CAF Conference "European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean: a joint agenda for development"

Graduated in Law from the UNED and in Economics from the Complutense University of Madrid. Previously, she has served as Minister of Economy and Business, General Director of Community Budget of the European Commission and General Director of Internal Market of the European Commission. She has also been an associate professor at the Complutense University of Madrid.

Sergio Díaz-Granados has extensive experience in public and private service, both nationally and internationally, with special emphasis on regional development and integration issues. Before assuming the presidency of CAF, he served as Executive Director for Colombia at the Inter-American Development Bank. He previously held the positions of Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Colombia, Vice Minister of Business Development and President of the Boards of Directors of Bancóldex and ProColombia. He also has been a congressman and chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Colombia’s House of Representatives.

Licenciada en Derecho por la Universidad Complutense de Madrid y diplomada en Derecho Constitucional y Ciencia Política por el Centro de Estudios Constitucionales. Ha desempeñado diversos cargos técnicos en la administración pública y es también miembro de distintos consejos asesores entre los que destacan el consejo de Liderazgo Global de la United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UNSDSN), el consejo asesor global en cambio climático del Foro Económico Mundial, y el de la iniciativa Momentum For Change de la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Cambio Climático.

Ph.D en Economía. Profesor en Liderazgo Global en la Facultad de Asuntos Internacionales y Públicos de la Universidad de Columbia, donde además dirige el MPA (Maestría en Administración Pública) en Liderazgo Global. También afiliado al Centro de Política Energética Global de la Universidad de Columbia, donde investiga sobre política energética y climática.

Como ministro de Hacienda de Colombia entre 2012 y 2018, lideró una serie de reformas fiscales que redujeron los impuestos sobre la nómina, lo que provocó un aumento sin precedentes de empleos formales, al mismo tiempo que introdujo las normas para desestimular el uso de paraísos fiscales y penalizar por primera vez la evasión de impuestos. Enfrentando una reducción dramática en los precios de exportación de materias primas y los ingresos del gobierno, impulsó la política de “austeridad inteligente” que preservó una alta inversión y resultó en una fuerte reducción de la pobreza y la desigualdad. También hizo parte del equipo que lideró el acceso de Colombia a la OCDE.

Fue elegido por Euromoney como ministro de Hacienda del año en 2015. Además de Hacienda, ha sido ministro en otras tres carteras en Colombia: Desarrollo Económico, Transporte, Minas y Energía. 

También fue director del Departamento Nacional de Planeación (DNP). Ha sido director ejecutivo de Fedesarrollo, el principal centro de investigación de políticas de Colombia, y Senior Fellow y director de la Iniciativa de América Latina en la Institución Brookings. También es Miembro Distinguido del Centro para el Desarrollo Global en Washington.

Graduated in economics at the University of the Republic. She earned a master's degree in applied macroeconomics at the Catholic University of Chile. She was the director of the Debt Management Unit of Uruguay's Ministry of Economy and Finance. She was a professor at institutions such as the University of the Republic, the Catholic University of Uruguay, and the University of Montevideo.

He is a lawyer from the UBA with postgraduate research at the London School of Economics. He currently serves as Secretary for Strategic Affairs of the Presidency of the Nation and President of the Economic and Social Council. He previously worked for 14 years at the Inter-American Development Bank and before that he worked as Secretary of Public Function, Minister of Justice, Security and Human Rights, and Legislator for the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Pope Francis appointed him as Member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. He is the author and editor of 17 books on state development issues. He is 59 years old and has 4 children.

(Spain) is vice president for External and Regulatory Affairs at AT&T DIRECTV Latin America, responsible for positioning the company on key regulatory topics for the digital transformation in the region. Before joining AT&T, he was chief economist for Latin America at the OECD Development Centre and worked as lead specialist on Labor at the Inter-American Development Bank. He has served as a senior adviser in the Economic Bureau of Spain’s Prime Minister as well as principal economist at the BBVA Financial Group.

Recognized Expert in Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Technology Innovation, with more than 25 years of experience the Technology sector. She cofounded and was the CEO of Synergic Partners, a Pioneer European Big Data Company, which was acquired by Telefonica group in November 2015. She continued serving as company CEO until the company’s full integration into the Telefonica Group at the end of 2018. Since 2019 until her appointment as Secretary of State, she was member of several International Advisory Boards. She was appointed by the University of Stanford (California) as Ambassador “Women in Data Science (WIDS)”. She was recognized by the American business magazine” Insight Success” as the one among the 30 most influential executives with an international projection. She is among the top women in the world in the data business and she has come the public sector to make Spain a leading country in Digital transition and Technology transformation.

Is vice president for sectors and knowledge at the Inter-American Development Bank, and previously served as general manager and chief economist for the organization's research department. He was also general director of the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS), the deputy minister at the ministry of finance and public credit of Mexico, and the president of the FCC in Mexico.

