Regional Roundtable sobre Finanzas Sostenibles para América Latina y el Caribe

Alejandra Díaz Agudelo
Director of Sustainability, Seguros Bolívar

Alejandra Díaz is Colombian and has studies in political science and a post-graduate degree in corporate social responsibility. She has 17 years of experience in the insurance sector. She is currently Director of Sustainability at Seguros Bolívar where she is in charge of leading the company’s sustainable business strategy, including climate change and inclusive insurance initiatives.

Previously, she served as Head of Growth for Colombia at the Microinsurance Catastrophe Risk Organisation (MiCRO), a reinsurer specialized in design and implementation of index based insurance against natural disasters for the most vulnerable, and as Director of sustainability, financial inclusion, consumer protection and agricultural insurance at the Federation of Colombian Insurers (FASECOLDA). She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Microinsurance Network (MiN) and head of the Inclusive Insurance Working Group of the Inter-American Federation of Insurance Companies (FIDES).

Marisela Alvarenga
Chief of the Financial Intermediaries Division, IDB Invest

Marisela is Chief of the Financial Intermediaries Division at IDB Invest, which she joined in 2008. She is responsible for the business strategy and coverage of financial intermediaries (FIs) and investment funds. She heads a multidisciplinary team that provides innovative solutions to clients through value proposals of financial and non-financial solutions to contribute to sustainable development in the region through the private sector.

Before joining the IDB Group, Marisela was the Regional Director of Financial Planning for Citibank’s institutional and corporate segment in El Salvador. Prior to that, she was Corporate Finance Manager and Head of Financial Planning at Banco Cuscatlán. She has extensive experience in the banking, financial planning, corporate finance and capital markets’ sectors.

Marisela earned a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, with a major in Banking and Finance, through the exchange program with the Otto Beisheim (WHU) Business School (Germany) and is certified in Sustainable Finance by the University of Cambridge, UK. She also has a professional degree in administration and business from Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios – ESEN (El Salvador).

Ivani Benazzi de Andrade
Sustainability Superintendent, Bradesco Seguros

Ivani Benazzi de Andrade is the Sustainability Superintendent at Bradesco Insurance Group, acting in the field since 2017, leading projects such as planning for climate change, sustainable businesses, diversity and inclusion, volunteering, insurance education, sustainability innovation.

In 1984 she started her career at Bradesco Bank, going through different fields. Started in retail and 3 years later in 1987 was transferred to the area of Fiscal Auditing of Bradesco Bank, acting as Fiscal Auditor. Ten years later, she started to work as a buy side investment analyst, specialist in commodities companies at BRAM – Bradesco Asset. In 2007, she became Department Manager at the Department of Market Relations at Bradesco Bank, managing the fields of Investor Relations, Socio-environmental Risks and Sustainability.

She is a graduate in Business Administration, post-graduate in Financial Administration from Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, holds an MBA in Capital Markets from IBMEC – SP and is currently concluding a Masters in Sustainability at Fundação Getúlio Vargas São Paulo(FGV).

Ivani is a member of the commissions of sustainability and innovation at CNSEG, participates in the ASG Integration Commission and the Inclusive Insurance Commission of CNseg(National Confederation of Companies of General Insurance, Private Pension and Life, Complementary Health and Capitalization), in order to accompany the integration of ESG questions in the sector’s operations and the overseeing of the Inclusive Insurance development. She actively participates in discussions on ESG and Climate Change matters promoted by UNEP FI – Principles for Sustainable Insurance and also in the discussions surrounding Microinsurance Network regarding the incentive for the development of the inclusive insurance market directed at low-income persons and small and medium enterprises.

Juan Camilo Barreneche
Land Use and REDD+ Economics and Finance Consultant for Latin America, UNEP

Environmental engineer (U. de Medellín) with a master’s in environmental management (U. de Los Andes), more than 16 years of experience in multiple sectors (building materials, mining, development banking, international organizations) particularly in Environmental topics, ESG risk management, climate change and climate finance, including interventions in Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, El Salvador, Colombia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

Currently supporting LAC region (focus in private sector) as a Land use and REDD+ Economics and Finance consultant as part of the UN REDD Programme (from UNEP).

Cintia Camargo
Retail Credit Director, Itaú Unibanco

Tomás Carmona
Head of Sustainability, SulAmérica Insurance, Life and Pension

Tomás Carmona brings 20 years of experience dealing with environmental, social and governance issues into corporate management and business strategy, NGOs administration and consultancy for United Nations agencies. He is the Head of Sustainability at SulAmérica Insurance in Brazil since October 2015. Previously he worked as Head of Sustainability at Serasa Experian Brazil and Experian Latin America. Prior to Experian he worked as a consultant for FAO and UNESCO and as an administrator at NGO Ação Educativa. Tomás has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration, an Executive MBA and Sustainability Management Specialization.

