Highlights of the La Jolla Conference 2023

Andres Rebolledo

Since the beginning of 2023, he has held the position of Executive Secretary of the Latin American Energy Organization for the period 2023-2025, a position elected at the LII Meeting of Energy Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean, held in December 2022, and in compliance with the provisions of the Lima Agreement. With an outstanding professional career of more than 30 years, Andrés Rebolledo Smitmans has held various technical leadership and political positions in the energy sector, international economic relations and multilateral organizations.

An economist from the University of Chile, Andrés Rebolledo Smitmans served as Chile’s Minister of Energy in 2016-2018 and as President of Chile’s National Oil Company. He has also worked as Vice Minister of International Economic Relations of Chile, Ambassador to Uruguay, Representative to ALADI and consultant to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and other organizations.

During his tenure as Minister, he implemented a major transformation of Chile’s energy sector with the massive incorporation of non-conventional renewable energies that promoted a cleaner energy matrix and a more efficient and competitive sector. Such transformation was carried out within the framework of a participatory process involving all relevant stakeholders in the sector, which also made it possible to develop a regulatory framework to promote electromobility and introduce new technologies and energy sources, such as green hydrogen.In the academic field, he has taught at several universities in his country, especially in postgraduate programs, and was Dean of the School of Business and Administration at Universidad SEK in Chile during the period 2020-2022.

Ignacio Horvath

Ignacio has more than 20 year’s experience in the Energy industry. He is currently CEO at Ancap, the Uruguayan NOC and biggest company in the country. Its industrial conglomerate spans from exploration and production, through refining, midstream & downstream, as well as renewable energy through biofuel production. More recently Ancap has taken a very active role in H2 development in the country, driving the onshore and offshore H2U program.Before joining Ancap he worked at Schlumberger, with various positions in the United Kingdom, Romania and the US.He is a Mechanical engineer with a Masters in Cranfield University, UK and postgraduate studies in Sloan MIT business school.

Julio Friedmann

Julio Friedmann is the CEO of ENAP, the national oil company of Chile, since October 2022. 

Mr. Friedmann graduated as a civil engineer from Universidad de Chile with the highest distinction of Summa Cum Laude in 1995 and then studied for a master’s degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Business School. Due to his childhood abroad, he is fluent in English, French, and Spanish.

He has extensive experience in the area of Energy and Infrastructure in the public and private sectors. In 1994 he worked at the Ministry of Public Works and in 2000 he moved to the then tri-Ministry of Economy, Mining, and Energy. He then headed various areas of ENAP for 4 years and in 2005 became general manager of ENAP’s downstream business, being the youngest division manager the company has ever had.

In his most recent experience, he has worked as CEO of global companies, in charge of international and regional investment projects, as CEO of the French company ALSTOM for the Southern Cone, and commercial director of the renewable business for Latin America of the North American company General Electric.

Heloisa Borges Esteves

Heloisa Borges Esteves holds a PhD, a master’s degree and a BA in Economics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. She is also a lawyer, holding a BA and an LLM degree from the State University of Rio de Janeiro. Heloisa was a visiting scholar at the University of Virginia Law School and a fellow at Columbia Women´s Leadership Program from the Columbia University. 

She has authored or co-authored research papers and book chapters on energy economics, economic regulation, law and economics and antitrust. 

Heloisa served in several positions in the Brazilian Public Administration (as a teacher, researcher and federal public servant) and joined the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels in 2005, as a Regulation Specialist. At ANP, she acted as Technical Advisor in the Antitrust Coordination and Superintendent Advisor, Deputy Superintendent and Superintendent of Licensing Rounds. 

While serving in ANP Heloisa was responsible for the Brazilian bidding rounds held by ANP in the years 2018 and 2019, and for the modeling and review of the Brazilian tender protocols, concession and PSC contracts between 2017 and 2019.

Since May 2020, Heloisa joined the Energy Research Office (EPE) as the Director for Oil, Natural Gas and Biofuels Studies.

Gabriela Aguilar

Gabriela Aguilar is Vice President for Latin America and Country Manager for Argentina at Excelerate Energy. Her responsibilities include executive management of Excelerate’s Argentina and Brazil business units, development of new projects in Latin America, government relations, and contract management.

Prior to joining Excelerate in 2012, Gabriela worked for multinational companies including Enron, BG, and Occidental serving in various regional positions. She actively participates in international and local organizations, most notably the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Women Corporate Directors, and the B20 Task Force on Energy Sustainability and Climate.

Gabriela earned an undergraduate degree in Foreign Trade and Business Administration from the University of Business and Social Sciences (Universidad de Ciencias Empresariales y Sociales) in Buenos Aires. She also obtained an MBA from the Argentine Institute for Business Development (Instituto para el Desarrollo Empresarial de la Argentina) and completed executive certificate programs at the London Business School, the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and the University of California San Diego.

Gabriela is a strong proponent of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and leads DEI efforts at the Argentine Institute of Oil and Gas (IAPG), Amcham Argentina, and Excelerate Energy’s DEI Council. She was appointed as the only female member of the Board of Directors of the Argentina Petroleum Club. Women Corporate Directors’ Argentina Chapter honored Gabriela with the Outstanding Businesswoman of the Year Award for 2022.

Chris Mylde

Chris Mylde is currently Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Sproule in Calgary. As part of the senior leadership team at Sproule, he drives the company’s global growth strategy. Chris has over 20 years of experience and speaks frequently at industry events and conferences around the world on key trends in global energy markets. Prior to joining Sproule, Chris spent 10 years in corporate finance and advisory with HSBC in London, Hong Kong and Toronto and Simmons, a boutique advisory firm focused exclusively on the energy sector. He has a B.Sc. in Economics and Economic History from the University of Warwick and an M.Sc. in European Political Economy from the London School of Economics. Chris has been pleased to serve as the Norwegian Honorary Consul for Southern Alberta since January 2019.