Es licenciada en Derecho y Ciencias Políticas de la Universidad Santa María la Antigua y licenciada en Administración de Negocios de la Universidad Latinoaméricana de Ciencia y Tecnología, ambas magna cum laude. Obtuvo una Maestría en Derecho Corporativo  de la Universidad de Nueva York, una segunda Maestría en Derecho Internacional de la Universidad de California en Berkeley y un Postgrado en Negocios y Finanzas de la Universidad de Nueva York, como becaria Fulbright. En Panamá se ha desempeñado como Viceministra de Asuntos Multilaterales y Cooperación de la Cancillería, Jefa de Gabinete del Ministerio de Comercio e Industrias y en varias firmas de abogados en el área corporativa y de litigios. En Nueva York ha trabajado como Chief Legal Officer del Fondo de Inversión y Abogada Senior en Financiamiento de Proyectos en la firma Shearman & Sterling, LLP. Ha sido distinguida con numerosos premios internacionales, entre ellos el Premio de Mejor General Counsel Global de  la Association of Corporate Counsel en el 2015 y es miembro de varias juntas directivas de alcance global tales como Kangu (Salud Maternal en África).

She holds a B.A. in Government from Harvard University, an M.A. in Philosophy from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom and a law degree from Columbia University Law School. She was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the United States in 1982, where she grew up in New York City. Prior to being nominated and confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra, she served as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden, and as Co-Chair of the White House Gender Policy Council. During President Barack Obama's Administration, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and then as U.S. Ambassador to Uruguay. Prior to joining the Biden Administration, she was a partner at the international law firm Winston and Strawn in New York. She served on the faculty of Columbia University's School of Law and School of Public and International Affairs, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Law Institute and the Inter-American Dialogue. He has published extensively in English and Spanish on a variety of topics including comparative law, regulatory reform, community organizing, immigration policy, and Latin American politics, both for the popular press and academic journals.

Michelle Muschett (Panama) is UN Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Michelle Muschett is a social policy and global development specialist with multisectoral experience in a wide variety of leadership positions.  During her tenure as Deputy Minister and Minister of Social Development of Panama, Ms. Muschett led the process of developing the first national Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), the creation of the first Childhood MPI in the Latin America region, and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the national level through civic participation and strategic partnerships. She also chaired the National Concertation Council for Development, a legally established dialogue space aimed at building consensus amongst different sectors of society on national development priorities. Prior this appointment, Ms. Muschett was serving as Senior Public Policy Advisor and Executive Education Director for Oxford’s Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), advising governments and policymakers from Africa, Asia, and Latin America in their efforts to address multidimensional poverty. She is also Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor for the Fourth Sector Group, providing guidance on how to mobilize collective leadership and action to scale business models that can deliver social and environmental benefits, and to leverage development finance to accelerate the transition towards more inclusive, sustainable and resilient economic systems globally. She has been a visiting professor and lecturer at academic institutions across Asia, Europe, and Latin America, focusing on human and social development, politics of the policy process, political innovation, and leadership for global citizenship.  She is a Fellow of the Central America Leadership Initiative, a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and a member the International Women’s Forum, Panama Chapter. As a practicing lawyer, Ms. Muschett focuses on issues related to commercial law and international arbitration. She has also participated in the drafting of national legislation. Ms. Muschett holds a master’s degrees in Public Administration from Cornell University, United States; Commercial Law from Externado University of Colombia; and Management of Heritage and Cultural Projects from the Institute for Art and Restauration Palazzo Spinelli, Italy. She speaks Spanish, English, and Italian.   

He is the Vice President of the World Bank for the Latin American and Caribbean region. Under his direction, the Bank's operations in the region are focused on boosting growth, reducing poverty, supporting equity, and protecting the environment. Previously, he served as the World Bank's director for Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda, based in Nairobi. Prior to his posting in Africa, he served as Senior Director of the World Bank Group's Global Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Practice, where he led a global team of more than 450 economists. Since his joining the World Bank in 2002 he has also been assigned two terms as country director in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Before he joined the Bank, he was a public official in the Colombian government, holding positions in the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank and the Ministry of Commerce. He has an MS and PhD in development economics from Stanford University. He has taught at the Department of Economics at the Universidad de los Andes, in Bogotá, and at the University of Maryland, College Park.

É, desde setembro de 2020, Conselheira Chefe do Escritório Econômico e Comercial da Embaixada da Espanha na Colômbia, representando também a ICEX Espanha Exportação e Investimento. Anteriormente, desde setembro de 2017, é Diretora Executiva para a Espanha no Banco Interamericano de Desenvolvimento, com sede em Washington. É licenciada em Economia pela Universidade de Valência e Mestre em Administração Pública MPA2 pela Universidade de Harvard (1992) (Bolsa Fulbright).
Técnica Comercial e Economista do Estado do Governo de Espanha, desde 2014 exerce o cargo de Diretora Geral da ICEX Espanha Exportação e Investimento, do Ministério da Economia e Competitividade, com responsabilidade pelos serviços às empresas, programas de formação, cooperação institucional e transformação digital . Anteriormente, desde 2012, foi Diretora de Infraestruturas, Ambiente, Energia e TIC desta mesma entidade. De 2008 a 2012, foi Diretora Geral do Escritório Espanhol de Mudanças Climáticas do Ministério do Meio Ambiente espanhol, onde foi responsável, entre outros, pelo processo de negociação internacional sobre mudanças climáticas nas COPs da Convenção-Quadro das Nações Unidas e em os fóruns da União Europeia. Ele também foi membro do Comitê de Transição responsável pela criação do Fundo Verde. Anteriormente, desenvolveu sua carreira no Ministério de Economia e Finanças da Espanha, sendo Diretora Geral Adjunta de Economia Internacional e, como tal, membro dos Comitês de Política Econômica da União Europeia e da OCDE por seis anos. Foi também Diretora de Política Comercial e Investimentos Estrangeiros, responsável pelo Fundo de Assistência ao Desenvolvimento e Diretora Geral Adjunta de Gestão da Dívida Externa e Avaliação de Projetos, lançando os primeiros programas de conversão de dívida em investimento. Foi professora associada na Universidade Carlos III de Madrid, no Departamento de Economia Aplicada, leccionando a disciplina de Economia dos Recursos Naturais (1993-2000).