Gabriel Cecchini
ESG Advisor, Latin America, RepRisk

Gabriel Cecchini is consultant in Corporate Governance, Ethics & Compliance, and ESG based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, advising private and public local and regional organizations in the design, implementation and evaluation of their governance and integrity strategies, programs, and tools. Cecchini is Senior ESG Advisor, Latin America, at RepRisk AG, and Director, ESG Integridad. Previously, he was Director, Integrity & Reputation, Governance Latam and between 2009 and 2016 Coordinator of the Center for Governance and Transparency at IAE Business School in Buenos Aires. There he coordinated research and support to companies in the field of business ethics, anti-corruption, corporate governance, and ESG and was instrumental in setting up the First Argentine Best Practices and Compliance Network. He implemented the first four editions of the U.S.-based Ethics & Compliance Initiative’s LPEC Certification Program in Latin America.

Cecchini is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Transparency and Anti-corruption and has been part of the Advisory Committee, PACI project on “The Future of Trust & Integrity”. He is also member of the B20 Italy 2021 Taskforce on Integrity & Compliance, and of Ethisphere/World’s Most Ethical Companies Methodology Advisory Panel. He has been instructor in the three most recent editions of the Compliance Training program organized by Thomson Reuters Latin America.

He frequently speaks at professional conferences in Argentina and abroad, and contributes to media outlets, including El País (Spain), La Nación (Argentina), Expansión (México), Devex (U.S.), El Cronista (Argentina), and CNN En Español (U.S.). He is a co-author of the publication “A Practical Guide for Collective Action against Corruption” (2015) written for the United Nations Global Compact and contributor to the book “Treatise on Compliance” (Thomson Reuters La Ley, 2018).

Cecchini has a B.A. in Communication from the National University of Córdoba in Argentina and an M.A. in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago, U.S.A.

Patricia Coimbra
Human Capital, Sustainability and Marketing Vice President, SulAmérica Insurance Brazil, & Member of UNEP FI Global Steering Committee

Patricia Coimbra is Human Capital, Sustainability and Marketing Vice President for SulAmérica Insurance Brazil, member of SulAmérica’s Executive, Human Capital and Sustainability Board Committees and President of Human Resources Commission in National Insurance Confederation (CNSeg). She also represents Latin America Insurance Sector at the UNEP FI Global Steering Committee. In 2013, the executive was put in charge of Human Capital and Sustainability at SulAmérica Seguros, where she is responsible for the HR and Sustainability strategy and operation, supporting a team of 5,000 employees, 30,000 brokers and 7 million clients. Before SulAmérica, she worked at OI Participações, SC Johnson and Shell Brazil. Patricia has earned a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) and a degree in Economics from Universidade Candido Mendes in Rio de Janeiro (UCAM). She also obtained a postgraduate degree in Marketing from PUC-Rio.

Ricardo Cuesta
CEO, Produbanco Grupo Promerica

Graduated from FIU – Florida International University in Economics and Latin American Studies. His proficient training is complemented by international seminars on Digital Transformation Strategy, Strategic Planning, Marketing, Management, Treasury, Corporate and Consumer Credit, among others.

His professional career has been connected to the financial sector, holding positions of high responsibility at a national and international level in institutions of recognized trajectory: Citibank, N.A. (Mexico, Panama, Ecuador); Banco Aserval (Ecuador); Sociedad Financiera and Banco MM Jaramillo Arteaga (Ecuador); Chief Executive Officer for Banco Promerica Ecuador and, for the last six years as Chief Executive Officer for Banco de la Producción – Produbanco, member of Grupo Promerica (PFC – Promerica Financial Corporation).

He has actively participated in boards of organizations related to the financial sector: Chairman of the Board of ASOBANCA, Private Banking Association of Ecuador; Senior Director of the Fondo de Liquidez de la Banca Privada del Ecuador, Private Bank´s Liquidity Fund; Chairman of the Board of AIFE – Asociación de Instituciones Financieras del Ecuador, Association of Financial Institutions of Ecuador; Credit Rating Committee, Thompson Bankwatch Credit Agency; Administrative Council of CICSA – Central de Informes de Crédito y Cobranzas de México, Credit Bureau of Mexico.

In addition, Ricardo has been awarded the Banking CEO of the Year Ecuador Award for two consecutive years (2017 – 2018) by The European Global Banking & Finance Awards of London, UK.

Octavio de Lazari Jr.
CEO, Bradesco

• Brief Professional History: He started his career at Bradesco Bank, in September of 1978. He was elected Adjunct Executive Director in January 2012, Managing Executive Director in February 2015 and Executive Director Vice-President in May 2017. In March 2018, he was elected Director-President, position he currently holds.

