About the blog

Teresa Lozano

Teresa 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.

Terry-Ann Segree

A 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.

Therese Turner-Jones

Born 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).

Thomaz de Carvalho Pacheco e Silva

Thomaz 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.

Tom Sarrazin

Tom 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.

Valentina Echeverry

Valentina 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.

Valentina Ochoa Restrepo

Valentina is the National Coordinator of the WE Finance Code in Colombia. At IDB Invest, she leads efforts to bring together the country’s financial sector to expand financing for women-led businesses. She has more than 12 years of experience in financial inclusion, sustainability, and social development across the financial, public, and multilateral sectors. Before joining IDB Invest, she headed Asobancaria’s Social Innovation Lab, where she led industry-wide initiatives to advance the inclusion of historically underserved populations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Universidad de los Andes and master’s degrees in public policy and international public management, including one from Sciences Po.

Víctor Fort

Víctor 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.

Victoria Luca

Victoria Luca is a Development Effectiveness consultant in the Development Effectiveness Division of IDB Invest, where she supports the evaluation of projects in the manufacturing and agribusiness sectors, as well as the development of knowledge products. Previously, she worked as a research assistant on various projects related to international trade, economic geography, and environmental economics, as well as a policy advisor in the public sector. She holds a Master’s degree in economics from the Universidad de San Andrés in Argentina.

Victoria Reca

Victoria Reca is a consultant for the Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory team at IDB Invest. Victoria collaborates with different actors, including multilateral organizations, the private sector and non-profit organizations, in the development and integration of diversity and social inclusion strategies and initiatives, with a focus on women's empowerment. She has more than ten years of experience working in sustainability and social impact, with clients and projects in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Victoria has worked at BSR, Natura Cosmetics and Hystra, among others. Throughout her experience, she has covered the topics of sustainability and social impact, including women's empowerment, diversity, human rights, and the base of the pyramid, from different perspectives. Victoria has a Master's Degree in Sustainability and Social Innovation from HEC Paris and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Economics from the Torcuato Di Tella University.

Virginie Couchet

Viviane Azevedo

Viviane Azevedo is a Senior Economist in the Development Effectiveness Unit at IDB Invest, where she focuses on impact management for private sector investments. In her role, she provides technical assistance to clients, conducts impact evaluations, develops tools for impact measurement and management, and leads collaboration with various multilateral development bank working groups, with a strong emphasis on harmonizing employment measurement methodologies. With over 15 years of experience in the design, supervision, and evaluation of development projects, Viviane specializes in the areas of financial inclusion, poverty measurement, and social development. Within the IDB Group, she has held various roles, including positions in the Opportunities for the Majority Unit, the Research Department, and the Social Sector. Before joining the IDB Group, she was an Assistant Professor of Economics at Loyola College in Maryland. Viviane holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.