Christopher Dodd

Senator Chris Dodd will serve as Special Presidential Advisor for the Americas, following up on his role as Special Advisor for the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles in June.  Senator Dodd will help advance the implementation of key initiatives President Biden announced at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, spanning economic cooperation, migration, health, human rights, food security, as well as other priorities. He will also support the work currently being done by Vice President Harris, the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, USAID, and others. Additionally, he will support preparations for the upcoming Cities Summit of the Americas in Denver in April 2023.

In his decades as a dedicated public servant, starting as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic and through his time on the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Senator Dodd has built trust with many of our partners in the Western Hemisphere. He is uniquely qualified to continue delivering the message President Biden conveyed at the Summit of the Americas, namely that countries in the hemisphere must tackle our shared challenges together, in a coordinated manner, to build a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future for the people of the Americas.

 Duncan Wood

Duncan Wood, PhD, is Vice President for Strategy and New Initiatives at the Wilson Center. Previously, he was Director of the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute and now serves as a Senior Advisor to the Institute. He is an internationally renowned specialist on North American politics, Mexico and the U.S.-Mexican ties who lectures and publishes on hemispheric issues and relations.

He regularly gives testimony to the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Mexico relations, is a widely quoted source on Mexican politics, and has published extensively on this and other issues. He is the author or editor of 12 books and more than 30 chapters and articles. Currently, he is co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Transparency and Anti-Corruption, has worked closely with the WEF on Energy policy, and is a member of the editorial board of Foreign Affairs Latinoamérica.

From 1996-2012, he was a professor and the director of the International Relations Program at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico (ITAM) in Mexico City for 17 years.

Over the course of his 30 year career he has been a Fulbright Fellow and a Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); an editorial advisor to Reforma and El Universal newspapers; Technical Secretary of the Red Mexicana de Energía; a consultant with McLarty Associates, the Economist Intelligence Unit, Horizon and Eurasia Group; and owner of a speakeasy in Mexico City.

He studied in the UK and Canada, receiving his Doctorate in Political Studies from Queen’s University, Canada, and is a recipient of the Canadian Governor General’s Visit Award for contributions to the Mexico-Canada relationship. He is a life-long fan of Liverpool Football Club and will hopefully Never Walk Alone.

Rolando González Bunster

Rolando founded the business in 1988 and has over 40 years of experience in project management and business development. He began his career at Gulf & Western Industries where he started out as a special assistant to chairman and founder Charles Bluhdorn, eventually becoming its youngest corporate Vice President and Head of International Operations. After Gulf & Western, Rolando went on to establish his own companies to acquire and operate assets in the region.

Rolando, Georgetown University College Class 1968, serves on many of his alma mater’s boards. He was Chair of the International Initiatives Board and is currently a trustee on the Board of Advisers of the Georgetown College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Latin American Board.

He is a Director and Trustee of the William, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. He is also a member of the Energy Committee of the Clinton Global Initiative, focusing on the development of clean and renewable energy. Rolando is proud to be a founding member of the Walkabout Foundation which has distributed 21,000 wheelchairs to date.

Leonardo Beltran

Leonardo Beltran was Deputy Secretary for Planning and Energy Transition in the Administration of President Peña Nieto (2012-2018). As part of his responsibilities, he was appointed non-executive director of CFE and Pemex. He was the Chief Planning Officer and the Chief Technology Officer in the Mexican Energy Sector. 

Leonardo has also been part of the World Economic Forum’s Council of the Future of Electricity (2014-2016), and the Council of the Future of Energy (2016-2018). Currently he is a member of the Advisory Council of the Partnering to Accelerate Sustainable Energy Innovation Project.

He studied a Masters in Public Administration in International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School, a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico, and studied Law in the Faculty of Law of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Leonardo Beltran has been a consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. He was part of the International Affairs division of the campaign and transition team of President Enrique Peña Nieto. Since 2017 he has been a member of the Administrative Board of Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL), and in 2018 he joined the Board of Fundación por Mexico. He is also a consultant to the World Bank.

Neil R. Brown

Neil R. Brown (New York) joined KKR in 2014 and is Managing Director in the KKR Global Institute and on the Infrastructure team. Mr. Brown works at the intersection of finance and geopolitics to navigate global trends and risk and invest in new markets globally. He is most active in infrastructure, energy, and climate. Mr. Brown has been involved with KKR’s investments on five continents, including co-leading KKR’s first investments in several countries. He sits on the Boards of ADNOC Oil Pipelines, MetroNet, Contour Global, Albioma, and ON*Net Fibra Chile and Colombia, and has been involved with Sempra Infrastructure Partners, Marverde Infraestructura (Pemex Midstream), and United Group (SBB/Telemach), amongst others. Mr. Brown is also a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States, specializing in energy and foreign policy. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Brown served for over eight years as a senior staff member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, working with the late Senator Richard G. Lugar. In that capacity, Neil led legislative efforts and oversight on global energy security and governance, environment, and domestic energy, and he worked on countering weapons of mass destruction. He has also served as a senior advisor at Goldwyn Global Strategies, on the U.S. Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative advisory committee for the U.S. Secretary of Interior, and as a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. He previously undertook refugee and development work while living in Nepal, Namibia, and Egypt. Mr. Brown currently serves on the non-profit boards of The Lugar Center, Merton College Charitable Corporation, Association of American Rhodes Scholars, and Columbia University Energy Journalism Initiative. Mr. Brown is an honors graduate of Harvard University and received graduate MSc and MPhil degrees from Oxford University, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar.

