About Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo

Arturo brings over 20 years of expertise in open development, telecommunications, and financial services. He currently serves as a Senior Specialist in State Modernization at the Inter-American Development Bank, where he focuses on digital innovation in government. His work includes overseeing projects and knowledge products related to digital identification and data, with an emphasis on open data and data analytics. Arturo holds an MBA from Emory University (USA) and a BA in Economics from Universidad del Pacífico (Peru).

Bárbara Cedillo is a consultant in the Citizen Security and Justice sector at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, DC. She focuses on citizen security and justice operations, as well as state modernization processes in Mexico, Central America, and the Dominican Republic. Bárbara holds a master's degree in Security from Georgetown University, USA, and a bachelor's degree in International Relations from the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM). She has also consulted for the Department of Public Security at the Organization of American States (OAS) and the World Bank in Washington, DC. Prior to this, she worked in social communication for the Technical Secretariat of the National Security Council at the Presidency of Mexico.

Benjamin Roseth is a State Modernization Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), where he leads analytical work for the Digital Cluster of the Citizen Service Innovation Division, focusing on impact evaluations and both quantitative and qualitative research. Prior to this role, he was a Young Professional at the IDB, working in the Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE). Before joining the IDB, Benjamin served as a strategy consultant at Deloitte and a Junior Associate in the public management unit at the World Bank. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations with a focus on Economic Development from Columbia University, a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Tufts University, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory, all in the United States.

Claudia Suaznábar is a Lead Specialist in the Citizen Services Innovation Division at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), where she has worked since 2003. She has had the opportunity to serve at the Bank’s headquarters in Washington, DC, as well as in various country offices, including La Paz, Bolivia, and Lima, Peru. With over 20 years of experience, her expertise spans innovation, technological development, business development, and SMEs, and she has authored multiple publications on these topics. Prior to joining the IDB, Claudia worked in financial markets for several years. She holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Colegio Universitario de Estudios Financieros (Cunef) in Madrid, Spain, and a Master’s in Public Administration and International Development from Harvard University's School of Government (USA).

He oversees the IDB's Project Management for Results (PM4R) program. A civil engineer with over 20 years of project management experience, he has built his career in the private sector, working on engineering projects across Spain, Italy, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. Over the past decade, he has focused on border integration and trade initiatives in Central America, collaborating with executive teams to support management processes, enhance project execution capabilities, and supervise construction projects.

Aitor Cubo served as a Senior Specialist in Digital Government at the Inter-American Development Bank, having built his professional career in various public administrations. Before joining the IDB in February 2019, he was responsible for overseeing e-government projects in Spain as the Deputy Director General for the Promotion of Digital Administration and Citizen Services. In this role, he contributed to the development of new fully electronic administrative laws and led collaborations with Autonomous Communities, Local Entities, and the private sector to ensure their effective implementation. He also played a key role in technology governance working groups that promoted Spain's digital transformation. His leadership extended to the creation of advanced services utilizing cloud technologies, managing most of the common electronic services—ranging from digital identity and interoperability to electronic documents, files, and citizen portals—designed to help administrations comply with the new regulatory framework. Aitor holds a degree in Computer Science from the Complutense University of Madrid and a degree in Psychology from the National University of Distance Education in Spain.

Alejandra Luzardo is a leading specialist in innovation and creativity at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). She spearheads and contributes to research, design, implementation, and evaluation of projects in the cultural and creative industries across Latin America and the Caribbean. Her recent publications, *"Orange Economy: Innovations You Didn't Know Were from Latin America and the Caribbean"* and *"Starting an Orange Future: Fifteen Questions to Better Understand Creative Entrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean,"* have become IDB bestsellers. Alejandra has also led Demand Solutions and Orange Region, platforms for global innovators that focus on inspiring, connecting, and fostering creativity, technology, and entrepreneurship. She is a founding member of Prodiseño, School of Visual Communication and Design in Caracas, Venezuela, and holds a master’s degree in Communication and Film Production from American University in Washington, DC.