Other Professional Experiences:

• Current: Member of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director of Fundação Bradesco; Member of the Board of Directors BBD Participações SA and Cidade de Deus – Companhia Comercial de Participações; Member of the Board of Directors and Member of the Strategic Committee of BSP Empreendimentos Imobiliários S.A.; Alternate Member of the Board of Directors Fleury S.A.; Member of NAT – Nucleus of Altos Temas; Member of the Board of Directors and Advisory Board of FEBRABAN – Brazilian Federation of Banks; Full Member of the Board of Directors of Odontoprev; Chief Executive Officer of Bradesco Leasing S.A. – Leasing; Chief Executive Officer NCF Participações SA

• Previous: Chief Executive Officer of Banco Bradesco BBI S.A.; President of the Board of Directors of the Brazilian Association of Real Estate Credit and Savings Entities – ABECIP; Alternate Member of the Board of Directors of the Interbank Payments Chamber – CIP; Member of the Board of Directors of CIBRASEC – Companhia Brasileira de Securitização; Member of the Council of Representatives of the National Confederation of Financial Institutions – CNF; Adjunct Sector Director of the Real Estate Credit and Savings Commission and Vice-President of the Governance Committee for the Portability of Credit Operations at FEBRABAN – Brazilian Federation of Banks; Member of the Advisory Board of FIABCI/BRASIL – Brazilian National Chapter of the International Federation of Real Estate Professions; Alternate Director of Uniapravi – Unión Interameriana para la Vivienda; Managing Director of Kirton Bank S.A. – Multiple Bank

• Graduation: Economic Sciences from the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences of Osasco, SP.

• Other courses : Specializations in – Financial Strategies and Marketing by Fundação Instituto de Administração – FEA/USP, Financial Management by Fundação Getulio Vargas – FGV and Strategies in Finance by Fundação Dom Cabral; Bradesco Advanced Management Program by Fundação Dom Cabral 8.3.2021 2

AMP – Advanced Management Program taught by IESE Business School – University of Navarra, São Paulo.

Diana Diaz
Programme Supervisor, UNEP Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative

Diana is part of the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative (PSI), the largest collaboration between the UN and the insurance industry.

Diana has 3 years of experience in the sustainability sector working as a management consultant, city planner, researcher, and project engineer, successfully helping clients to integrate environmental and social issues into their decision-making process. She has worked across various geographies including the USA, the UK, Europe and Latin America with public, private and financial sector clients supporting them to solve complex problems by understanding and making informed decisions.

She holds a BS Hons in Civil Engineering and an MSc in Transport and City Planning from UCL. She has been a researcher in computational modelling and machine learning at Cornell University and the MIT and has complementary courses and specialisations in Finance and investment, ESG investing, Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development, Deep Learning and Neural Networks.

Rafaella Dortas
Head of ESG, BTG Pactual

Rafaella Dortas is responsible for ESG at BTG Pactual. Ms. Dortas joined BTG Pactual in 2015 with the aim to implement an ESG strategy, structure, procedures and processes. Prior to join the BTG Pactual team, she worked at law firms in ​​environmental law (BMA Advogados). Ms. Dortas holds a law degree from the São Paulo Law School of Fundação Getúlio Vargas and an MBA in Environmental Management and Technology from POLI at the University of São Paulo. Lastly, she represents BTG Pactual on ESG committees of several national and international groups such as FEBRABAN, ANBIMA, Equator Principles Initiative, UNEP-FI and PRI.

Mariana Escobar
Head of the Sustainable Finance Working Group, Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia

Mariana Escobar is Head of Sustainable Finance at the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia. With more than 12 years of experience, her work has been focused on issues related to financial inclusion and sustainable banking. Previous to this post Mariana served as Citi Colombia´s Sustainability Manager and was a Senior Consultant for BSD Consulting from where she led the sustainable finance practice. She has also served as a public policy advisor to the Director of the Department of Social Prosperity, was the Deputy Director at the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications, from where she supported financial inclusion and Fintech  initiatives.  

Mariana is an International Studies professional from Bentley University (Boston) and has a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University (New York).

Diego Herrera Falla
Sector Lead Financial Markets Specialist, IDB

Diego is a lead specialist in the IDB’s Connectivity, Markets and Finance Division (CMF/IFD). Its fields of activity are Fintech, regulation, capital market, financial inclusion, productive financing, among others. Prior to that, he was the Superintendent of Risk and Market Integrity at the Financial Superintendence of Colombia. He currently leads the FintechLAC initiative, a platform to promote the Fintech ecosystem in Latin America and the Caribbean. Previously, Herrera worked as Director of Risk and in negotiations in the private financial sector in Colombia. He was professor of financial microeconomics and financial risk at the Universidad del Rosario and at the Universidad de Los Andes, in Colombia. Diego holds a Master of Science in Risk Management from the New York University-Stern School of Business and a Master’s and Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the Universidad del Rosario, Colombia. He recently received a Fintech certification from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is the author of academic papers on financial regulation.

Alejandro Martinez Feres
Head of Investments, Citibanamex

Edson Franco
CEO, Zurich Brazil

Edson has over 25-year experience in Insurance, Pension and Banking. Currently is the CEO of Zurich Insurance Brazil. During his 8-year tenure at Zurich Group Edson was also the CEO of Zurich-Santander Brazil and Regional Latam CEO for Global Life. Before working for Zurich Edson has also worked in ABN Amro Real Bank (CTO and Head of Life Insurance for Real Seguros); Tokio Marine (CEO for Real-Tokio Marine Life & Pensions) and Santander Bank Brazil (Head of Pensions and Head of Retail Investments Committee).

Edson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business by FASP and an MBA (CEAG) by Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) São Paulo.