Trinidad Castro

Trinidad Castro Crichton is the Executive Director of the World Energy Council Chile, a platform for open dialogue between high-level leaders from the public and private sectors and academia, where the most important issues of the country’s energy sector are addressed.

Castro is a commercial engineer and has extensive experience in management in the nonprofit and corporate sectors, specifically in the design, operation and commercial execution of projects. She has a strong orientation toward achievement and management by objectives.

She has an autonomous management capacity, proactive personality, with the ability to establish interpersonal relationships and lead work in multidisciplinary teams. Castro holds a Bachelor in Business Administration & Economy from Universidad de los Andes and a Diploma from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Public Policy. For the last two years she has been studying for a Master in Innovation at the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Santiago Chile.

She is very happy to be part of this select group of experts where she hopes to contribute in particular with a citizen’s view on the challenges and issues to be addressed.

José Luis Manzano

José Luis Manzano is an Argentine businessman with a deep understanding of Latin American public policy and global emerging markets. He possesses significant experience in the investment, media, energy, and distress industries. He speaks frequently across the world on these issues.

Dr. Manzano founded the international firm Integra Capital, a private equity and merchant banking firm. Integra also provides services such as mergers and acquisitions, financial structuring, IPOs, due diligence procedures, debt, and company  restructuring, among others.

Dr. Manzano and his family are relevant shareholders of Phoenix Global Resources, a company engaged in the exploration and production of oil and gas with activity in Argentina. PGR is listed in the London Stock Exchange, AIM Market, and the Stock Exchange of Buenos Aires produces 10.000 barrels of oil per day, and has more than 60 million barrels of proven reserves and 300 million barrels of unconventional resources. Dr. Manzano is also a relevant investor in Interoil, an exploration and production company listed in the Oslo stock exchange that produces 3500bopd in Argentina and Colombia.

Dr. Manzano is the major shareholder of Integra Oil & Gas, an oil production company that produces 4000 bopd in Venezuela. He is also a major shareholder in Integra Gas Distribution in partnership with Mercuria Energy Trading. Integra Gas Distribution is a significant shareholder of Metrogas, the gas distribution company of Buenos Aires serving more than 10 million people. He is also a relevant shareholder of Edemsa, the distribution electricity company of the province of Mendoza, HIDROELECTRICA AMEGHINO, a hydro-plant producing 60 Megas, and Altus, a winery producer of premium wines in Argentina.

In relation to the media industry, Dr. Manzano co-founded and is a shareholder of Grupo America, the second largest media group in Argentina. The group owns TV stations, news channels, radios and newspapers, including America Tv, the national leader on live television, and El Cronista Comercial, the more prestigious business and finance newspaper of Argentina and radio La Red, the leader in sports and news.

In mining, Integra has invested extensively in uranium exploration in the province of Chubut in Argentina and in lithium in Jujuy and Catamarca, at the lithium triangle where is developing over 400.000 has.

Dr. Manzano is a relevant donor to several educational organizations and charities. He is the President of Universidad de Congreso, where he is actively involved in academics and research activities. He has developed activities with the climate change organization of Nobel Awards Al Gore and the Clinton Global Initiative. He is also active with the UK Argentinean Chamber of Commerce and the Cámara de Comercio Argentino Norteamericana. He is a sponsor of the Chinese House of Culture in Buenos Aires. He was a member of the B20, the business group in support of the G20 Argentine presidency. Dr Manzano is a regular participant of the activities of the Council of The Americas and the Americas Society. 

Dr Manzano is a member of the Energy Steering Committee of the Institute of The Americas, and also a board member of the Institute of The Americas at UCSD.  Since 2019, Dr Manzano is the Chairman of the European Chapter of the Eisenhower Fellowships. 

Furthermore, he advises and cooperates with IPS Latin America and IPS Consortium, a global news agency member of the UN system of which the University of Congreso is one of the anchor institutions. 

Dr. Manzano received his Medical Doctorate and his Post Degree specialization in Occupational Health from the National University of Cuyo. He has been a Visiting Scholar at both Georgetown University and the University of California at San Diego. He has received an International Business Certificate and an International Finance Certificate from Georgetown University. He has received a diploma in Leadership from Oxford University and lectured at prestigious universities in Argentina, Japan, Europe and the United States.

Silvia Alvarado de Cordoba

Senior energy advisor with over 35 years of experience in covering a wide range of regulatory and market issues in Central America and the Caribbean. In July 2023 was elected as President of the Board of Directors of the Guatemalan ISO, the Wholesale Market Administrator (AMM). From May 2012 to June 2017 served as Commissioner for Electricity Regulation, appointed as one of the three directors of the agency responsible for the

regulation of Guatemala’s electricity market. Prior experience as an OPERATIONS & DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE with domestic and international experience in asset management, business development, project management, financial analysis, as well as government, industry, and public affairs. Key skills include ability to evaluate market issues, and to craft specific solutions to capture opportunities and also to build-up consensus on critical issues through diplomatic communications.

Nelson Narciso

Nelson Narciso Filho holds graduate degrees in Industrial Administration and Economic Engineering from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and an undergraduate degree in Mechanic Engineering from Souza Marques University. 

He has held multiple senior executive positions at Exploration and Production (E&P) companies and service providers in the oil and gas industry, such as HRT Africa, Halliburton, ABB, Vetco Gray and Hughes WKM. He has accumulated over 35 years of solid experience and extensive knowledge of management and business development in E&P, as well as start-up operations in Brazil, Angola and Namibia. 

In addition, he was Director of the Brazilian regulatory agency for oil, natural gas, and biofuels (ANP) from 2006 to 2010, when developed a broad vision of the sector’s regulation, having participated in numerous international forums where he was responsible for introducing the Brazilian market dynamics and promoting investment in the country. During his term, he led the creation of the Local Content Coordinating Body, led the Gas Flaring Reduction program, Improvement of Production Fiscal Metering program, Bidding Rounds and Integrated System for products movement.