Alejandro Pareja, a Uruguayan national, is a Senior Specialist in State Modernization at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Prior to joining the IDB, he worked on modernizing transactional services for the Government of Uruguay and held roles in international consulting for management and information systems in the electrical and logistics sectors. At the IDB, he focuses on developing projects and knowledge in areas such as digital government, public records management, administrative process design, physical and digital identity systems, business management system implementation, non-financial public asset management, and quality and satisfaction assessments of public services. He also leads the Simplifying Lives initiative. Alejandro holds a degree in Electrical Engineering, with a specialization in Telecommunications, from the University of the Republic in Uruguay, and is a certified project management professional.

Alfred has over 15 years of experience in his field and currently serves as the climate focal point for the IDB’s Infrastructure Department. In this role, he provides technical guidance to project teams on incorporating climate change and sustainable infrastructure into development operations. Alfred represents the IDB in the MDB Working Group on Accounting for Climate Change Adaptation Financing, having chaired it from 2018 to 2020. He has led or co-led at least 50 operations that significantly contribute to the IDB Group’s financial objectives regarding climate change. Additionally, he has authored and co-authored numerous technical publications focused on adaptation, climate resilience, and greenhouse gas mitigation, particularly in the water, transport, and energy sectors. Over the past decade, Alfred has concentrated much of his work on water resources and climate issues in the LAC region, leading critical studies in this area. Before joining the IDB, he worked as a consultant in the Sustainable Development Department of the World Bank’s Latin American Region. Alfred holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Universidad del Norte in Colombia, as well as a Master’s in Computational Mechanics of Materials and Structures from Universität Stuttgart and a Master’s in Environmental Management and Planning from Johns Hopkins University.

Angela María Reyes is a member of the Citizen Service Innovation Division at the Inter-American Development Bank, focusing on state modernization and digital government initiatives. She has worked on innovation in local governments through the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University. Previously, she served as an advisor in the Macroeconomic Policy Directorate of Colombia's Ministry of Finance and was an analyst at EConcept, a Colombian economic consulting firm. Ms. Reyes holds a Master's degree in Public Policy with a concentration in Social and Urban Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, as well as a Master's degree in Economics and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Los Andes in Colombia.

Since September 2002, Emma Näslund-Hadley has served as an education specialist in the Education Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, DC. She leads and collaborates on a diverse array of projects in the education sector and coordinates the Bank's initiatives to enhance mathematics and natural sciences education. From 1999 to 2002, Emma was a policy advisor in the European Parliament, focusing on education policy, gender issues, and labor market concerns. Previously, she held roles at the United Nations and the Swedish International Development Agency, where she was responsible for designing, implementing, and monitoring education projects in Central America, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba. Emma has authored articles in peer-reviewed journals and institutional reports. She holds a master's degree in international economics and finance from Linköping University and a master's degree in public affairs from Princeton University.

Ernesto is the founder of the Project Management for Results (PM4R) Program, which develops project management capabilities for executing agencies in Latin America and the Caribbean. He also serves as the founder and CEO of the Social Project Institute, which assists teams in the agile execution of their social and environmental projects. Ernesto holds a Master's Degree in International Business Administration from ESADE in Barcelona, Spain, and a Master's Degree in Education from Framingham State University in Massachusetts, USA. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute (PMI) and has created agile and predictive methodologies for social and environmental projects. With extensive experience in project management across Latin America and the Caribbean, he has conducted numerous training sessions for over 10,000 professionals from the public and private sectors in 24 countries in the region.

Estefanía Calderón is a Public Policy Specialist with over 10 years of experience in international development and project management. She has focused on social inclusion, civil registries, legal identity, digital government, and public management. Ms. Calderón holds a Master's Degree in International Relations from Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar in Ecuador and is a Clinical Psychologist from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. Additionally, she has a certificate in Mastering Design Thinking from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.

