Ashoka
2014 Bogota Economic Inclusion in LATAM - Strategy Thought Partners
Beatriz Linares Cantillo
Beatriz Linares Cantillo has worked for more than 20 years defending the rights of vulnerable groups. A lawyer with a degree in Public Management and Administration from the Universidad de los Andes, she has dedicated a large part of her professional life to working for children, adolescents, youth, women, indigenous groups and communities of African descent. She has a long track record in articulation processes, mobilization and working with regional authorities and communities for cultural empowerment and human rights for vulnerable populations. She is a co-author of the Bill on Children and Adolescents and managed the design and implementation of policy and strategy to prevent the recruitment of children by illegal armed groups. She is currently the General Director of ANSPE (La Agencia Nacional para la Superación de la Pobreza Extrema), committing herself to all Colombian households that live in extreme poverty.
Carlos Rodriguez
Carlos Rodriguez, based in Bogotá, leads Egon Zehnder’s Andean Region office. Carlos advises multinational and regional clients as well as large family-owned groups on their most pressing leadership issues. In addition to senior executive searches, Carlos leads large executive and board assessment projects across different industries. He is active in Egon Zehnder’s CEO Succession, Board Consulting, Technology and Communications, and Consumer Practices, as well as the firm’s Family Business Advisory. Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, Carlos was Global Consulting Director at Pyramid, based in Boston, working as a strategy consultant serving clients in high tech and telecommunications, with a deep focus on emerging markets. Previously, as Business Development Director for Kaplan Latin America, he was part of the team that led the expansion of Kaplan in Latin America. Carlos earned a BS in Business Administration from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, a postgraduate degree in International Management from the ICN Graduate School of Business in France, and a Masters in International Affairs & International Business from Georgetown University in Washington DC.
Edward Jardin
Edward (Ed) Jardine has been with Procter & Gamble’s Latin American Division since 1978 when he started in Venezuela as a Brand Assistant in the Marketing Department. Since 2001, he has been responsible for P&G’s business in the Andean Pact countries as President for Venezuela and the Andean Region. He also leads the company’s overall Low Income Consumer Strategy for Latin America and has addressed varied forums in several countries regarding Low Income Consumer Strategies and Corporate Social Responsibility. Beyond his company duties, Mr. Jardine is currently First Vice-President of the Venezuelan American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VenAmCham), where he also chairs the Social Alliance Committee. He sits on the Board/Advisory Councils of several additional non profit organizations: Conapri (Venezuelan National Investment Promotion Council), IESA Foundation, SEKN (Social Enterprise Knowledge Network) and Ashoka Colombia, among others. He is a Visiting Professor at the IESA Business School in Caracas.
Elizabeth Boggs Davidsen
Elizabeth Boggs Davidsen is a Principal at the IDB’s Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), which uses both grant and investment mechanisms to strengthen the environment for doing business. She is advising the Fund on new partnership opportunities for its grant and investment activities by leveraging and increasing financial and non-financial support for programs and projects through targeted outreach with private foundations, companies, social investors, and governments. Earlier in her career at the IDB she served as a lead architect and Principal Investment officer for the Opportunities for the Majority Initiative, the first dedicated office within a development finance institution to finance inclusive business models using market-based principles. She worked to champion, develop, and implement innovative financing models for firms and communities at the base of the pyramid and led many cross-functional teams in the design of new, scalable partnerships among corporations and financial institutions focused on product and distribution innovation, entrepreneurship, microfinance, and new market entry. She served for three years as a Policy Advisor to the IDB’s Executive Vice President, and as the Principal Coordinator of the MIF.