Carla Lacerda

Carla Lacerda retired in early January 2021, after 35 years with ExxonMobil. She was President of the Brazil affiliate with a focus on managing a robust upstream portfolio, having been associated with oversight of Brazil business for approximately 20 years. Throughout her career, she made significant contributions across many roles at ExxonMobil, including technical roles in Geochemistry, Exploration offshore South America, Gas Commercialization, Commercial Management for the Americas, and Strategy Development. 

She was also chairperson of the exploration and production association in Brazil (ABEP/IBP), working on various aspects of advocacy and regulatory frameworks for the industry, with demonstrated effective leadership in dealing with government, regulatory agencies, and business community. 

Currently, Carla is on the Advisory Board of the Brazil-Texas Chamber of Commerce (Bratecc). 

In addition, Carla is active in Diversity and Inclusion initiatives (i.e. Mentorship Programs), with industry association IBP, Bratecc, and other organizations. In 2022, she joined the Institute of the Americas as a Non-Resident Fellow with the Energy & Sustainability Program.

Carla has Bachelor and Master Degrees in Chemical Oceanography from Florida Institute of Technology and Texas A&M University, respectively. She is fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish, and conversational French.

Francisco Salazar

Francisco Xavier Salazar Diez de Sollano is a partner at Gadex, Enix and Trust Mexico. Gadex is a consulting firm specialized in the natural gas market in Mexico, Enix is devoted to energy regulation while Trust Mexico analyzes socio political risks for infrastructure projects in the country.

Francisco is also the Coordinator of the International Confederation of Regulators (ICER). In 2016, he was appointed as the first “Institute of the Americas Regional Energy Integration Non-Resident Fellow” and as executive fellow at the School of Public Policy of the University of Calgary.

During 2015-2017, he was Chair of the Mexican Chapter of the World Energy Council (WEC). In 2017 he became a member of COMEXI, the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations. From 2005 to 2015, he served as Chairman of the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) time during which he was an active promoter of energy reform in Mexico. During 2011-2015 he chaired the Ibero-American Energy Regulators Association (ARIAE).

Prior to being a regulator, he was a congressman for two terms. In Congress he served as a Chairman of the Energy Committee at the Chamber of Deputies. At the beginning of his professional career, he also was involved in the Chemical Sector. Mr. Salazar holds an MSc in Public Financial Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, and Diploma studies in Law and Economics from other universities.

He has taught courses on Public Finance and Monetary Economics at local universities in San Luis Potosi and written on the use of economic instruments in environmental public policy, as well as on energy policy and regulation. Mr. Salazar has also participated as member of editorial boards from major newspapers and business magazines in Mexico.

Marta Jara

Ex President of ANCAP (Administración Nacional de Combustibles, Alcohol y Portland), Uruguay. After more than 20 years international experience at Royal Dutch Shell, Marta left her position as President of the Shell companies in Mexico to join the energy industry in her native Uruguay. 

She is a Chemical Engineer graduated from the University of Buenos Aires, and MA in Strategic Financial Management at Kingston University, UK, executive education programs at IMD in Lausanne and Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She has accepted an invitation to the upcoming Georgetown Leadership Seminar 2019 at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Chris Sladen

Chris is an advocate for better energy solutions than the ones we have used so far! He is well known across the energy sector, particularly for laying a framework for co-investment between public and private sector energy companies, whilst explaining the different elements of project, contract and country risk.

He has a track record of helping governments and regulators to optimise private and co-investment. His focus as a non-resident fellow at the Institute includes low carbon and zero carbon policies and energy technologies, particularly geothermal and hydrogen, being implemented across the globe, especially in Latin America, Europe/UK and Australasia.

Chris is author of the widely read ‘Energy Matters’ op-ed that tackles big energy issues using real-life personal experiences, extensive research and verification. He contributes to numerous media articles and research pieces, and is frequently quoted on energy and climate issues by both the energy press and mainstream media. His articles reflect his passion for the energy sector and how to achieve better outcomes. He has published extensively over five decades.

Chris also has experience acquired on Boards of companies, advisory boards, and business chambers, including the Board of Directors of the Institute of Americas from 2014 through 2021. He has a doctorate in geoscience from the University of Reading and has researched lake systems and their economic importance for over 40 years.

His contributions to energy and education have been recognised by the UK Government with both an MBE and CBE, and also the Aztec Eagle from the Mexican Government – the first foreigner in the energy sector to receive this.

Andres Chambouleyron

Andres Chambouleyron is non-resident fellow at the Institute of the Americas. He has worked extensively in the private sector as an economist and consultant for public utilities (electricity, natural gas, water and sanitation, and telecommunications) and other regulated and non-regulated businesses. His work involves economic analysis, pricing and rate setting, valuation, business advisory, regulatory design and analysis mostly in the energy sector.

Before joining the Institute of the Americas, Dr. Chambouleyron was Chairman of the Board of Argentina’s National Electricity Regulator (ENRE, 2018-2020) that regulates rates and quality of service for two electricity distribution companies in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area (six million users), one 500 KV electricity transmission company (fifteen million users), and seven 132 KV regional transmission companies. He has also collaborated in writing two chapters in two books related to the economics of crime and price and quality discrimination practices by unregulated monopolies.

In the public sector, Dr. Chambouleyron has been economic advisor to Argentina’s Secretary of Communications (2000), where he helped design and implement the country’s new regulatory framework (i.e., interconnection, spectrum management, universal service, and licensing regimes); and advisor to Argentina’s Minister of Economy (2001) on regulatory and energy issues.

