Horace Porrás has held senior leadership roles at multinational companies such as Schlumberger, American Tower, Cargill, Mastercard, McDonald’s, and Afiniti, with responsibilities spanning the Americas, Europe, and global operations.

He is currently leading HR International Excellence, who provide tailored HR and business strategies to align with regional and global standards. He is also an Associate Principal at Dave Ulrich’s RBL Group, known for redefining HR practices worldwide.

Ronnie Hawkins a partner at Global Infrastructure Partners, a part of BlackRock, having joined the firm in 2018. Mr. Hawkins focuses on investment activity in Latin America for GIP and GIP Emerging Markets. He is based in New York. 

Nicolás Saldías is a Senior Analyst for Latin America and the Caribbean at The Economist Intelligence Unit. He specializes in political and economic forecasting for Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Nicolás is recognized as a thought leader in democracy and public policy across Latin America. Since 2021, he has led the EIU’s Democracy Index for the Latin America and Caribbean region. His expertise in political and economic analysis has earned him invitations to deliver presentations to academic and corporate audiences.

Diego W. Pereira is J.P. Morgan’s Chief Economist for South America (ex-Brazil).

With over 30 years of international experience in the building materials sector, Enrique García currently acts as the Regional Director for Central and South America for Cementos Progreso overseeing the operations in El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. Previously Enrique acted as the Director of several country portfolios for CEMEX, including Guatemala, the Baltic Region (including Finland and Russia), Puerto Rico and Costa Rica.

Roque Calleja leads BlackRock's Alternatives Specialist Team (AST) for the Americas Institutional Business, driving client strategy and distribution efforts for alternatives in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America.

Previously, Roque served as Head of the Alternatives Business for Latin America, positioning BlackRock as a leading alternative investment manager in the region. Before that, Roque was Head of the Institutional Client Business (ICB) and alternatives distribution in Mexico from 2014 to 2019.

Tomás Bermudez, a dual Venezuelan and Colombian citizen, is the General Manager of the Country Department for Central America, Haiti, Mexico, Panama and the Dominican Republic (CID) since May 2023. Simultaneously with this function, he also carries out the duties of IDB Country Representative in Panama.

Chantal Peñalosa Fong (Tecate, Baja California, México, 1987) studied for a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Arts at the Autonomous University of Baja California, Tijuana campus, and the University of Sao Paulo, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Her solo exhibitions include: Otros Cuentos Fantasmas, Museo Amparo, Puebla, Mexico (2024); Atlas Western, CEINA, Santiago de Chile, Chile (2023); Ghost Stories/Cuentos de fantasmas, Proyectos Monclova, Mexico City (2023); Another Million Moments, Centro de las Artes Nave Generadores, Monterrey, N.L.

Elizabeth Robberechts is the Division Chief of IDB Invest’s Infrastructure and Energy Division, managing all of IDB Invest’s activities in the energy, transport, water and sanitation, health and education sectors. Her experience includes structuring financings in the energy and transport sectors for operations in Chile, Mexico, Uruguay and Brazil, including for a variety of renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind and geothermal projects. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Cornell University.