Evandro Paes dos Reis
Evandro is CEO at ARVOS, LLC, a software business development consultancy boutique. He is a strategist, senior executive, professor, and serial entrepreneur with more than 20 years of business development and management in international locations (Brazil, Latin America and United States). He is experienced in business development, general management, entrepreneurship, information technology, software development, Internet, marketing, sales, offshoring, start-ups, and planning of technology companies. Evandro is a professor in the Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Management of Technology, BSP, since 2008. Previous professional experience includes senior executive positions such as Director of Software Development for Latin America, Convergys, Executive Vice President of Interactive Services and CRM for Latin America at Y & R - Wunderman, Vice President of Interactive Services, General Director of OgilvyInteractive, Ogilvy & Mather Brazil, Partner and Chief Technology Officer Hipermídia Digital Agency and Director of Marketing and Manufacturing Sales Manager and Sun Microsystems of Brazil.
Facundo Garreton
Facundo is founder and CEO of InvertirOnline.com. He entered the technological sector when the Internet had just arrived in Latin America. When he was 20 years old, he founded the first North Argentine internet provider in 1994. Since then he has contributed various internet business during its development in the region. He also worked in the area of business development for Ideal Logic. Facundo studied Systems Analysis at the Universidad Católica de Tucumán. He completed an MBA at UC Berkeley and specialized in finance with a Certificate in Investment Management.
Federico Bellone
Federico is currently Regional Director for Latin America for Porticus, a private charitable initiative whose activities are inspired by Catholic Social Teaching and promote respect for human dignity and social justice. In his former role as senior program manager at the AVINA Foundation, Federico developed and managed an international program for consolidating efforts to avoid deforestation in the nine countries of the Amazon Basin, in partnership with the region's social entrepreneurs and other international partners. Also with the AVINA foundation, Federico has developed international partnerships for socially inclusive markets in Latin America, and for adapting to the arid conditions of Brazil's vast and disadvantaged rural northeast. Federico has also worked as an institutional learning consultant for the Climate and Development Knowledge Network, a DFID-funded program present in 13 countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, as well as with Spain's international aid agency designing sustainable livelihoods programs in nine Latin American countries.
Francisco del Valle Perochena
Mr. del Valle is CEO and co-founder of Grupo Empresarial Kaluz (GEK), a privately-owned group of companies with investments in chemical, industrial and building materials, banking and real estate headquartered in Mexico City. It has operations in more than 40 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Prior to founding GEK, Mr. del Valle held several positions at Grupo Financiero Bital in Mexico and New York City. Currently he is a board member of more than ten institutions and businesses. He also serves as Chairman of Elementia, a building Materials Company focused in four divisions: fibercement, metals, plastic and cement.In 2010 he founded SAE Institute Latin America, a university focused in creative media technologies. This year he launched a private equity fund together with the INADEM (Entrepreneurial National Institute) in Mexico that will promote small and medium entrepreneurial projects. Mr. del Valle is an active philanthropist and has a strong passion for athletics. Through Fundación Kaluz, he supports local Olympic athletes, environmental initiatives, as well as education and housing programs for the bottom of the pyramid.
Francois Lacombe
Francois Lacombe, based in Bogotá, is the President/CEO of Danone-Alquería, a joint-venture between the Danone Group, a food multinational specialized in dairy products, beverages, baby & medical nutrition, and Alquería, a successful Colombian milk and snacking family business. Danone-Alquería manufactures and markets yogurts and dessert products in the Colombian market. Prior to moving to Colombia, he was the President/CEO of Logistica la Serenisima, a Danone-owned food broker and distributor in Argentina and VP Operations & Business development for Danone returnable water jugs subsidiary in Mexico. Francois has led teams and organizations in various countries in Latin America, the US and Canada, in different industries, with different functions and in different maturity cycles. Francois started his career in Benin, West Africa, as a rural development junior adviser at the Delegation of the European Union after internships in various NGOs.