He has also been Undersecretary of Tariff Policy at Argentina’s Ministry of Energy and Mining (2015-2017), where he designed and implemented a subsidy reduction program to both electricity generation and natural gas production and a social tariff regime for low-income families.

Dr. Chambouleyron has provided written or oral testimony as an expert in more than twenty arbitration cases in sectors ranging from electricity generation, transmission and distribution, natural gas production, transportation and distribution, to water and sanitation services, telecommunications and satellite services.

He has provided consulting services to both private companies and regulatory authorities throughout Latin America on regulatory issues such as interconnection rates and tariffs for both fixed and mobile telecommunication operators, X factors, and tariff calculation for price-cap regimes in telecoms; natural gas distribution companies and electricity and natural gas distribution and transportation companies.

Dr. Chambouleyron holds MA (1992) and PhD (1995) degrees in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin and his research on pricing and regulatory issues has been published in several professional journals.He has taught courses in microeconomics, industrial organization, and regulation at both undergraduate and graduate levels in local universities.

Carlos Garibaldi

Carlos Garibaldi is currently the Executive Secretary of ARPEL, based in Montevideo.  ARPEL is the Association of Oil, gas and Renewable Energy Companies of Latin America and the Caribbean.

With over 40 years of industry experience, Carlos has developed expertise in corporate strategy, E&P portfolio planning and valuation, business development (exploration new ventures and M&A), contractual and fiscal terms design, tender design and in international negotiations.

Carlos has held technical, managerial, and executive roles in Amoco, San Jorge, Chevron, The Scotia Group, Harrison Lovegrove, Standard Chartered Bank, Tecpetrol, HSBC, Ecopetrol, Arthur D. Little and Plata Energy.  

Carlos earned a professional degree in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad de Buenos Aires, a M.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa, and an MBA from Rice University

Gerardo Cervantes

Gerardo Cervantes is Saavi Energia’s Commercial Senior VP, with a bachelor’s degree in Electromechanical Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey. He graduated from IPADE’s D1 Senior Business Management program and completed ESADE’s management development program. Having acquired over 20 years of experience in the power and gas industry, specializing in liberalized and regulated markets, PPA origination and structuring, energy trading, and retail supply, Gerardo joined Saavi Energía in 2019.

Previously worked at Enel as head of commercial activity in Mexico and Central America. Entrusted with the task of guaranteeing the achievement of the business plan focusing on gross margin and growth in connection with power generation, trading, and retail activities. Furthermore, he held the position of Head of the Power Business Unit and Fuels Manager at Naturgy (Gas Natural Fenosa).

In Saavi with a 3.5 GW fleet serving the Mexican Interconnected Market (SIN), Baja Californian Market (BCA), Californian Market (CAISO), and supporting reliability in Puerto Rico, through our Saavi Power Mobile Solutions business unit, Gerardo heads the commercialization, fuel procurement, energy management, and trading activities, in addition to the Power & Gas trading back to front office processes, retail supply to C&I customers, and wholesale marketing.

Cecilia Aguillon

Cecilia Aguillon is a renewable energy professional with over 20 years of experience in solar energy policy, business development, marketing, public relations and financial management in both private and public sectors. Cecilia currently acts as a consultant on renewable energy projects and policy throughout the Americas.

From 2018 thru 2022 Cecilia worked at the Institute of the Americas as Director of the Energy Transition Initiative promoting renewable energy policies and facilitating public-private dialogues to help Latin American countries develop sustainable clean electricity markets. In 1998 Cecilia joined Kyocera Solar, Inc., a leading solar technology manufacturer, and worked on business development and government relations for 18 years.

During this time Cecilia worked with policy makers and trade associations on designing solar energy programs, renewable portfolio standards and distributed generation programs for implementation across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Cecilia has served on the board of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CalSEIA) and participated in the design and implementation of the California Solar Initiative.

Roger Tissot

Rene Roger Tissot is an economist, MBA and a CPA with deep experience in international energy policy and geopolitics. Roger started his career at the Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI), where he led the Institute’s international research, particularly in Latin America.

He also worked as international government relations for a large Canadian oil company which largely focused on Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina. Later at a Washington based consultancy he advised energy corporations on Latin America’s energy policy issues. More recently, Roger led a program at Kapsarc, a Saudi energy economic think-tank research on policy evaluation and design on in-country value addition and local content in the oil sector.

His research focused on East Africa, particularly Uganda and Mozambique. Since completing his assignment in Saudi Arabia, Roger has advised different organizations and recently completed a study for the Sultanate of Oman on the In-Country Value-added and local content policies. Roger is also engaged in work on a PhD in Global Studies at the University of British Columbia (Okanagan).

Warren Levy

Warren Levy took over as CEO of Jaguar in August 2019, with the objective of harnessing his extensive international experience in the hydrocarbons, geothermal, and mining sectors to consolidate the company’s position within the energy market.

Throughout 24 years of experience, he has collaborated with service companies and operations of the oil industry, from field engineer to holding management positions and successfully leading companies, both multinational and startups, to achieve profitable growth.

He has worked in firms such as Schlumberger, Estrella International Energy Services, and Miramar Hydrocarbons, among others, where he developed skills to create dynamic and multicultural teams, to achieve significant social impact with communities, and regarding negotiation and conflict resolution. A Canadian national, he has lived in 7 countries and worked in more than 20, on four different continents.

Thiago de Aragao

Thiago is the director of strategy at Arko Advice. He has given presentations about the Brazilian and Latin American political environment in over a dozen countries and universities in the United States, Canada, Europe, and China. A specialist in political risk analysis and political network analysis, through his work he has advised over 100 companies, rating agencies and investment funds from Brazil and abroad.

He is a research associate at the Institut de Relations Internationales et Strategiques (France) and co-editor and co-presenter of the Brazilian Politics Podcast. Thiago is an alum of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and currently sits on the board of Fight Cancer Global Organization.

