About the Event
The goal of this roundtable is to convene a diverse panel of experts with expertise or experience with corrosive capital in the primary resource industries in the Andean region. We hope to understand how these experts have perceived or seen the impact of corrosive capital in these industries from their unique perspectives and sectors, the main sources, and how it has affected democratic governance in the Andean countries. The roundtable will provide insights from both on-the-ground representatives and researchers about where CIPE’s current and future partners should focus their work and research.
About the Speakers
Francisco Santos Calderon is the Former Vice President of Colombia and former Colombian Ambassador to the U.S., a journalist and human rights advocate, promoter of democracy and civic engagement, upfront speaker, with a clear vision of his country and the region, goal-oriented and high capacity for conflict resolution, and diplomat, excellent at political maneuvering as well as a wizard at fundraising.
Mauricio Alarcón Salvador is the Executive Director of Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo, national contact for Transparency International in Ecuador and a lawyer with master’s degree in Public Management and Direction, as well as in Political Action, Institutional Strengthening and Citizen Participation in the Rule of Law. He was an alternate member of the National Constituent Assembly of Ecuador and a constitutional advisor to the Council for Citizen Participation. Fellow at the Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford University. Consultant for national and international organizations on issues of human rights, freedom of expression, access to information, citizen participation, transparency and the fight against corruption.
Parsifal D’Sola is the founder and CEO of the Andrés Bello Foundation – China Latin America Research Center in Bogota. Parsifal is a Chinese foreign policy analyst specialized in Sino-Latin American relations with focus on Venezuela. Between 2019 and 2020 he acted as Chinese Foreign Policy Advisor to the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Interim Government of Venezuela. Parsifal lived in Beijing between 2008 and 2016 where he worked as a researcher and Communications Manager for the news agency China Files. He holds a B.S. in Telecommunications Engineering from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, a M.A. in East Asian Studies from Columbia University, a M.Sc. in International Politics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University, and an advance language diploma from Beijing Language and Culture University.
Bernarda Flores Ivanovic is a lawyer with a Master’s degree in Economic Law, who has been engaged for more than 20 years in Bolivia’s business sector. She has worked as Legal Advisor, and Deputy Manager of the Conciliation and Arbitration Center of the National Chamber of Commerce. In her capacity as Legal Advisor to the Confederation of Private Entrepreneurs of Bolivia, she has intervened on behalf of the business sector in the debate and construction of various reforms, standing out among them: all the reforms referring to the regulatory framework of administrative contracting; the Voluntary Restructuring Law; the labor reforms, the reforms to the Civil and Commercial Codes, the regulations on the criminal liability regime of legal entities in the country, the Law for the Creation of Social Enterprises, as well as all the regulations issued by the Bolivian State regarding business activity.
Currently, she is the Director of the Analysis and Studies Units of the Confederation of Private Entrepreneurs of Bolivia, which carries out technical analysis of the business, economic and social reality of the country and prepares proposals and institutional position papers on inherent aspects to the activity of the productive sector. She has participated on the business side as a member of the various discussion teams with the government to define public policies in the field of investment promotion, labor, taxation and foreign trade, presenting and discussing proposals in this regard in order to create joint public-private projects that benefit private investment.
As a representative of the business sector, she has attended a variety of arbitration panels and conferences. She was invited to be part of the panel of Conciliators of the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, established by the World Bank (ICSID). Additionally, she regularly attends the International Labor Conference, convened by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Geneva, as a representative of the Bolivian employers’ organization.
Jorge Guajardo, Senior Director, McLarty Associates, provides strategic counsel and expertise on Latin America and China. Ambassador Guajardo has had an active career in government and significant experience in the private sector. He most recently served for six years in Beijing as the Mexican Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. Prior to this, he was Consul General of Mexico to the US in Austin, Texas, and a Mexican congressional candidate in 2003. He previously served as Director of Communications for the Governor of Nuevo León, Mexico from 1997 to 2000. Ambassador Guajardo also has substantial experience in the private sector, having worked in the Washington, DC offices of public relations firms Hill and Knowlton and later BursonMarsteller. Ambassador Guajardo holds a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Sergio Guzmán is the co-founder and Director of Colombia Risk Analysis. He provides commercial, security, and political risk analysis for the Andean region. His expertise is in the Colombian conflict, the resolution of international conflicts, and international development.
