About the blog

Samantha Todd

Samantha is Development Effectiveness Officer at IDB Invest. She is part of a team that works on the Development Effectiveness Framework for its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Samantha has an MA in Social Policy from the London School of Economics and a BA in Data, Economics and Development Policy. Before joining IDB Invest, she worked researching reproductive health in Latin America and the Middle East.

Sandra Catalina Angarita

Catalina is an Investment Officer, Financial Institutions at IDB Invest, which she joined in 2016. She is responsible for structuring solutions to expand access to financial services with banks and financial institutions aimed at development, mainly of Andean countries. She started her professional career in the entity as financial analyst, promoting her growth in the management of financial institutions. Before joining the IDB Group, Catalina started her career in risk analysis at Segurexpo de Colombia and subsequently performed credit analysis at Banco de Bogotá. Catalina earned a master’s degree in financial administration from EADA Business School (Spain) and an undergraduate degree in economics from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Colombia).

Sandra Gómez Paradela

Sandra is an Infrastructure and Climate Change Consultant within the Advisory Services Division at IDB Invest. She focuses on implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation measures for private sector infrastructure and tourism projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to IDB Invest, Sandra worked at the African Development Bank (AfDB) in the Ivory Coast, where she implemented transport projects and evaluated climate change strategies. Before joining the AfDB, Sandra researched climate change impacts in Sub-Saharan Africa at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in Switzerland. Additionally, Sandra worked at the Metropolitan Transport Authority of Barcelona (ATM) in Spain, where she supported the deployment of electric bus infrastructure. Sandra holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master in Infrastructure Management, both from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. She also holds a postgraduate degree in International Economics and Foreign Trade from the University of Barcelona, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of A Coruña, in Spain.

Sandra Reyes

Sandra leads the Financial Institutions team for the Andean region of IDB Invest, which she joined in 2007. She is responsible for the origination and structuring of financing operations for financial intermediaries that have an impact on development. She has structured loan transactions and capital investments in the region, promoting access to financing, the empowerment of women and the mitigation of climate change. Before joining the IDB Group, Sandra worked as a capital markets director in the Colombian investment bank belonging to Grupo Aval. Sandra has an MBA from the INALDE Business School, and an undergraduate degree in finance and international relations from Externado University (both in Colombia).

Sebastián Goris Porta

Sebastián Goris Porta is Partner in charge of Utilities & Energy for the Americas at NTT Data. With over 20 years in the IT industry for the energy sector, both for the Oil & Gas and Gas & Power subsectors and with responsibilities in business development and project execution in Europe and Latin America. Sebastián has lived through the liberalization of the energy sector in the early 2000s, the remarkable transformation it entailed, and the current digitalization that the industry is undergoing in Latin America through multiple projects and services for adopting new technologies. Sebastián believes that Latin America is at a turning point, where the convergence of digitalization and technological innovation is paving the way for a more sustainable and efficient energy transition.

Sergio Díaz

Sergio Navajas

Sergio Navajas is a senior specialist at IDB Lab, the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group. 

He leads initiatives that harness financial innovation—including tokenization, artificial intelligence, and next-generation payments—to expand economic opportunity and strengthen financial inclusion.

With more than 25 years of experience across multilateral and bilateral organizations, academia, and the private sector, he has played a key role in advancing financial inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

He has led projects, research, and partnerships that have expanded access to finance across the region.

Today, he focuses on frontier areas that connect emerging technologies with people-centered outcomes in developing markets. 

He holds a doctorate in development and finance from The Ohio State University and has worked with USAID, The Ohio State University, and Banco Bisa in Bolivia.

Shari Johnson

Shari Johnson is a Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the Advisory Services Division at IDB Invest. She supports private sector clients in the Caribbean to maximise their impact and close gender and diversity gaps in the region. As a Caribbean national, Shari also works across the windows of the IDB Group to support the development of th region’s private sector. Prior to joining IDB Invest, Shari was a researcher at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Studies, the LCR Poverty and Equity Global Practice of the World Bank and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Shari holds a degree in Economics from the University of the West Indies, Mona and a Masters in Development Economics from the University of Manchester.

Sigalit Lidai

Sigalit is a Climate Change Consultant at the Advisory Service Division (ADV) of IDB Invest. She is responsible for assessing the Paris Alignment of transactions and estimating climate finance. She designs, develops and executes IDB Invest advisory services to help clients adopt climate resilience and decarbonization measures. Before joining the IDB Invest, Sigalit worked at Start-Up Nation Central, a Tel Aviv-based NGO that connects Israeli tech companies with multinationals and venture capital funds, particularly in the AgFood Tech and Climate Tech. Sigalit holds a degree in Political Sciences from Reichman University, Israel and a Culinary Arts degree from Le Cordon Bleu Peru.

Silja Laakso

Silvia Dangond

Silvia Dangond es consultora en comunicaciones del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo. En la actualidad se desempeña como editora de contenidos para las redes sociales y campañas digitales de BID Invest. Escribe una columna de opinión cada 15 días para el diario digital Las Dos Orillas. Tiene un Máster en Resolución de Conflictos y Comunicación de George Mason University. Es politóloga, y ha trabajado como periodista y corresponsal para radio, prensa y televisión desde Washington, D.C.

Sindy Joya

Sindy Joya is a Supervision Officer, IDB Invest. She has 12 years of experience in the Salvadoran Financial System, previously working in compensation, finance, and treasury areas. She is currently part of the BID Invest team as a Supervision Officer for the Portfolio of Financial Institutions in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. In this role, she manages ongoing relationships with clients and other portfolio-related parties, monitors the Group's exposure, and advances each transaction's progress toward achieving development objectives. She holds a degree in Business Administration from the Central American University José Simeón Cañas (UCA) and a Master's in Finance from Tulane University, New Orleans, USA, and the Francisco Marroquín University of Guatemala. She recently received training focused on sustainable financing from Harvard Business School.