External appointments

• ABCSI (Foreign Insurance Companies Association)
  • Chairman of the BoD
• CNSeg (Insurance Companies Association)
  • Member of the BoD / Member of the managing committee / Member of the consulting committee
• Fenaprevi (Life and Pensions Federation)
  • Current 1st VP for the BoD and former chairman (2016-2019)

Dennis Fritsch
Project Coordinator, Sustainable Blue Economy Finance, UNEP FI

Dennis is the coordinator and manager of UNEP FI’s Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative, aiming to engage investors, banks and insurers on the topic of ocean health and sustainable finance. The Initiative’s goal is to raise awareness, share practices and develop tools to support the adoption of the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles.

Melissa Garvey
Global Director, Ocean Protection, The Nature Conservancy

Melissa is an experienced conservation leader, responsible for developing and executing strategies, managing teams and ensuring results to address the world’s most pressing challenges to people and nature.  Melissa has been working with The Nature Conservancy since 2006, with an initial primary focus on innovative large-scale land transactions.  In 2018, she took on the role of Managing Director, Global Oceans Strategic Initiatives, and became the Global Director of Ocean Protection in 2019.  She leads the teams responsible for TNC’s global ocean protection, blue carbon and coastal wetland conservation, and reef systems protection and restoration, which work together to drive durable marine conservation results around the world.

The Blue Bonds for Ocean Conservation strategy she leads was a winner of the 2019 TED Audacious competition, with the goal of protecting over 4 million km²  of ocean by restructuring countries’ debt and unlocking $1.6 billion in support of marine conservation.

Prior to coming to the Conservancy, Melissa was an attorney in commercial litigation practice at firms in New York and Colorado, and she served as a law clerk in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York.  She received her J.D. from Cornell Law School, and her B.A., with honors, from Indiana University, with a triple major in Political Science, History, and Economics.

David Grey
Sustainability and Communication Manager, Banco Pichincha

David Gray has nearly 20 years of experience in sustainability, communication and public affairs. He is currently the Sustainability and Communication Manager of Banco Pichincha and has previously worked at institutions such as SABMiller, Pfizer, Rainforest Alliance, Christoffel Blindenmission and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea. He has a solid foundation in matters of Sustainability, Communication, Administration, Governance, among others.

Ricardo Eyer Harris
Chief of Staff for the Director of Regulation, Central Bank of Brazil

Ricardo Harris is currently Chief of Staff for the Director of Regulation of the Central Bank of Brazil. He’s engaged in the discussion of the whole regulatory agenda of the Central Bank, exercising a leadership role in the coordination of regulatory initiatives related to sustainability. He also has experience in banking oversight, payment systems, currency and prudential regulation. Before joining the Central Bank, Mr. Harris worked in financial institutions, structuring mergers and acquisitions as well as project financing transactions. Ricardo Harris holds an MBA in Strategic Management and CFA certification.

Enrique Hederra
Head of Strategy, Development and People, AVLA

Enrique studied Industrial Engineering degree at Universidad Católica de Chile, MBA at Chicago Booth and MSc at Ecole Centrale Paris. Former BCG Consultant, where he developed strategic projects in multiple industries, including Finance Services, across Latin America. He also worked at Itaú in Planning & Corporate Strategy.

Ray Klien
Group Head of Investment Banking, Republic Bank

Ray is the Group Head of the Investment Banking for Republic Bank, the leading capital markets advisory in the Caribbean. In his role, Ray is responsible for mergers, acquisitions, and debt capital markets and structured finance. Previously, he was a Vice President at Citigroup’s Private Bank, where he structured alternative investment products for professional family offices. Before Citi, Ray worked at Morgan Stanley, where he ran a $13 billion alternative investment platform for high net worth clients to invest in private equity and real estate opportunities. Ray holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University of New York.

Ray serves on the Board of Literacy Incorporated, a non-profit organization based in New York that promotes reading for children in low-income communities throughout New York City. He is also the current President of the Columbia Business School Alumni Club of the Caribbean.

Education & Credentials

M.B.A, Columbia University of New York (Graduate School of Business), 2016

Celina Padilla Maerdi
President, Banco Hipotecario de El Salvador

Celina Padilla Meardi has a vision to create better opportunities and make the economy of the country grow through banking services.

In 2002 she graduated with a law degree from the Universidad Dr. José Matías Delgado of El Salvador and in 2004 she obtained her license to practice law in the Republic of El Salvador. In 2005 she earned the authorization from the Supreme Court of Justice of El Salvador to be a notary under the Civil Law System. Celina continued her postgraduate studies achieving a master’s degree in International Transactions and Comparative Law, at the University of San Francisco, California, United States in 2005. She has advanced studies on legal aspects of technology, blockchain having gained her diploma in December 2018 through the Options & Future Institute, in association with Colade and Felaban.

With a 19 year experience in the Banking sector, at Banco Agricola, a subsidiary of Grupo Bancolombia, and a strong commitment to her country and with ethical values as a professional, Celina Padilla Meardi takes the lead of Banco Hipotecario in June 2019, under the administration of the President of El Salvador, Nayib Armando Bukele, to bring a refreshment to the banking business with more products and services to offer, creating efficiency within the bank and a strengthening of the national banking service by contributing with an inclusive way to offer banking products and services.

