Rethinking Innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean

Valeria Di Fiori

Resident Representative in Uruguay, World Bank Group

Valeria Di Fiori has experience in development, with a special emphasis on private sector investment promotion. She began her career at the World Bank Group as an Investment Policy and Promotion consultant, advising governments on issues related to foreign direct investment. At the International Finance Corporation, she dedicated herself to identifying new investment opportunities and developing relationships with the private sector, authorities and civil society in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Di Fiori has a degree in International Relations from Universidad de San Andrés and a Master's degree in International Politics from Georgetown University.

Azucena Arbeleche

Minister of Economy and Finance of Uruguay

Azucena Arbeleche is the first woman to hold the Minister of Economy and Finance position in Uruguay. She chaired the Development Committee of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, was an advisor to several Ministers on financial and debt-related issues, and was the main economic advisor of the National Party in Uruguay, as well as Director of the Sovereign Debt Management Unit in the Ministry of Economy and Finance. As an independent consultant in debt management, she advised governments and international institutions. As a teacher, she taught at different universities in Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay. She is an Economist from Universidad de la República and holds a Master's Degree in Applied Macroeconomics from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

William Maloney

Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean, World Bank

William Maloney has been working at the World Bank for more than 20 years. Prior to that, he was Chief Economist for Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions, and Trade and Competitiveness, and of the Development Economics Research Group. He was a visiting professor at the Universidad de los Andes, Colombia, and worked closely with the Colombian government on matters of innovation and modernization of companies. He publishes in academic journals on topics related to international trade and finance, labor markets in developing countries, and innovation and growth. He leads the Productivity Project and carries the voice of the World Bank in applied research in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Maloney holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California Berkeley.

Marcela Eslava

Professor of Economics, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia and President, Latin America and the Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA)

Marcela Eslava was Dean of Economics at the Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia. Her research agenda focuses on the relationship between business dynamics, productivity, and regulations. Her research has been used in public policy discussions in different international instances and published in international academic journals. She has participated in multiple committees and missions to analyze public policy issues and produce statistics for the Colombian government. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Research Institute for Development, Growth and Economics, RIDGE. Eslava holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Daniel Gaviria

Founding Partner, Alimentos SAS, Colombia

Daniel Gaviria is a Partner and co-founder of Alimentos SAS and Dream Foods Caribe, companies in the agribusiness sector in Colombia, dedicated to the production and marketing of natural and concentrated fruit pulp, which have expanded their market to North America, Europe, and Asia. He is an advisory member of the boards of directors of Alimentos SAS, Dream Foods Caribe, Pagoma SA, and Laboratorio Erma SA. He is an entrepreneur with experience in the food sector, leading projects that transformed production technology, expanding markets, and the inclusion of new product lines. He is an Industrial Engineer and holds a Master's Degree in Senior Management from the Universidad de los Andes, Colombia.

Juan Pablo Saltre

CEO, Ventus, Uruguay

Juan Pablo Saltre as president and founding partner of Ventus in Uruguay has more than ten years of experience in the renewable sector and is the founder of the Uruguayan Wind Energy Association. Ventus is a Latin American engineering company specializing in the construction of renewable energy projects, offering services for every stage of a project: development, construction and operation. It is expanding its activities in the Americas with a presence in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay and the United States. Saltre is an industrial engineer from the University of Montevideo.

Carlos Armando de la Flor

CEO, María Almenara, Perú

Carlos Armando de la Flor is CEO and co-founder of María Almenara, the leading Peruvian pastry shop in growth and expansion with 20 stores in Peru. He is an Endeavor Entrepreneur, was recognized in 2022 Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young in the Medium Company Category and is one of the Top 100 Executives with the best business reputation in Peru, ranking 60th in the Merco 2024 Ranking. He is a founding member of the Restaurant and Related Committee of the National Society of Industries Guild, a representative of the Private Sector before the Board of Directors of Proinnovate, the government agency for business innovation, and is part of the Advisory Committee of the Master's Degree in Innovation at the Universidad de Lima. He is a speaker and mentor on innovation, talent and culture, and digital transformation. De la Flor holds an MBA from Pacífico Business School and ESADE.

Marcela Meléndez

Deputy Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean, World Bank

Prior to the World Bank, Marcela Meléndez was Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Partner and Director of ECONESTUDIO (Colombia) and Professor at the Faculty of Economics of the Universidad de los Andes (Colombia). Meléndez is an applied microeconomist with research interests in economic development. Melendez holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University. At the World Bank, she produces and supports the production of research on the region's most pressing problems.

Juan Manuel Lopera

CEO, TOMI Digital and Aulas Amigas, Colombia

Juan Manuel Lopera has been a social entrepreneur since he sold his first company at the age of 19. Founder of Aulas AMiGAS, TOMidigital.com, Maestros que Inspiran, and other organizations dedicated to education in Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, India, among other countries. He was awarded by MIT University as Innovator of the Year, Most Innovative Company in the country for two consecutive years, HundrED Finland as one of the 3 most important educational innovations in the world, along with other significant international awards for innovation and education.