Héctor Casas
Héctor Casas is Principal of the A.T. Kearney office in Bogota with over 14 years of experience in consulting and industry. During his career, Héctor has supported various companies in Energy, Industries of Process and Financial Services in Colombia, Mexico and Peru in the areas of strategy, growth, operations, business strategy, entry strategy into new markets and organizational transformation. Héctor graduated from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico with a degree in chemical engineering and holds a Masters in Chemical Engineering and an MBA from Cornell University. Prior to joining A.T. Kearney, Héctor worked at McKinsey & Company as well as Microsoft. Additionally in 2004, he participated as judge in the "Dupont Sustainable Growth Excellence Awards".
Hernán Mendez
Mr. Mendez became CEO of Procafecol S.A. in August, 2010. To further leverage the successful Juan Valdez global brand, Mr. Mendez focuses on increasing retail sales through traditional channels, establishing and growing a global franchisee network of the award winning Juan Valdez Café, and continuing with sustainable development of the Colombian coffee industry. Prior to Procafecol S.A., Mr. Mendez was General Manager of Falabella de Colombia (“Falabella”). He began with Falabella in 2009 and led a successful acquisition and integration of Casa Estrella stores. From 2002 to 2008, Mr. Mendez had extensive sales, business development and senior management experience as the CEO of Phoenix Packaging Group, a manufacturer of plastic packaging containers and disposable food service products. From 1995 to 2001, Mr. Mendez was the CEO of Alpina S.A., a company that manufactures and sells dairy food products in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and the United States. Prior to his role at Alpina S.A., Mr. Mendez spent ten years with the Dow Chemical Company, where he held various positions, including CFO of Dow Colombia and CFO of Dow Mexico. He has served on the Board of Directors of CMR Falabella Colombia, Sodimac-Homecenter, Inversiones Mundial S.A., Centro Colombiano de Responsbilidad Empresarial, Leasing Colmena, Acoplasticos, and Holcim Colombia. He is a current board member of Arroz Diana and Colmena Life Insurance.
Jack Edwards
Jack worked for Cummins Inc. as the President of its Power Generation Group with more than US $1 billion in sales and fifteen thousand employees. During his thirty years with Cummins, Jack lived and worked in Mexico, Brazil, US and England. Jack was deeply involved in Cummins’ corporate social responsibility initiatives and he started a school for 700 children in Sao Paulo, Brazil; helped start a carpentry business for blind people in Mexico which now employs 100 people and a Women’s Engineering College in Pune, India which now has 1000 students. Jack came to know of Ashoka during his time with Cummins as the company sponsored and supported six Ashoka fellows in the late 1990s. As part of enjoying his encore career in the citizen sector, Jack is also involved with a micro savings and credit program in Colombia and a health clinic for Mayans in Mexico. Jack has worked with Ashoka as a volunteer since 2003, based from his home in Miami, Florida.
Juan Camilo Nariño
Juan Camilo Nariño is vice president of foreign trade at the National Business Association of Colombia (ANDI). He is also an economist for the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and professor of Political Action and Civic Participation at Colegio de Abogados de Madrid, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, and Universidad Francisco de Vitoria. Camilo was coordinator of the Demobilization Process of the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) to the Organization of American States (OAS). From 2004 to 2006, he was responsible for the coordination of demobilization of protests and blockades within the Mission for Support the Peace Process in Colombia. From 2002 to 2004, Camilo served as the assistant manager and director of the Presidential Program to Combat Corruption. Additionally, he has worked as executive director of the Instituto de Ciencia Política. He is a member of the board of directors of the Instituto de Ciencia Política and the editorial board for Revista Perspectiva.
Lorenzo Mendoza
Lorenzo A. Mendoza is Chief Executive Officer of Empresas Polar, the largest private company in Venezuela with interests in food processing and packaging. Mendoza is also a Member of the company's Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and of Grupo GEPP, a joint venture between Empresas Polar, Grupo Embotelladoras Unida and PepsiCo. Prior, he worked as an executive in the M&A department of J. Henry Schroder Wagg & Co. in London (1988-1990) and as executive in corporate banking of Citicorp/Citibank in New York (1987-1988). Mendoza serves as Director of the following institutions: Grupo TELEVISA, Venezuelan American Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Latin America Business Council. He has also served as a Member of the Board of Trustees of Universidad Metropolitana and the Advance Business Institute. He has a degree in Industrial Engineering and an MBA from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.