With a vision focused on clients and modernization, Celina has based its management on four pillars: trust, transparency, respect and communication, which has generated an environment of innovation and development for the entire institution.

Marcos Mancini
Senior Sustainable Finance Advisor, UNDP

Marcos Mancini is Senior Sustainable Finance Advisor for UNDP´s SDG Finance Sector HUB and the UN Convened Financial Centres for Sustainability Network. At UNDP, among other things, Marcos manages the Secretariat for the G20 Sustainable Finance Study Group. Before joining UNDP Marcos was Head of International Cooperation for the UNEP Inquiry where he led the country portfolio engaging with financial regulators on sustainable finance.  

Prior to joining the UNEP Marcos was Head of Corporate Sustainability and Responsible Investment at Grupo Financiero Banorte, the third largest financial institution in Mexico with more than U$D 135 Billion in AUM. Marcos positioned Banorte as a sustainability leader in the financial industry integrating the Group into several leading sustainability indices such as DJSI, FTSE4Good and Stoxx Global Climate Change Leaders among others, managing to grow the responsible investor base at a two-digit rate during 5 consecutive years.  

He chaired the Sustainability committee at the Mexican Banking Association (ABM). Under his leadership the ABM developed a sustainability protocol endorsed by CEO´s of financial institutions comprising 90% of the AUM in Mexico’s banking system.  

Marcos is an Aspen Sustainable Business Leader Fellow. He holds a dual MBA/MS degree from the University of Michigan (The Erb Institute for Global sustainable Enterprise) and an executive master’s in environmental management from EOI.  

Piedad Martin
Deputy Regional Director, Latin America and Caribbean, UNEP

Ms. Piedad Martín is Acting Regional Director of the Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

Since joining the organization in 2015, Piedad has focused on strategic planning and achieving concrete results. She has worked in sustainable development and international cooperation for 17 years, so she has extensive experience in policy and field work in the Nexus between the environment and “Leaving no one behind”.

Before beginning her international career, Piedad worked in the private sector developing sustainable land use planning schemes, natural protected area management plans and strategic environmental impact assessments. In 2004, she joined the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation (AECID) as a Mediterranean advisor on poverty and the environment and coordinator of a regional program, with more than a hundred initiatives in the Mediterranean countries. Subsequently, she was appointed program director of the Technical Office for Cooperation for the Palestinian Territories. In 2006, she joined the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Colombia, as director of the regional office for the Eje Cafetero and Antioquia, and later, as program officer on climate change and energy. During her period in Mexico, she directed the UN Coordination Office, providing support to the Resident Coordinator.

Piedad joined UNEP in 2015 as Regional Coordination Officer for Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, contributing to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda through national policies and the UN Cooperation Frameworks. She was later appointed Deputy Regional Director, and since June 1 she is the interim regional director.

Piedad Martín has a degree in Environmental Sciences. With a master’s degree in economic integration and development economics, she has studied at the Autonomous University of Madrid, the University of Manchester, Tufts University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Rachael Mpashi-Marx
Financial Health & Inclusion, Impact Analysis and Resource Efficiency & Circular Economy

Rachael is motivated by a deep commitment to equality, justice and sustainability for people and the planet. As a strategist, she prioritises the pursuit of rigorous, authentic approaches to purpose, impact and value for her clients. She emphasises collaboration and consultation, alongside structured, evidence-based iterative development and implementation.

As an innovator, Rachael is open and dynamic in her thinking, and diverse in the sources of inspiration and information she draws on. She is irrepressibly entrepreneurial, and is the co-founder of a justice tech startup. She has experience of product and programme development, and is skilled at understanding and integrating customer needs.

A seasoned writer and story-teller, Rachael has a well honed appreciation of the importance of delivering the right message in the most effective way. She has worked in a variety of communication roles, both agency and in-house, specialising in thought leadership and strategy.

She started her career campaigning for the arts, before becoming a project manager and researcher with a Department for Education quango, where she was responsible for, among other things, the national training of Educational Psychologists. She worked for a number of years in human rights and justice, including corporate legal pro bono and CSR. Immediately prior to joining Junxion, she worked with the hospitality industry on a circular economy model that put their empty rooms to use providing breaks for unpaid carers.

rachael.mpashi-marx@un.org

Amaury Oliva
Director of Sustainability, Financial Citizenship, Consumer Relations and Self-Regulation, Febraban

Amaury Oliva is the Director of Sustainability, Financial Citizenship, Consumer Relations and Self-Regulation of the Brazilian Federation of Banks (FEBRABAN). Oliva’s experience includes compliance programs and projects to assist clients to prevent and mitigate consumer claims, and well as projects related to product safety and recalls.

He has previously served as Director of the Department of Consumer Protection (DPDC) of the National Secretariat for Consumer of the Ministry of Justice of Brazil (2013-2015), and as General-Coordinator of Legal Affairs of the Department of Consumer Protection (2008-2012). Oliva has participated in the creation of the Brazilian National Secretariat for Consumers, of the national dispute resolution platform (consumidor.gov.br) and of the Consumer Health and Safety Network of the Americas. He has developed or overseen hundreds of enforcement actions and led major policy initiatives related to the right of information, quality of products and services, product safety, customer service, privacy and emerging technologies. Oliva was the Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Permanent Commission on Consumer Safety, member of the National Council of Private Insurance, and has represented the National Secretary of Consumers and the Brazilian Consumer Network before the Mercosur, the Organization of American States (OAS), the OECD and the UN.