Ignacio Ibarzábal

Executive Director, Argentinos por la Educación, Argentina

Ignacio Ibarzábal is one of the main educational references of civil society in the region. He studied and taught Law at the Universidad Austral, and worked in the Government of the City of Buenos Aires and the National Congress, in addition to contributing to the development of various NGOs. He taught at Harvard University's School of Government and was a visiting fellow at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of the book "Organizing: People, Power and Change". He collaborates with global leaders as a member of The Leading Change Network. Ibarzábal holds a Master's degree in Education from Harvard University.

Ernesto Schargrodsky

Professor and former President, Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Argentina

Ernesto Schargrodsky is a professor at the School of Business and director of the LICIP (Laboratory for Research on Crime, Institutions and Policies) at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. He was President of the University between 2011 and 2019, and previously, dean of the Business School (2006-2011). He was Director of Socioeconomic Research at CAF. He has been a visiting professor at Stanford and a visiting researcher at Harvard. In addition, he is an independent researcher at CONICET, an affiliated researcher at J-PAL, a full member of the National Academy of Economic Sciences and a fellow of The Econometric Society. Schargrodsky holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University.

Juan David Aristizábal

Professor of Leadership and Public Affairs at CESA and Founder Talento LATAM, Colombia

Juan David Aristizábal from Talento LATAM has promoted innovative solutions to problems in Latin America through entrepreneurship, educational methodologies, and technology for cultural change. He has received multiple international awards, such as recognition from Fundación Princesa de Girona, the title of WISE Emerging Leader in Education by the Qatar Foundation and highlighted by Forbes as one of the 30 social entrepreneurs who are changing the world. He is the author of four books on cultural transformation and leadership and was CEO of PROtalento. He holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from CESA and a Master's degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Columbia University.

Cecilie Brøkner

CEO, Innovation Fund Denmark (Innovationsfonden)

Cecilie Brøkner throughout her career has held several senior leadership roles across various government ministries, including the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Interior, and has gained extensive experience within both the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry, in Denmark. She began her career in development roles and has international field experience, having lived and worked in Tanzania and Bangladesh with both the European Commission and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In 2012, she co-founded the company Hayer, which developed an innovative hay scale for specialized applications. Brøkner holds a degree in Political Science from Aarhus University and an MBA from Copenhagen Business School (CBS).

Sabrina Sauksteliskis

Executive Director, Programa, Uruguay Innovation Hub, Uruguay

Sabrina Sauksteliskis, in her role as Executive Director, leads the UIH team, a program that seeks to promote Uruguay at the forefront of the knowledge economy. She is in charge of the design of the program's strategy and the execution of initiatives and instruments for the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and financing in the early stages of entrepreneurship. She worked as an advisor to the Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining of Uruguay and held management positions in the areas of strategy and communication at the Universidad Católica Uruguay. She has a degree in Communication and a Master's degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the Universidad de Barcelona.

Fernando Peirano

Professor Universidad Nacional de Quilmes and Former President, R+D+I Agency, Argentina

Fernando Peirano was Subsecretary of Policies in Science, Technology, and Productive Innovation, in charge of the Plan Argentina Innovadora 2020, Professor and researcher at Universidad de Buenos Aires and Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, and visitor professor at several universities. He has several studies on science, technology, innovation policies, and productive structure and development in Latin America. He directed projects for ECLAC, IDB, IPEA, RICYT, among others. He was an advisor to business chambers, technology companies, and trade unions on Industry 4.0 and Technology Centres. Peirano has a degree in Economics from Universidad de Buenos Aires, with postgraduate studies at the Universidad Complutense of Madrid and at ECLAC, United Nations.

José Miguel Benavente

Executive Vice President, Corporación de Fomento de la Producción, CORFO, Chile

José Miguel Benavente was Senior Lead Specialist of the Competitiveness and Innovation Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). He was a Professor at the Business School of Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez and an Academic of the Department of Economics of the Universidad de Chile. His professional work, research, and teaching cover economic development, innovation, productivity, R+D, SMEs, entrepreneurship, and the economics of arts and culture. He has been a columnist, editor of an indexed scientific journal, consultant to international organizations, and advisor and vice president of the National Innovation Council. Benavente is an Industrial Civil Engineer from the Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, he holds a Master's degree in Economics from Universidad de Chile, a Master of Science, and has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Oxford in England.

Andrés Valenciano

Chief of Office, United Nations ECLAC in Washington D.C. and former Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica

Andrés Valenciano as Minister of Foreign Trade was responsible for Costa Rican foreign trade policies, export promotion, and attraction of foreign investment, as well as the official representation towards the WTO. He led the last stages of Costa Rica's accession process to the OECD. He was Executive President of the Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje and Executive Director of several local and international NGOs, working in education, public health, social housing, and economic development projects, in partnership with PAHO, IDB, UNDP, ILO, among others. Valenciano is an Industrial Engineer from the University of Costa Rica, with a Master's degree in International Business from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, a Master's degree in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School, and a Lee Kuan Yew School Senior Fellow in Public Service from the National University of Singapore.