Felipe Bayón, GeoPark’s CEO since June 2025, outlines the company’s strategy, Latin American growth plans, and approach to managing oil-price volatility during an interview at the New York Stock Exchange. He emphasizes that GeoPark remains a safe, reliable, ethical, and profitable operator.
The strategy is twofold: protect and maximize existing assets with strong operational discipline, and return to a growth path through expansion projects that increase scale and long-term shareholder value.
The strongest catalyst is Argentina, where GeoPark closed a Vaca Muerta deal in record time, acquiring two unconventional blocks and targeting an increase from 2,000 to 20,000 barrels per day within three years. Bayón notes that Vaca Muerta now rivals the Permian as a top global unconventional basin.
To handle oil volatility, GeoPark maintains disciplined capital allocation, low leverage, and a robust hedging program—90% hedged in 2024 and 63% in 2025 with a $65 floor—allowing flexible capex across cycles.
In Colombia, production is being maintained with $120M in capex, while future upside depends on political willingness to reopen exploration.
Bayón closes by stressing the importance of speaking directly to U.S. and Latin American capital markets and positioning GeoPark as a regional energy leader with global investor appeal.