Luz Mary Guerrero Hernández
Luz Mary Guerrero Hernández is co-founder and president of Servientrega. She is also manager of Efecty, Timón, Global Management, Totalseguros and Red Interactiva. Ms. Guerrero is part of the strategic council of the organization, heading projects focused on globalization, innovation, productivity, competition and modernization that direct different companies in the short, medium and long term. She has received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and the University of Rosario Entrepreneur of the Year award. Ms. Guerrero has also been named one of the Top 100 Best Managers in the country by Revista Gerente and as one of the women with the Best Corporate Reputation in Colombia by MERCO. Additionally, she has been honored as the representative of Colombia in the Arab-Latin American Alliance in Abu Dhabi. She has also been recognized by the Foro Mundial de Mujeres, Women Together (UN), and the Women’s Forum, among others.
Mauricio Camargo
Mr. Camargo co-founded Altra in 2005 after 11 years at McKinsey, where he became a Partner in 1999. As Head of McKinsey’s Bogotá office, Mr. Camargo served as the lead consultant to the boards and senior management of many of the leading public and private industrial conglomerates in the Andean region and Caribbean, including Valorem, Colombia’s largest industrial conglomerate; Grupo Carvajal, a multi-business conglomerate with operations across Latin America; Manuelita, the largest agro-industrial group in Colombia; and Fundación Social, one of the key consumer banking institutions in the country. He was also responsible for advising numerous leading private businesses such as Colombia Telecomunicaciones, Colombia’s largest telecommunications company; Avianca, Colombia´s flagship airline; Cerrejon, the largest mining company in Colombia; and Grupo Leon, a leading Caribbean beverage company. Over the course of this experience, Mr. Camargo was responsible for implementing a range of initiatives aimed at resolving the strategic, operational, and organizational business problems of these companies, including corporate portfolio strategy, business unit strategy, M&A, alliances and post-merger management, performance and profitability improvement, and organizational effectiveness efforts.
Pascal Vinarnic
In 1994, Pascal set up the Demeter Foundation to support incipient and innovative non-profits develop alternative business models helping them in reaching financial self-sufficiency. For about 10 years Demeter focused upon Microfinance in India, Africa and Latin America. Demeter is now focused upon economic tools for the reinsertion of At-Risk Youth (ranging for handicapped to ex-convicts). As an illustration, Demeter is involved with a social incubator developing programs related to the economic integration of handicapped in Latin America; or with the first dedicated investment fund in NY targeting ex-convicts to help them start their business when they are released from jail.
Paula Marra
Paula Marra, an agronomist by profession, is the founder and CEO of Matriarca, a form of productive organization where different rural worldviews co-exist, intertwine and jointly create. She is also a member of the management committee of Grupo de Productores Del Sur as well as Board member of Universidad Torcuato Di Tella ENI Espacio de Negocios Inclusivos. For 20 years, she served as the CEO of Grupo Los Grobo, a leading agribusiness and investment company in Latin America. Currently, she is actively engaged in initiatives such as Nutrición 10 Hambre Cero and Grupo Prisma. Paula holds postgraduate studies in food and agribusiness from the University of Buenos Aires, a Master in Organizational Studies from The University San Andrés and a Master in Child Brain Development from the US.
