Discover best practices and trends from the Latin American and Caribbean private sector shared by IDB Invest specialists in agribusiness, climate change, development impact, energy, financial institutions, gender, transportation, and more.
Blog authors
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Susana MarínSusana Marín is a Fund Manager at IDB Invest, where she joined in 2019. In her role, Susana is crucial in managing financial resources, enhancing donor relations and securing major contributions from international funds. She has effectively managed multiple donor-funded technical cooperations, demonstrating her expertise in fund management and commitment to meeting donor expectations. Her leadership in impact reporting to donors and strategic evaluations significantly advances transparency and decision-making within the institution. At IDB Invest, Susana contributes to major project oversight and process enhancements, contributing to the institution's strategic direction and commitment to international standards of cooperation. Susana holds a Master of Applied Leadership & Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. She also earned a Bachelor of Finance from Universidad EAFIT in Medellín, Colombia. Fluent in Spanish and English, Susana is dedicated to using her strategic insights and leadership skills to foster global economic and social dialogues.
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Sustainable Business TeamLike the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), our commitment is to economic growth and social inclusion; that is central to our identity as part of the IDB Group. But our focus is on the private sector. As the private-sector arm of the IDB Group, we know the region. We work where our clients are and can provide them with customized financing solutions and expert advice tailored to their specific industry and market. IDB Invest is owned by its 48 member countries, 26 of which are in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Each country’s voting power is proportional to the number of IDB Invest shares it holds.
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Suzanne JohnsonSuzanne Ferlic Johnson serves as Senior Advisor to the UN Global Compact Sustainable Ocean Business Platform and its work to advance a more productive and sustainable ocean. She is also head of the Lloyd's Register Foundation's Sustainability Program. She has wide ranging experience in the energy sector, having previously worked for energy and water companies in government and regulatory affairs, investor relations and finance. Her energy sector experience also includes investment management, where she was responsible for utilities debt for Schroder Investment Management. Suzanne has served as special assistant to Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations at the American Enterprise Institute.
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Sylvia DohnertDr. Sylvia Dohnert is a Private Sector Lead Specialist at the Competitiveness, Technology and Innovation Division of the Inter-American Development Bank. Her main role has been to lead Compete Caribbean, a multi-donor effort that since 2010 has contributed to increasing productivity and firms’ contribution to economic growth in the Caribbean region by supporting business climate reforms, cluster and value chain initiatives, and innovation and technology adoption by the private sector in traditional and emerging new sectors. Jointly financed by the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, the Caribbean Development Bank and the Government of Canada, Compete Caribbean has since 2010 supported more than 160 projects across its 13 beneficiary countries. Outside of Compete Caribbean and as an IDB specialist, Dr. Dohnert has also contributed to the design of public sector programs to stimulate private sector development in the LAC region. She has co-edited the book: “Are we there yet?:The Path towards Sustainable Private Sector Development in the Caribbean“ (2024), and the monograph: “Exploring firm-level productivity and innovation in developing countries: The perspective of Caribbean Small States” (2017). Dr. Dohnert holds a Ph.D. in Economic Development and Regional Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
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Terence GallagherTerence Gallagher is a British national, based in Washington. He began his career as an investment banker at Citigroup, where he spent 9 years supporting emerging market governments and corporates access the international capital markets, working from London, New York and São Paulo. Since 1999, he has dedicated himself to Microfinance, initially working as a consultant for diverse organizations such as Accion International, Development Alternatives Incorporated, and PlaNet Finance. He joined the IFC in 2008 in Rio de Janeiro where he spent 10 years as a Specialist for Micro and Small Enterprise Finance, responsible for investments in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. As of April 2018, Terence moved to Washington to join IDB Invest as head of Financial Inclusion. He has a Masters degrees in Economics from the University of Cambridge, UK.