Amaury Oliva is a professor at the National School of Consumer Protection, member of the Brazilian Bar Association, of the American Society of Private International Law (ASADIP), and member of the council of the Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor (Idec).

Amaury holds a Post-Graduation degree in Management of Market Surveillance and Regulatory Activities in Product Safety Systems from the Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona, Spain) and a Bachelor of Law degree from the Universidade de São Paulo (USP).

Valeria Ramundo Orlando
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Greensquare Ventures

Paula Peirão
Partnership Manager, The Nature Conservancy

Paula is the partnership manager for IFACC (Innovative Finance for Amazon, Cerrado and Chaco), initiative convened by TNC, Tropical Forest Alliance at the World Economic Forum, and UNEP Climate Finance Unit.

Previously, Paula was a sustainable finance specialist at WWF-Brazil, consultant for the Good Growth Partnership for UNEP-FI, as well as senior sustainable finance project manager at the Center for Sustainability Studies at Fundação Getulio Vargas. She has over ten years of experience in sustainable finance, developing sustainability integration strategies in financial institutions, including incorporation of social and environmental risk analysis in the credit, investment and insurance segments.

She started her career at HSBC Asset Management as a financial analyst, co-manager of the ISE fund (Corporate Sustainability Index) and responsible for the ESG analysis of equities and fixed income in Latin America.

Paula holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Production Engineering from Stanford University, California, USA, a Specialization in Sustainability Management from FGV-EAESP and a Masters in International Relations from Instituto Empresa (IE-Madrid).

Franco Piza
Head of Sustainability Area, Grupo Bancolombia

Public Accountant, Financial Directing and Organisational Development Specialist, with executive programmes in business management, shared value creation, sustainability strategies and circular economy. Expert in international standards oriented towards Sustainability in the financial sector. He has more than 28 years of experience in the regional banking. Corporate Responsible for the Sustainability strategy of the Grupo Bancolombia from which he promotes sustainable economic development to achieve the wellbeing of EVERYONE. Represents the Group in international sustainability initiatives such as the Principles for Responsible Banking, the Principles for Responsible Investment, the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, the Strategic Committee of the Global Allowance of Investors for Sustainable Development, all initiatives of the United Nations, and forms part of the Expert Advisory Group of the Science Based Targets for the definition of goals for the global financial sector in the face of climate change.

José Pugas
Partner & Head of ESG and Agribusiness, JGP Crédito

José Pugas is a Partner and Head of ESG and Agribusiness at JGP Crédito. With a background in Law, Agribusiness and Sustainability in Brazil and abroad, he has over 15 years of experience in leading projects and companies in various sectors, is a researcher in political science and future studies and is a member of think tanks dedicated to the development of sustainable finance.

Teresa Rossi
Project Coordinator, Instituto Escolhas

Teresa holds an undergraduate degree in History from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) and a specialization in Museology from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). She was a project coordinator at the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI), managing the initiatives of the Environment and Climate Change Program, in partnership with former Minister Izabella Teixeira, and the Americas Program. Prior to this, she worked in the heritage sector of the Roberto Marinho Foundation (FRM) and contributed to the reconstruction of the Portuguese Language Museum in São Paulo.

Rebecca Ruf
Executive Vice President, Programs, Financial Alliance for Women

Rebecca Ruf is responsible for leading peer learning and knowledge programs for the Financial Alliance for Women, a global consortium of financial institutions that focus on building women’s wealth worldwide. She is also in charge of designing and managing the Alliance’s gender data analytics initiatives. Ms. Ruf has over 15 years of experience in international finance, having worked previously for Women’s World Banking, the world’s largest network of microfinance institutions, where she specialized in gender-focused analytics, developing WWB’s first gender performance metrics and leading work on performance standards for the network. She also worked at WWB’s Capital Markets Group, focusing on brokering and advisory and investor readiness activities. Prior to that she worked at Starwood Hotels & Resorts managing international hospitality investments globally. She has a Masters degree in International Development and International Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelor of Science degree with distinction in Hospitality Administration from Cornell University. Rebecca currently serves on the Board of Runa Foundation, a non-profit that is focused on creating sustainable livelihoods for the people of the Amazon through product innovation. She is an Ecuadorian and British citizen.

Gema Sacristán
Chief Investment Officer, IDB Invest

Chief Investment Officer Gema Sacristán, a national of Spain, joined the IDB in December 2008 as an Investment Officer in the Structured Corporate Financing Department, where she subsequently became Chief of the Financial Markets Division. Prior to that, she held several leadership positions in commercial and investment banks in Madrid, London and New York, including Director of the Export and Agency Finance Unit for the Americas at BBVA New York and Vice President and Product Manager for Global Trade Finance at Banco Santander in New York. She holds degrees in economics and business administration from the Universidad Autónoma in Madrid; a master’s in international trade and business from the Universidad Complutense in Madrid; and a master’s in sustainability leadership from Cambridge University, in the United Kingdom.