Sergio has worked with clients in the private sector in diverse assignments including mining and energy, financial inclusion, manufacturing, trade, agriculture and medicinal cannabis, transportation and logistics, as well as the retail sector. At Colombia Risk Analysis Sergio also provides insights to different governments and international humanitarian organizations working in Colombia.
Sergio also serves as an adjunct Professor of Business Administration at Universidad Externado de Colombia where he teaches political risk analysis to students at the University’s MBA program.
He is a columnist for the Global Americans, Americas Quarterly, contributes to the Economist Intelligence Unit and has written for Foreign Policy where he provides analysis to understand the evolution of the political and security context in Colombia and the Andean region. Before joining Colombia Risk Analysis, Sergio was the principal analyst for Colombia, Bolivia, and Suriname at Control Risks where he was an international consultant in political and security risks
Sergio holds a Master’s degree in International Economics and International Relations from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
Jessica Ludwig a Senior Program Officer at the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy. She coordinates comparative research and analytical initiatives related to authoritarian sharp power projection. She is coordinating editor of the Forum’s Power 3.0 blog and producer of the Power 3.0 podcast which explores how resurgent authoritarian regimes leverage the features of globalization to exert influence beyond their borders, and how democracies contend with these challenges. She holds a B.A. from Baylor University and an M.A. from The George Washington University.
Jorge-Andres Rincon-Romero is the Manager for Country Risk and Government Relations at Newmont Corporation, the world’s leading gold producer. Jorge-Andres leads the Company’s Country Risk Program and works on key issues in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia including political risk management, stakeholder engagement, and country-entry. Currently, he is based on Mexico City, providing direct support to the Newmont Mexico team in the identification, assessment, and management of political risks. Jorge-Andres first joined Newmont in 2017 and has held various roles in the Government Relations function within the Sustainability and External Relations group. He holds a Bachelor of Science in International Politics and a Masters Degree in Security Studies, both from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
Mr. Aldo R. Defilippi is Executive Director of AmCham Peru. He has been Chief Economist and Investment Banking Manager of the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC), in Washington; Chief of the Economic Studies Division of INTAL (IDB), in Argentina; Economist of the World Bank; Executive Director of Banco Latinoamericano de Exportaciones (BLADEX), in Panama; Corporate Financial Manager of Ferreycorp (CAT dealer in Peru and Central America), C.E.O. of Banco Industrial, Banco de Comercio and Banco Banex, in Peru; Chairman of the National Commission of Investments and Foreign Technologies (CONITE), and Manager of ProInversión. Mr. Defilippi is Chairman of the Association of Binational Chambers of Commerce of Peru, past President of the Peruvian Cancer Foundation, member of the board of Solgas, Amrop, United Way, Business Alliance for Secure Commerce (BASC), and Vice Chairman of the Anticorruption Private Council. He has been Director of Ferreycorp, Airports of Peru, BanBif, Edelnor, Relapasa, Banco de Comercio, San Felipe Clinic, Peru 2021, Nesst Fund, in Peru; and the Association of American Chambers of Commerce of Latin America (AACCLA), in Washington. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Economics and M.A. in Political Economy and Economic Development of Boston University; and Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the Universidad del Pacífico. He has been a professor at the Universities Pacifico, Universidad de Lima and Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru.
Luis Miguel Castilla holds a Ph.D. and M.A in Economics from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A in Economics from McGill University. He served in various capacities for the Government of Peru, including as Ambassador to the United States and Minister of Economy and Finance. He has over twenty years of professional experience at multilateral development banks, holding senior management positions at the Inter-American Development Bank and the Development Bank of Latin America-CAF. He is a member of the Inter- American Dialogue and has held scholarly positions at MIT and several universities in the US and Peru. Dr. Castilla has written extensively on development, public finance, public policies and international affairs, and currently is a partner at Videnza Consultores in Lima, Peru.