Ferdinando Regalia is the Social Sector Manager at the Inter-American Development Bank, having previously served as Chief of the Social Protection and Health Division (SPH). In this role, he oversaw the development of key lending operations and technical assistance projects in social protection, along with comprehensive analytical studies on poverty, social protection, and health. He has led innovative public-private collaboration initiatives, including the Salud Mesoamérica initiative, the Regional Initiative for the Elimination of Malaria in Latin America, and the Early Childhood Development Innovation Fund. With over 20 years of experience in designing and implementing development programs and policies, Ferdinando has also been a Senior Advisor to the Vice Presidency for Sectors and Knowledge at the IDB, Chief of Economics and Social Policy at UNICEF South Africa, and a social protection specialist and economist at the World Bank's Network on Economics and Poverty Reduction. There, he conducted research on poverty issues and coordinated technical cooperation through the MECOVI program for improving surveys and measuring living conditions in Latin America and the Caribbean. He has published in indexed journals such as Population Studies, Journal of Development Effectiveness, Economics of Education Review, and Journal of Labor Economics, and has authored book chapters on social protection and results-based financing mechanisms. An Italian national, Ferdinando holds a PhD and a Master’s degree in Economics from Pompeu Fabra University.

Guillermo heads the agribusiness team at IDB Invest, having joined the institution in 2019. He is responsible for the strategy, business plan, client management, and transaction structuring within the agribusiness sector in Latin America and the Caribbean. Before his tenure at IDB Group, he spent nearly 17 years at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), where he held various roles in development and investment banking as a senior investment officer in both the Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services Department and the Investments & Credit Department. At IFC, Guillermo was instrumental in originating, structuring, and overseeing numerous corporate finance transactions, as well as equity and quasi-equity investments throughout the agribusiness value chain in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. He earned an MBA from Universidad del CEMA in Argentina, a Master's degree in Risk Management from New York University in the United States, and a Bachelor's degree in Public Accounting from Universidad Católica de Córdoba in Argentina.

María Caridad Araujo, an Ecuadorian economist, currently serves as Chief of the Gender and Diversity Division at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), where she spearheads initiatives to enhance quality service access and economic opportunities for underrepresented groups. Her extensive career includes significant roles as Lead Economist in the Social Protection and Health Division at IDB, focusing on early childhood development and poverty alleviation programs. She holds a Ph.D. and Master's in Agricultural and Resource Economics from UC Berkeley and completed her undergraduate studies in Economics at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. Her professional journey includes teaching at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute and working at the World Bank, where she contributed to impact evaluation, poverty measurement, and social protection programs across East Asia, Central Asia, and Latin America. As a prolific researcher and policy expert, she has published extensively on social protection, early childhood development, and poverty reduction, while actively working to strengthen the voice and representation of women, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, persons with disabilities, and the LGBTIQ+ community.

Originally from Mexico City, Allan studied International Relations at the University of Monterrey and El Colegio de México, with a focus on International Law. He has over eight years of experience in development project management, starting with the Department for International Trade of the UK government. He then worked on regional projects with UNESCO and, from 2012 to 2020, served as a consultant at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), where he managed investment programs, technical cooperation, and humanitarian assistance projects in Mexico. He is currently pursuing a master's degree in Security Risk Management at the University of Copenhagen.

A Colombian national, she holds a Master's Degree in Finance from the Universidad de los Andes and a certification in Project Management from the Project Management Institute. With over 18 years of experience, she has worked across the private, public, and development sectors. Her primary areas of expertise include implementing complex economic and social development projects, as well as designing and executing learning programs centered on project management.

Florencia Serale served as a consultant on open data and digital government matters at the Citizen Innovation Division of the Inter-American Development Bank. She holds a degree in Economics from the National University of La Plata in Argentina and a Master's degree in Administration and Public Policy from the University of San Andrés, also in Argentina.