Milagros Rivas Saiz
Chief for Advisory Solutions, IDB Invest

Milagros is Division Chief, Advisory Services, at IDB Invest, which she joined in 2021. She is responsible for leading the Climate Change, Gender and Inclusion, Sustainable Business and MSME, Digitalization, and Public-Private Partnerships areas.

Before joining the IDB Group, Milagros worked for the International Finance Corporation as Global Strategy Director and Global Director of Advisory Services. In the latter position, she advised private companies and governments on developing projects to the highest standard of sustainability, and on opening markets to private investment. Previously, she was an Executive Committee member of Acciona Energía, where she held several management positions in strategy, innovation, processes and sustainability. Milagros has extensive experience in consulting, from her work for McKinsey & Co, where she played an outstanding role in the energy sector.

Milagros is a member of the Global Future Council on Energy Transition, part of the Ideas Lab of the World Economic Forum. Milagros earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain).

Cesar Sanches
Sustainability Superintendent, B3

Cesar Sanches is Sustainability Superintendent at B3 – Brazil Stock Exchange and OTC Market. He is based in Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil, and spearheads a number of projects and initiatives to promote ESG best practices, sustainable investing, education, reporting as well as develop innovative solutions in data & analytics, natural language processing and machine learning, supporting ground-breaking financial products and indices such as B3’s Corporate Sustainability Index (B3 ISE), Carbon Efficient index (B3 ICO2), Corporate Governance Trade Index (IGCT), Novo Mercado Corporate Equity Index (IGC-NM), Special Corporate Governance Stock Index (IGC), Special Tag-Along Stock Index (ITAG), S&P/B3 Brazil ESG, Special Corporate Governance Stock Index (IGCX). Cesar has earned his PhD in engineering from the University of Sao Paulo, MSc in Economics from the University of Aberdeen and completed the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) Business Sustainability Management course. He also worked on major capital projects across the globe whilst living in Scotland, UK.

Ignacio Sanchez
Resource Efficiency Officer, UNEP

Ignacio Sanchez works as a program officer for the United Nations Environment Program where he coordinates the Resource Efficiency Unit and leads the implementation of initiatives and projects on sustainable consumption and production, the circular economy, the application of cyclical thinking in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Ignacio is the Coordinator of UNEP’s Latin America Environmental Training Network. Likewise, Ignacio has worked for other United Nations agencies in the development of Sustainable Public Procurement initiatives and Waste and Chemical Management in the Health Sector, among others. He has a degree in Environmental Sciences from the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid and a Master’s degree in International Trade from the Menéndez Pelayo International University. 

Amalia Sangüeza-Pardo
Sustainability Superintendent, Santander

Sustainability Superintendent of Banco Santander Brasil responsible for Strategy and ESG Performance. 

Postgraduate in Business Administration from “Universidad Católica del Uruguay” and training in Psychology from “Universidad Mayor de San Andres”, Bolivia. 

Sustainability specialist with 16 years of experience in the Financial sector in Latin America and Europe. 

She served as President of the Sustainability Committee of the Spanish Chamber and as Vice Coordinator of the IBGC’s Sustainability Commission. Acts as Sectoral Director of Financial Citizenship at Febraban. 

Maria Eugenia Sosa Taborda
Latin America and Caribbean Network Coordinator

Maria Eugenia Sosa Taborda is Latin America and Caribbean Network Coordinator for UNEP-Financial Initiative. She has more than 15 years’ experience with the dissemination and consolidation of corporate social responsibility strategy in large companies, sustainable finance and developing innovative projects with positive impacts. She worked for 11 years in the financial sector with different subjects: Financial Education and Social, Entrepreneurship and Environmental Risks and Opportunities, working directly with different Business Units: Investments, Credit and Insurance. Maria Eugenia is graduated in business administration at PUCCAMP and she is currently studying a Masters at USP (São Paulo University) with a focus on social impact.

maria.sosataborda@un.org

Tania Tamariz
Corporate Governance Manager, Banco Guayaquil

• Holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja.
• Holds a degree in Financial Inclusion from CAF – Development Bank of Latin America.
• Corporate Governance and Sustainability Manager in Banco Guayaquil, institution where she has worked for 25 years
• Trained Female Leadership in INCAE Business School
• Vice-president of the Global Pact – Ecuador from 2016 to 2020
• Vice-president of the Sustainability Committee of the Association of Banks of Ecuador.
• Member of the Directory of the Ecuadorian British Chamber
• Former Director of the Ecuadorian Corporation for Social Responsibility – CERES.
• Private sector representative at the Social Responsibility Metropolitan Council of the Municipality of Quito from 2016 to 2019.
• Outstanding Woman of the Year 2011, by the Civic Union of Guayaquil
• National and International Speaker on matters of sustainability.

Pia Tayag
Director of the Office, United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA)

Pia Bernadette Roman Tayag is the Director of the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA).