Paulo Bellotti
Paulo Bellotti is founder and CEO of MOV Investimentos Ltda. Paulo has been working since 2004 as an impact investment manager. Over this period, Paulo has invested approximately US$ 60 million in 11 companies and organized exits and follow-on capital rounds in 6 of these entities. Before 2004, Paulo worked for chemical companies and investment banks. He is currently director at Biofílica, EBES, Terra Nova and TriCiclos; a member of the fiscal council of Instituto Ethos; and has been an advisor to Grupo Balbo (biofuels and biomaterials, renewable energy and organic foods) since 2004. Paulo graduated as a chemical engineer at University of São Paulo in 1988, has a MSc. degree in mathematical modeling also from the University of São Paulo and a MSc. degree in technology and policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT.
Pedro Vargas David
Pedro Vargas David is the CEO and founder of Alpac Capital. He has established deep roots in Colombia through his role as leader of two of the largest non-energy investments in Colombia in recent years, with more than 3.5 Bn USD of expected investment in the retail and industrial sectors. Throughout his career in the regionMr. Vargas David developed privileged access to decision makers in those countries due to the size and impact of previous investments as well as personal and business network. Previously, Mr. Vargas David was a McKinsey consultant in different offices with experience across several sectors (Banking, Insurance, Industrial and Public Sector). He also has an MBA from INSEAD and Executive Training from Harvard Business School and London School of Economics.
Peter Beez
Peter Beez is an economist for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). He has worked in small businesses as well as the World Economic Forum. His has experience in private-public sector collaboration, private and financial sector development (microfinance), financial and economic evaluation, local economic development, corporate governance and public finance. He has experience working in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Sandra Faillace
Sandra Faillace is an experienced serial entrepreneur, angel investor, coach + mentor and former international executive for companies such as ad agency JW Thompson, Siemens and HP (Europe, Asia, LatAm and US) and management consultant that has vast experience in building innovation eco-systems through her involvement in building start-ups in Boston, Bogota and Miami. Through her firm Innovencer she helped build Innpulsa Colombia, the Colombian agency for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. To help transform Miami into the new innovation hub of the Americas she is exited to add her entrepreneurial talent, leadership experience, global network and access to capital to the Venture League of the Americas (ventureleague.org) a network & fellowship program for early stage start-ups to get better access to markets, money and mentors. FurthermoreMs. Faillace serves as advisor and mentor to both accelerators and university incubators in the region as well as to several start-ups besides being the chair woman of a climate technology family business in Europe.
Valdemar de Oliveira Neto
Valdemar de Oliveira Neto “Maneto” is Executive Director of Fundación WTT. Prior to joining the foundation, Maneto was Impact Business Director at Avina as well as founder and executive director of Ethos Institute, a pioneering association that promotes corporate social responsibility in Brazil. Elected fellow of Ashoka in 1986, Maneto served as vice-president of this organization from 1994 to 1998, and was responsible for launching Ashoka’s Global Fellowship Program for social entrepreneurs. He began his career as a lawyer and was co-founder of the Luis Freire Cultural Center, an organization geared to the defense of human rights and provision of legal assistance during Brazil’s military dictatorship. Maneto is currently member of the Stakeholder Advisory Panel on General Electric’s Corporate Citizenship Report. Maneto graduated from the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil, in 1982.
Virgilio Barco
Virgilio joined Acumen as Director of Latin America in September 2013. He is responsible for all Latin America related investments, operations and business development activities. Before joining Acumen, he was the Executive Director of the non-profit Social Investment Bank (Banca de Inversión Social), which has helped lead the development of the impact investing space in Colombia. Prior to that, he was the Founding Director of Invest in Bogota, a public-private partnership that promotes foreign direct investment to the Greater Bogota region. In 2009, Invest in Bogota was ranked as the top non-OECD investment promotion agency in the world by the IFC. Virgilio also headed the privatization unit at the Colombian Ministry of Finance and was an advisor on local economic development for the Bogota Planning Department. He has worked in private equity with FondElec Group, as a management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton in Brazil and as a financial analyst at Citibank Spain. He holds a B.A. in Government from Harvard College, an M.S. from the MIT Sloan School of Management and an M.A. in Economics from NYU.