Soffia Alarcon

Soffia Alarcon-Diaz was recently appointed Associate Director, Americas, Sustainability Business at Schneider Electric, where she leads regional sustainability services with a strong focus on climate risk, ESG and net zero frameworks. 

Previously, she was the Director of Sustainable Finance at IHS Markit where she supported the development of the next generation of ESG solutions to advise corporate and financial institutions on how to disclose and manage ESG and climate-related risks. Prior to joining IHS Markit, she was Director of Carbon Trust Mexico where she spearheaded the expansion of the activities on green and sustainable bonds, sustainable agriculture and transport, energy efficiency, carbon markets and certification across LATAM. In 2012, she worked for the World Resources Institute in DC and later joined Mexico’s public sector as Director of Climate Change Mitigation Policy to lead the design of the National Emissions Register as well as the implementation of the Climate Change Law for the country. Soffia holds a master’s degree on Public Administration from Columbia University. She is also Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) fellow and was one of the international judges for the Million Cool Roofs Challenge. In 2021, she was named #Gamechanger by the Bloomberg Business week magazine. In the academic world, she taught a course on climate change policy and science and has collaborated in different magazines and television networks across Latin America.

Ricardo Zibas

Ricardo has been working for more than 20 years on ESG (Environmental, Social e Governance) themes, elaboration and assurance of sustainability reports, environmental and social audits and due diligences, as well as projects

related to mitigation and adaptation to climate change. He has been an active member of the Brazilian delegation at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since 2006. He has experience in

the Oil & Gas, Mining, Petrochemical, Agribusiness and Retail sectors and led

engagements in Brazil, Latin America, Europe and Africa. Lately he has been involved on the implementation of ESG metrics for the financial sector focusing on the TCFD (Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures)

framework.

Cesar Garcia Brena

Cesar has been assisting energy clients in transforming their organizations, evaluating projects, optimizing portfolios, and supporting transactions for over 23 years. He joined Charles River Associates in Boston in 2004, where he managed projects for clients in the US, Europe, and Latin America. Later, he transferred to the Bahrain office to lead industrial cluster projects in the Middle East. 

In 2008, he joined Schlumberger Business Consulting in Houston, leading transformation projects in the U.S., South America, and the Caribbean. In 2010, he co-founded a firm specializing in digital transformation for the energy industry. He co-authored new decision-making methodologies and implemented disruptive projects in the Mexican Oil and Gas industry. In 2017, Cesar joined Arthur D Little, leading the Mexico office and being responsible for major energy projects involving organizational

changes to address new challenges and portfolio management, as well as research into energy transition initiatives. He was a Member of the Board of the Mexican Chapter of the World Energy Council (WEC) from 2019 until 2021.

Jorge Milanese

Jorge Milanese is Sproule’s Regional Director of Latin America responsible for developing and executing Sproule’s client engagement strategy in the region.  Jorge is an experienced oil and gas professional with expertise in domestic and international business development, acquisitions and divestitures, corporate development and upstream assets management. He had a leading role in a wide range of conventional and unconventional energy projects in North and South America. His areas of expertise include upstream investment opportunity identification, both in conventional and unconventional reservoirs, financial and technical evaluation, strategy development and contract negotiation and administration of operated and non-operated joint ventures.

Mike Calise

Mike is an experienced executive leader with a successful history of accelerating early-stage businesses. He has deep experience in electric vehicle (EV) charging hardware, software, solutions, business models, clean transportation strategies, and digital customer experience. 

In January 2020, Mike was appointed President of the Americas for Tritium. He is based in Torrance, CA, and is responsible for promoting and developing Tritium’s market share in the USA. 

Mike is presently a Board member of Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI) affiliate start-up company NeoCharge and advises privately held start-up AmpUp. He is the lead author of “Electrify Your Business,” a guide to deploying EV charging in commercial businesses sponsored by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) and Bay Area Climate Council (BACC). He is also a contributing author of California’s “Ready, Set, Charge!” 

Mike previously served as Blink Charging Co.’s Chief Executive Officer, and their Board of Directors, and held an interim Chief Financial Officer position. Before Blink, Mike was the Head of North America Electric Vehicle Solutions at Schneider Electric and was the founder and principal of EVadvise. Mike also developed the Electric Vehicle Charging Technology Plan for the Marin Transportation Authority (MTA) in Marin County, CA. 

Mike continues to provide advice for several private equity investors and cleantech start-ups in transportation, energy, and micro-grid technologies, all focused on aiding mass-scale EV adoption as a strategy to mitigate the negative effects of carbon emissions.

Mauricio Del Valle

He has been the chief financial officer of Saavi Energia “Saavi” since 2018, and a Board Member of Saavi since 2021. Mr. del Valle has over twenty-five years of experience in finance, focused on the power and utility sector. Prior to Saavi Energia, he spent five years at Calpine Corporation (Fortune 500, ex-NYSE: CPN) of Houston, Texas where he held multiple senior leadership positions, including Senior Vice President of Finance, Chief Risk Officer. Mauricio has twelve years of Investment Banking experience, predominantly in New York City with Morgan Stanley’s Investment Banking, Global Power and Utility Group.

He has substantial transaction expertise in mergers and acquisitions, and debt and equity capital markets transactions across the capital spectrum. Mauricio holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia, a Master of Finance from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), and a Bachelor of Science, Actuary, degree from ITAM.

Griselda Lambertini

Griselda holds a Master degree in Energy from Universidad de Buenos Aires and is a certified GIZ RH2 trainer. She serves as Academic Director at the Centro de Estudios de la Actividad Regulatoria Energética (CEARE). From 2017 through 2020 she was elected as a Board member in the Argentine Energy Regulator. Currently she is the project leader for the EU RH2 mission in Argentina. She is also coordinating CEARE’s participation as a local partner in the International PtX Hub Berlin Project.