Gabriel Daly is a senior Executive with more than 15 years of international experience designing and implementing economic plans and reforms that facilitate private investment, including large infrastructure programs and public-private partnerships. He has Extensive experience as spokesperson leading successful negotiations between private and public sector parties and a long-standing career supporting economic development initiatives with governments in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Middle East.
Mr. Daly was Director General of Private Investment at the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Peru until august 2021 and oversaw the first National Infrastructure Plan. He has worked at el Diario El Comercio, one of the oldest and most influential newspaper in Peru and one of the oldest Spanish-language papers in the world. Gabriel also worked for more than 7 years with renowed economist Hernando de Soto.
Mr. Daly holds a BSc in International Relations and History from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), ad MSc in History of International Relations also from LSE and an Master in Public Administration (Dual Degree) from LSE and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.
Pablo Secada Elguera is General Manager and Founding Partner of Opportunity Investments (Oi), a financial advisory boutique founded more than ten years ago. Oi arranges loans, bonds and capital, and advises on the purchase or sale of companies.
He was Chief Economist and Head of Financial Analysis at Santander Investment Peru. He was Director of Redondos and the ” La Universidad Tecnológica del Perú ” (UTP), Planning Manager of Stratos Renewables Corporation, as well as analyst for The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and Macroconsult.
He was Chief Economist for the Instituto Peruano de Economía. He was also an advisor of two Ministers of Economy and Finance and Executive Director of Public Debt of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), as well as as an advisor to the Ministry of Finance of Chile and the Congress of the Republic.
He taught finance and economics in the Master of Business Administration and Management Construction and Real Estate (MDI) of Centrum, finance in a Diploma of Finance of la Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC), as well as such as economics courses at the Universidad del Pacífico and the Universidad San Martin de Porres. Pablo Secada is a Master in Public Policy (MPP) with a concentration in Finance and Public Finance from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of the Pacific.
Carlos Ibarguen is an international consultant with 30 years of experience as a senior government affairs and communications executive, advocacy & reputation management strategist, and public servant.
Carlos concluded in September of last year a successful 21-year career with Royal Dutch Shell, where he held senior global, regional, and country roles in the Middle East, Europe, and North and South America in the fields of government relations & communications. He spent his last nine years with Shell as Head of the company’s Latin America and Caribbean Government & Regulatory Affairs team.
Prior to joining Shell, Carlos served as a high-ranking public official, serving under three Bolivian administrations. During his tenure in government, he led the Investment Promotion Directorate within Bolivia´s Secretariat of Industry and Commerce and spent three years as First Secretary in Charge of Commercial Affairs at the Embassy of Bolivia in Washington D.C.
As a subject matter expert in Foreign Direct Investment, Carlos was selected as principal negotiator on the Bolivian negotiation teams in charge of negotiating Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) with Chile, Ecuador, and The Czech Republic, as well as the Investment Chapters in the Free Trade Agreements between Bolivia and MERCOSUR and Mexico.
Carlos was also appointed sole government representative on the Board of Directors of the National Center for Investment Promotion of Bolivia and worked as a consultant for Foreign Investment Advisory Service (FIAS) of The World Bank Group.
He is currently a member of the Latin American Energy Roundtable (LAER) at the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute and for 6 years sat on the Board of Trustees of the Canning House, which is the UK’s leading think tank on Latin America. He has also been a keynote speaker and panelist at events and conferences at the Baker Institute at Rice University, The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth University, The Interamerican Dialogue, New York City Hall, World Trade Center Baltimore, and the US State Department.
He holds a BSc degree in Political Science with a concentration in Economics from Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore, USA, and an MSc in Public Administration and Public Policy from the London School of Economics, where he attended as a Chevening Scholar.
Robert Kozak is the former Bureau Chief for Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal in Peru.