music, enjoys good movies, likes to walk on the beach, and thinks life is unique and must be enjoyed.
Romina, was born and raised and Manta, where she has lived her entire life. Romina graduated from high school when she was 17 years old, since then she had had different jobs seeking to improve her skills, get new knowledge and experience.
Romina is studying Environmental Engineer at Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí. She is in love with nature, animals (especially dogs), She likes to travel, music, go to the movies, spend time with her family and friends and learn new languages.
Romina likes to take photos of everything, as the best way to preserve memories in time.
Melina was born in Guayaquil. At the age of three, she moved with her parents to the city of Bradenton, Florida, where she studied at the Freedom Elementary School.
When she was eight years old, she returned to Ecuador to move to the beaches of Salinas where she graduated from the Jefferson High School with a specialization in Biological sciences. During the holidays she worked in her cousin´s pizzeria, Toppers.
Her hobbies include reading, drawing, and her passion, singing. She also enjoys going to the movies, doing yoga and creating fun new memories with her friends.
Maria was born in Tumaco Nariño, Colombia. She has been working since she was 10 years old. Her first job was as a housemaid, but, she was treated like part of the family. At the age of 13, she moved to Cali and worked as a cook in a factory. 5 years later, she went back to her hometown.
Maria got married at 18 and had 4 children. in 2005, Maria and her family moved to Manta-Ecuador and since then, she has been working so hard to give the best to her children.
She became part of our team on April 1st, 2014. She currently has two jobs and helps us not only with office cleaning but many errands outside the office.
During her free time (Sundays only), she goes to church and spends time with her family.
Maria enjoys going to the beach with her children. Her favorite hobby is dancing... especially salsa, as the good Colombian she is.
EcuaAssist had never met such a hardworking woman, who puts her family first rather than her own well-being.
Marisol was born and raised in Bahía de Caráquez. She has a degree as a certified public accountant, with vast experience in accounting, taxes, financial reporting, personnel management, portfolio compiling, and digital media. A positive, responsible, proactive, and serious person with good human resources management, Marisol loves collaborating with others and looks forward to contributing her knowledge and experience with EcuaAssist.
The most important things to her in life are her children, parents, husband, and grandparents. Her free time is spent sharing and enjoying with these wonderful people. She also loves to read and watch movies.