Ms. Tayag joined the Office of the UNSGSA after spending 18 years at Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). She also worked as the Managing Director of the Center for Learning and Inclusion Advocacy at BSP. This included a focus on inclusive finance, particularly to craft policies and regulations, develop partnerships for financial education, strengthen consumer protection, build stakeholder relations, and implement the National Financial Inclusion Strategy.

A Filipino national, Ms. Tayag graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines and a master’s degree in International Affairs focused on Economic Development from Columbia University. She is also a Fellow in the Fletcher School Leadership Program for Financial Inclusion at Tufts University.

Eric Usher
Head, UNEP Finance Initiative

Eric Usher currently heads the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative, UNEP FI, a global partnership bringing together the UN with 230 banks, insurers and asset managers working to develop the sustainable finance and responsible investment agendas. Eric oversees governance, strategy and day-to-day management of UNEP FI’s work programme and global network development. Over the years UNEP FI has established some of the most important sustainability oriented frameworks within the finance industry, including the Principles for Responsible Investment (2006), the Principles for Sustainable Insurance (2012) and work now underway on the establishment of Principles for Responsible Banking. Since joining in 2015, Mr. Usher has focused on accelerating the deep integration of sustainability risks into financial practice, including addressing climate change, natural capital loss and human rights abuses, as well as building out the frameworks for positive impact finance needed to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Eric sits on several industry bodies including as UN representative on the Board of the Principles for Responsible Investment, as a member of the Evaluation Council of the French sovereign green bond, as Director for the impact fund REPP Africa and founder of the Seed Capital Assistance Facility.
Prior to leading UNEP FI, Mr. Usher has over twenty years of experience in the low carbon sectors, spanning technology commercialisation in Canada, solar rural electrification in Morocco and financial sector development across emerging markets. During 2011, Mr. Usher worked on the establishment of the Green Climate Fund and led efforts to create its Private Sector Facility. Eric has been an editor of the Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment report published annually with Bloomberg and was lead author for finance of the IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources. Before joining the UN, Eric was General Manager of a solar rural electrification company based in Morocco.

Gerardo Salazar Viezca
General Director of Risk and Credit Management, Grupo Financiero Banorte

He currently works as General Director of Risk and Credit Management in Grupo Financiero Banorte; is a member of the Council of Administration of Grupo Financiero Banorte; Banco Mercantil del Norte; Arrendadora and Factor Banorte; Solid Portfolio Manager; Insurance Banorte and Pensiones Banorte. He was General Director of Banco Interacciones from 2004 to 2018 and Corporate Director of Group Risk Management Financial Interactions from 2002 to 2004. Previously, he has held the Corporate Banking addresses at both Bancomer and BBVA Bancomer.

His work history in the banking sector has been enriched by professional experiences in Banamex, Banco de México and the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit. He has also stood out in the academic field as a professor and for postgraduate studies that include doctorates, Master’s degrees and specializations in Economics, Administration of Business, Finance and Social Sciences; in institutions such as the Tec de Monterrey, the UIA (of which he was Director of the Department of Economics), the ITAM, Harvard University and the New York Institute of Finance. Has been awarded with scholarships from different Councils and Foundations such as Conacyt and Fulbright. In matters of Corporate Governance, he is certified by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and by the Consortium of Directors (Counselors) of Stanford, Chicago and Darmouth Universities. He is a shareholder of various public and private companies of which he has founded and remains a life member of the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII).

Antonio Wills Wiesner
Technical Assistance Associate, eco.business Fund

Wiesner is an administrator, with a master’s degree in Development Management and Practice and more than 12 years of experience in topics related to impact investments, climate finance and the strengthening of sustainable value chains.

He currently leads technical assistance projects for the eco.business Fund related to the development of impact assessment frameworks, the establishment of sustainable management systems and the financing of eco-efficient practices, equipment and technologies in the agricultural, aquaculture and tourism sectors.

Martín Ezequiel Zarich
CEO, BBVA, Argentina

Mr. Zarich has been BBVA Banco Francés S.A.’s General Manager since 2015. Previously, he held several positions, including Deputy Director of BBVA Francés; Regular Director of BBVA Consolidar Seguros S.A.; Regular Director of BBVA Francés Valores S.A.; Board Chairman at Banco Francés Foundation; Chief Innovation & Development Officer at BBVA Banco Francés S.A. (BBVA Argentina); Chief Financial and Planning Officer (BBVA Argentina); Associate Chief Business Development Officer at BBVA Spain, and Chief Business Development Officer for South America; Director of Credilogros S.A.; Director of Banco Francés Uruguay S.A.; Chief Commercial Development Officer at BBVA Spain; Chief Retail Banking Officer (BBVA Argentina); Chief Financial & Development Officer (BBVA Argentina); member of the Steering Committee at BBVA Argentina; Chief Merger Officer at BBVA Argentina; Chief Planning, Management Control and Audit Officer at Banco de Crédito Argentino; Management Control and Budget Manager at Banco de Crédito Argentino; Senior Economist at Banco de Crédito Argentino.

He is has a Bachelor Degree in Economics from the University of Buenos Aires, and holds a Master Degree in Economics from UCEMA, and a MBA from the Chicago University.