Leads CAF’s institutional relationship and engagement with governments and private sector clients in the Caribbean. She has close to 25 years’ experience in multilateral negotiations, development management and international finance, having formerly served as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Affairs at The University of the West Indies, Assistant Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten; Chief Technical Advisor, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); Consultant, The World Bank, Washington DC and Programme Specialist, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris.

Is an economist, a past President of the Barbados Economics Society and a former analyst at the Central Bank, where he was in charge of modelling the macroeconomic business cycle and assessing the stability of the financial system for more than 10 years. In the 2018 general election, he successfully contested the Christ Church East Central seat for the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) becoming a member of Parliament and being appointed Minister in the Ministry of Finance. He holds a BSc Economics & Mathematics degree (UWI) with First Class Honours, MSc Econometrics degree (Manchester) and is a trained National Accounts statistician (IMF Institute).

Colombian singer-songwriter and actor considered one of the most popular artists in Colombian music, known for fusing Colombian music such as cumbia and vallenato with pop and rock. He studied at the Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano in Bogotá, Colombia, where he majored in television production. He has received the Anglo Grammy Award and the Latin Grammy Award and was the first Colombian to receive a Grammy Award. He has also received the Lo Nuestro Award for excellence on February 18, 2016. He has more than 20 albums and more than two decades of musical career.

Es licenciada en Periodismo por la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Comenzó su carrera en los servicios informativos de Radio Nacional de España en Extremadura y fue jefa de informativos en RNE en Aragón y en Madrid. En 1991 se incorpora a RTVE para dirigir el informativo regional, primero en Andalucía y luego en Madrid. En septiembre de 1996 es nombrada subdirectora del programa de actualidad Gente. Ocho años después se encargará de Los Desayunos de TVE. En 2009 asume la dirección y presentación de la segunda edición del Telediario. En 2012 se incorpora al programa Hoy por Hoy de la Cadena SER. En 2019 es nombrada directora del informativo nocturno Hora 25. Es directora de El País desde agosto de 2021.

He holds a law degree from the University of Deusto. Has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Vizcaya Business Confederation (CEBEK), President of the Energy Commission of CEOE, CEOE's President of the Creation of Companies Commission and President of the Spanish Metal Confederation (CONFEMETAL). At present, he holds the following representative positions: Member of the IEE Economic Studies Institute, Member of the FORMETAL Foundation, Member of the Vizcaya Metal Executive Commission and of the Vizcaya Chamber of Commerce. He currently chairs the AYUDARE FOUNDATION and is a member of: Fundación de Ayuda contra la Drogadicción (Foundation for Aid in fighting Drug Addiction); International Women's Chair Advisory Council, Business and Sports of the UCAM University; Deusto Business School Council of the University of Deusto; and AVENIR Women's Advisory Council. He was on the Board of Trustees of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and has been a member of Bilbao Metrópoli -30 as well as the Vizcaya Chamber of Commerce.

Christian Asinelli is a political scientist from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA), has a Master's degree in Public Administration and Policy from the Universidad de San Andrés (UdeSA) and postgraduate degrees in Urban Economics (Universidad Torcuato Di Tella) and in Sociourbana Management (FLACSO). In 2019, he received his Ph.D in Political Science from the National University of San Martín (Argentina). During the last sixteen years he has been appointed in different roles in the public sector and the international arena: Alternate National Director of the State Modernization Project at the Chief of Staff of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Nation (2005); Deputy of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (2007-2010); Undersecretary of Evaluation of Projects with External Financing of the Chief of Staff of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Nation (2011-2014); Corporate Director of Institutional Development of CAF (2014-2017); President of the Fundación Banco Ciudad (2019) and Undersecretary of International Financial Relations for Development, Secretariat of Strategic Affairs, Presidency of the Nation. He was a Fellow of the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program (2010), the Special Program for Urban and Regional Studies-MIT (2011) and the Singularity University Executive Program (2017). He is the author of the books Buenos Aires: The city we have, the city we want (Buenos Aires, 2009); Modernization of the Argentine State: policies, management and professional scene (Buenos Aires, Edition, 2015) and Financing Development: The role of multilateral banking in Latin America (Buenos Aires, 2021).