Jimena Blanco

I am passionate about ESG risk and how corporate, institutional investor, and sovereign interests intersect in an increasingly complex, data-driven decision-making process. I have strong experience in the O&G, and mining sectors, including in-depth, on-the-ground work in relation to human rights impact assessments, portfolio strategy and risk management, and ESG risk management. In my ideal world I would be a historical fiction writer, though.

Specialties:

ESG+P; Country risk analysis – focusing on governance, politics and social risks. Latin Americanist through and through, but always building knowledge on global issues and the interconnected nature of risk issues across industries and geographies.

Don Lonczak

In addition to his lengthy legal career, Don also has practiced as a certified public accountant, which gives him added insight into the tax accounting and reporting challenges faced by clients.

Don Lonczak has a broad scope of tax law experience, ranging from corporate transactional and international tax matters to structuring renewable energy projects eligible for the production tax credit (PTC) or investment tax credit (ITC). More recently, he has been advising clients on the new tax credit opportunities available under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. He also advises hedge funds, private equity funds and real estate funds in relation to their structures and investments.

Alejandro Stipanicic

Is the President of ANCAP since March 2020, and since 2022 he is also President of ARPEL. Stipanicic is an Industrial Engineer, he has an MBA, with experience in industrial, logistics and service companies from Argentina and Uruguay. He also has experience in public offering, compliance, development of alliances and change.
Stipanicic has 31 years in ANCAP in different leadership positions such as Head of Management Control, Business Development Manager, Business Manager in Argentina. He was also Director of subsidiary companies such as CARBOCLOR, CABA, PetroUruguay, Cementos del Plata and ANCSOL, and Head of the Executive Committee, Petrolera del Conosur S.A.

Riyad Insanally

Riyad Insanally is a retired career diplomat who last served as Guyana’s Eighth Ambassador to the United States and Fourth Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, from September 2016 to June 2021. He is currently a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Caribbean Initiative of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Center for Latin America, a Fellow with the Caribbean Policy Consortium, and the Senior Caribbean Advisor at Transnational Strategy Group in Washington, DC.

Riyad studied Modern Languages and Latin American Studies, and holds MA and MPhil degrees from the University of Cambridge and a PhD from Harvard University. He is fluent in English and Spanish, and proficient in French.

Dionisio Perez Jacome

Former Ambassador of Mexico to Canada

Veronica Irastroza

An expert in competition economics and energy regulation, Ms. Irastorza has more than two decades of experience assisting clients across the globe.

Ms. Irastorza specializes in regulation and contracts, markets, damages, valuations, mergers and acquisitions, disputes, and arbitration. In addition to her energy focus, she has worked on several competition matters related to the transportation, finance, and food sectors.

As a former Undersecretary of Energy Planning and Transition in Mexico, Ms. Irastorza leverages her unique insights to help her clients navigate long-term energy project planning, renewable energy, and energy efficiency policies. She has assisted energy companies, regulators, and governments in countries including Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Ireland, Mexico, Peru, and the US.

She has worked on all aspects of the electric power sector, including generation, transmission, ancillary services, distribution, and retailing. In natural gas, Ms. Irastorza has in-house experience and has advised companies on the effects of new policies and regulations, due diligence, mergers, acquisitions, and efficiency. She has been published in Bloomberg, The Electricity Journal, and the Oil & Gas Journal, and presented at numerous industry conferences. She is also the Vice Chair of the American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section’s Transportation and Energy Industries Committee.

Before joining Brattle, Ms. Irastorza held several other governmental positions in Mexico – in addition to her time as Undersecretary of Energy Planning and Transition – and was an Associate Director at an international economics consultancy.

Julio Cesar Moreira

The Brazilian Oil and Gas Institute (IBP) announces that its Board of Directors approved the appointment of administrator Júlio César Moreira to occupy the Institute’s Executive Directorate of Exploration and Production, in the position that will be left by Flavio Vianna. The new director will take up the position from September 2nd.

Graduated in Information Technology from UFF, Moreira has more than 30 years in the market, with solid senior management experience in Natural Gas and Oil, natural resources (Metals and Mining) and international trade sectors.

The executive has worked for large companies, such as Wintershall Dea, Rosneft, Brookfield Brasil and Petrobras. Since 2019, he has held the vice-presidency of the Brazil – Germany Chamber of Commerce (AHK-RJ), having previously held prominent positions in institutions such as the Brazil – Canada Chamber of Commerce (RJ Section) and the Brazilian Association of Business Companies. Tin Mining. From 2014 to 2015, he was also an IBP Advisor and member of the Exploration and Production Council, in addition to being a member of the Institute’s Steering Committee between 1998 and 2014.

Arthur Deakin

Arthur Deakin is Director of Energy at Americas Market Intelligence (AMI) a leading provider of energy intelligence and analytics in Latin America. Whether it is finding feedstock for low carbon fuels or crafting the ideal strategy to develop a solar project in the region, AMI has a 20+ year track-record of helping clients make strategic market-facing decisions to win new business in the region. The mission for AMI’s energy practice is to be the most informed energy consultancy in low carbon technologies in Latin America, leading the discussion on topics such as low-carbon fuels, renewable power and carbon credits.

Barbara Blakely

Patricio Pagani

Patricio Pagani is a serial entrepreneur in the Technology sector. Founder of The Black Puma, an Analytics Growth Hacking, Data Strategy and AI firm that blends Data Science and Tech to help companies reinvent themselves. Patricio is also a Digital Transformation catalyst that is helping large public and private organizations embrace what the future holds for them.

An Angel Investor in data-driven technology startups (mobility, IOT), Patricio has a portfolio of companies he’s advising.