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Teresa LozanoTeresa Lozano Carvajal is an international consultant in urban and housing development with a gender, diversity and inclusion perspective. She is a urban architect with a Master's Degree in Urban and Regional Planning of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, PHD in Gender Studies of the Nova University of Lisbon / University of Lisbon, PHD in Urbanism of the University of Lisbon. She is an IDB Invest external consultant in matters of gender, housing and cities, with more than 15 years of experience in international cooperation organizations.
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Terry-Ann SegreeA success driven and highly motivated Strategy and Project Manager with 20 years of experience in the financial markets and 6 years in development finance and project management. Skilled in Project Design and Implementation, Portfolio Management, Strategic Planning, Pension Fund Management, Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development and Public Speaking. Strong leadership and management professional with a Master's degree focused in Strategic Planning from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University.
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Therese Turner-JonesBorn in the Bahamas, Therese Turner-Jones served from 2017-2021 as the General Manager of the Caribbean Group Country Department (CCB), which oversees the Bank's operations in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago. Turner-Jones joined the IDB in 2013 as the country representative for Jamaica, a role she held during her general manager role. She has more than 20 years of experience in the areas of macroeconomics and economic development, with an emphasis on the Caribbean. She has held key positions at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) including the role of Deputy Division Chief for Caribbean Division II, Western Hemisphere Department, and previously as Advisor to the Executive Director for Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean. Prior to her work at the IMF, she was an Assistant Manager of the Research Department of the Central Bank of The Bahamas. Turner-Jones is an economist from the University of Toronto and has a master's degree in economics from the University of East Anglia, UK. She graduated from United World Colleges (Lester Pearson College).
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Thomaz de Carvalho Pacheco e SilvaThomaz de Carvalho Pacheco e Silva has over 15 years of experience spanning investment banking, sustainable investing, and nonprofit leadership. He currently works at IDB Invest, where he supports the organization’s investment efforts in the Amazon region. Previously, he co-founded Good Karma Partners, the largest independent sustainable investment firm in Latin America, and Estímulo 2020, Brazil’s first COVID-relief fund for SMEs, which disbursed over US$35 million in loans to more than 3,000 small businesses. Thomaz has held senior roles in both the private and social sectors, including CFO of RenovaBR and Vice President at Itaú BBA, where he led M&A and equity transactions totaling over US$2 billion. He brings a strong interdisciplinary background with expertise in corporate finance, governance, and stakeholder engagement. He holds a Master’s in International Public Policy (MIPP) from Johns Hopkins University – SAIS, a law degree from the University of São Paulo, and has completed executive and exchange programs at Stanford GSB and Sciences Po, respectively. Thomaz is fluent in Portuguese, English, and French, and has advanced proficiency in Spanish.
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Tom SarrazinTom Sarrazin es editor general y jefe de diseminación del Departamento de Investigación del BID. Cuenta con amplia experiencia en comunicación estratégica, marketing, redes sociales, narración y posicionamiento organizacional. Tiene una maestría en comunicación y habla con fluidez alemán, español, inglés y portugués.
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Valentina EcheverryValentina Echeverry es Líder de Inversiones en AlphaMundi Group A.G. Previamente, se desempeñó como Oficial de Inversión del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo para el sector de Oportunidades para la Mayoría.
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Víctor FortVíctor is Investment Officer in Debt Capital Markets in IDB Invest in Mexico’s office. He enjoys working together with customers and internal teams to find the most suitable financial solution. A successful transaction, for him, is the one that also involves responsible investment and positive impact on businesses, society and environment. He has over 10 years banking experience in underwriting, credit risk management and portfolio monitoring. During his career he has structured several deals for domestic and multinational companies engaged in automotive, manufacturing, energy, telecom and other sectors. Before joining IDB Invest, he worked in GE Capital underwriting and structuring factoring, leasing and asset backed lending deals; and in Banamex he performed credit risk analysis for corporate and investment banking and monitored nationwide the credit business for commercial banking. Victor holds a degree in Economics from ITESM in Mexico and an MBA from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
