Presentation of the Report on Economic Development (RED) 2020

Pablo Sanguinetti

Vice President of Knowledge, CAF –Development Bank of Latin America-

He has a Ph.D. and a Master's in Economics from the University of California, and a Master's in Economics from Instituto Torcuato Di Tella. Currently, he works as a professor of Economics at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella. His research interests are in the areas of foreign trade and integration, economic development, and fiscal federalism. Previously, he was a researcher and visiting professor at the University of New Mexico, the University of Texas (A&M), and the University of Bonn. He has been a member of LARR (Latin America Research Review) and has worked as a consultant for the World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and CAF-development bank of Latin America. He has also been member of the board of the National Commission of Foreign Trade of Argentina.

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The Honourable Colm Imbert

Minister of Finance, Trinidad and Tobago

Registered Engineer with two degrees in Civil Engineering and two postgraduate degrees in Law. He has over 40 years’ experience in the construction industry.

To date, he has served as an elected PNM Member of Parliament for 29 continuous years and as a Cabinet Minister in six PNM Governments for an aggregate Cabinet experience of over 18 years. 

He has served as Minister of Works and Transport; Minister of Local Government; Minister of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education; Minister of Health; and Minister of Finance. After the PNM’s victory at the General Election in 2020, he was reappointed as Minister of Finance.

 

Fernando Alvarez

Senior Research Economist, CAF -Development Bank of Latin America-

Senior Research Economist at CAF Socioeconomic Research Unit, where he has been working for more than 10 years. Before joining CAF, he was a Research Economist at the Central Bank of Venezuela.   He is an Economist from Universidad Central de Venezuela with a Master Degree in Operations Research from Universidad Central de Venezuela and a PhD in Economics from The University of Rochester.    His research interests relate to Productivity and Growth, Labor Economics and Development Economics. 

 

Reinier Schliesser

Principal Economist, CAF -Development Bank of Latin America-

Economist from the Universidad Central de Venezuela with a master in International Development from Harvard University. Have had extensive work experience with international organizations in the region, including the IADB and the European Union. Has been working in CAF for the last six years as Principal Economist at the Macroeconomic Studies Unit, in charge of macro intelligence for Venezuela and the Caribbean.

Ignacio Apella

Pensions Expert, World Bank

Economist for Social Protection at the World Bank, and has worked on social protection, pension policy and health economics in many Latin America countries. He graduated as an Economist from the University of Buenos Aires and went on to receive a MA on Economics from the University of Buenos Aires. Before joining the World Bank, he was a researcher at the Center for the Study of State and Society (CEDES) and he was Vice Director at the Department of Economic at the University of Buenos Aires. He is author of many studies on social security and pension, health economics and industrial organization in the private pension funds. Recently he published a book on expanding old age income protection coverage in fourteen Latin American countries. He is professor of Microeconomic at the University of Buenos Aires.

Douglas Camacho

Deputy Chairman of the National Insurance Board

Camacho is an accountant by profession with over 35 years of leadership experience within a leading financial institution. He is the past president of The Association of Trinidad and Tobago Insurance Companies (ATTIC) and the Insurance Association of the Caribbean (IAC).

He is the current Chairman/Director of Home Mortgage Bank. In addition to this position he also serves as Chairman/Director on several other boards which includes: Unit Trust Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UTC), The Sport Company of Trinidad and Tobago (SPORTT), National Insurance Board of Trinidad and Tobago (NIBTT), Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Finance Company Limited (TTMF) and National Insurance Property Development Company Limited (NIPDEC).

 

Maria Daniel

Partner, Strategy and Transactions, Ernst & Young

Partner in the Strategy and Transactions practice based in the Trinidad office. She has led several high-profile engagements and has provided clients with advice on raising both debt and equity capital as well as strategic options analysis towards maximizing shareholder value. She specializes in business valuations, transaction support services on both the buy-side and sell-side of the transaction, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, independent business review, receiverships, restructuring, strategic advisory services, and turnaround advisory.

She is a Chartered Financial Analyst Charter holder, holds an FCCA designation and a BSc. in Economics and Management (Upper Second Class Honors) from the University of the West Indies.  Maria is also a licensed Trustee under The Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act of Trinidad and Tobago.

Jennifer Rouse

Gerontologist, University of the West Indies

Gerontologist by profession and is a part-time lecturer at The University of the West Indies at St. Augustine.She attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where she completed a double major in Social Work and Africana Studies, and graduated with a Baccalaureate degree (cum laude).

Dr. Rouse graduated with her Masters degree in Policy Sciences, with the area of concentration in Ageing Issues; and later, she graduated with her Doctorate in Public Policy in Ageing Issues. Her doctoral thesis is entitled: A Case Study in Ageing Policy in Trinidad and Tobago: the Role of Interest Groups in Defining New Policy Initiatives.

In August 2003, Dr. Rouse relocated to Trinidad to assume duties as the country’s first Director of the Division of Ageing, in the former Ministry of Social Development, until August 2018. The Division was established to serve as an umbrella agency to focus ageing initiatives.

 

 

Gianpiero Leoncini

Representative in Trinidad and Tobago, CAF -Development Bank of Latin America-

He holds a Politics and Development Studies Diploma from Sciences Po Paris and a Master Degree in Public Administration from Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA), France. He has had a high-level working exposure at CAF for almost ten years, occupying different positions in the Bank’s General Secretariat, building and managing strategic alliances with international organizations, governments, universities and think tanks. As Director of Secretariat and External Relations (2016-2019) he was in charge of coordinating CAF’s governing bodies (Board of Directors, Shareholders' Assembly and Audit Committee) and global outreach.

Previously worked at the Andean Community General Secretariat, in the cabinet of the Secretary General (2007-2010) and in the areas of international negotiations, external relations and political cooperation (2002-2005), providing strategic advisory for the design and evaluation of the General Secretariat's annual action plan.

Wendell Constantine

News Anchor

He is a broadcast personality and entertainer from the Republic of
Trinidad and Tobago. His broadcasting career spans four decades as producer/presenter and news anchor, as content acquisitions manager at public and private television stations and as communications strategist in government communications. He is a former communications manager for a global energy company and a former chief executive officer for Trinidad and Tobago’s state media company.

Constantine was the anchor of the opening ceremony for the 5th Summit of the
Americas (OAS) and co-host for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
(CHOGM), two world-leader conferences held in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009. He
has managed official visits for former US Secretary of State (Retired General) Colin Powell, former Olympic athlete Ato Boldon and three Miss Universe winners.
Wendell Constantine serves on the boards of three non-profit organisations involved in global athletics, humanitarian service and youth development.