In La Jolla, he will be discussing what the future holds for the Energy Market through its Digital Transformation journey.

David Voght

As Managing Director and founding partner of IPD, David has built the firm’s client-focused services on a platform of efficient, precise, and timely knowledge transfer. He developed IPD’s core consulting methodology to provide high value analysis, based on ethically and locally collected intelligence, for clients navigating highly complex investment environments.

David has worked in energy and general infrastructure development with a focus on business strategy, market analysis, political and economic risk, financing, and business-to-government relations for 23 years. Having resided in Venezuela from 1991 to 2011, David is one of the premier experts on that country’s energy industry. In 1999 he founded IPD, which has offices in Caracas, Mexico City, and Bogota, and provides a network of consultants who advise clients on energy investment throughout the region. From IPD’s base in Madrid, Spain today, David oversees the company’s regional business, which furnishes advisory services to multi-national energy developers, oilfield service companies, foreign governments, and financial institutions.

David publishes and speaks regularly on the Latin American energy industry with particular focus on legislation, regulatory and government issues impacting the day-to-day operations of the oil, gas and power industries, and scenarios for the build-out of new energy infrastructure.

Prior to founding IPD, David was employed at a Washington, DC based consulting firm advising the U.S. Government and multi-lateral banks on infrastructure investment throughout Latin America.

German Chullmir

Germán is an entrepreneurial investor and has been a change enabler for over 28+ years. Passionate about the environment, he’s been advocating for the diversification of the energy matrix, facilitating social development through technology investments while developing a unique and strategic vision about the role of private-public partnership. Germán is often invited to share his vision on how to advance a sustainable development agenda at the crossroads between Public Private Partnerships, Innovation, Energy and Technology, with a special focus on high impact ventures.

Germán is involved in multiple civil-society institutions covering issues such as Energy, Public Private Partnerships, Regional Integration, Migration, Energy Transition, Sustainable Finance and women empowerment among others.

A member of the InterAmerican Dialogue’s President Leadership Council, the Americas Society- Council of the Americas, the Energy Steering Committee at the Institute of the Americas, a member of the advisory board at the CHLI – Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute and a permanent member of the Concordia Forum. German is involved in nonprofit organizations, focusing on Education, Health and Social Justice. A Singularity University alumni, Universitat de Barcelona and Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA) German cherishes the opportunity to mentor promising students from Kellogg NorthWestern University, Columbia Business School and Universita Bocconi. A former competitive skipper and avid tennis player, Germán finds himself at his best in the water or chasing a ball.

Abraham Zamora

Abraham Zamora has over 25 years of experience in the public and private sectors in Mexico. He currently serves as Senior Vice President of Corporate and Public Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer at Sempra Infrastructure.

In the public sector, he was CEO of Mexico’s development bank BANOBRAS, and held different positions in the Ministries of Finance, of Foreign Affairs, of Communications, and in the Office of the President of Mexico.

In the private sector, Abraham was the Executive Director of Corporate Affairs at Grupo Aeromexico and Chairman of Mexico’s National Chamber of Air Transport (CANAERO).

Abraham Zamora is currently the Chairman of the Mexican Energy Association (AME), member of the Board of Directors of the Council of the Americas, and Member of Advisory Board of the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

Abraham Zamora holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) and two Master’s degrees in Public Administration and Public Policy from Columbia University, and in Political Economy from the University of Essex.

Barbara Eguiguren

Barbara is an economist from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. She has a strong conviction for public service, which is why she has worked in successive governments for more than 12 years. Her experience focuses on analysis and strategic management for the design and participatory construction of public policies, ensuring the confluence of interests of diverse actors and coherence in their different levels of implementation.

Barbara has worked at the Chilean Ministry of Energy since 2015 where she leads the team that provides cross-cutting technical support to the different areas of the Ministry in the design, development and monitoring of public policies in energy, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, citizen participation and multi-stakeholder coordination. She previously worked at the Chilean Ministry of Finance as a macroeconomic policy analyst.

Joshua Ritchie

Christopher Goncalves

Christopher J. Goncalves, a managing director and chair of BRG’s Energy & Climate practice, has thirty-two years of international experience in the energy and financial industries.

He advises energy industry and financial-sector clients in the areas of strategic business planning, energy transition strategy, commercial strategy, commercial negotiation, economic and market analysis, valuation, regulatory assessments, project development and financing, asset acquisitions and divestitures, and international carbon markets. He also provides energy industry and quantum expert analysis and testimony for international energy arbitration and litigation matters for law firms and industry clients.

As a business advisor, Mr. Goncalves has counseled industry and financial-sector clients on energy infrastructure and commerce, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gases (LPGs), natural gas, oil, conventional power generation, renewable energy, and hydrogen. He is accomplished in providing these services to global energy companies, national energy companies, utilities, state energy agencies, independent developers, equity investors, and banks.

Mr. Goncalves also is a seasoned industry and damages expert with independent analysis, reporting, and testimony experience for significant international arbitration and litigation matters concerning disputed energy prices, markets, commercial standards, valuation, and financing requirements for energy projects, assets, contracts, and transactions. He has provided expert analysis and reports for over fifty pre-dispute and dispute matters under the auspices of ICSID, UNCITRAL, the ICC, ICDR/AAA, the Milan Chamber of Commerce, the Royal Courts of Justice of England and Wales, and US federal courts. Of these, Mr. Goncalves has provided oral testimony in eighteen international investment and commercial disputes. Who’s Who Legal has recognized Mr. Goncalves as a leading energy industry and damages expert for several years and as a global elite thought leader in 2022.

Among his expert witness and business advisory experience, Mr. Goncalves has served as the lead LNG and natural gas market and industry expert to energy companies and their legal counsel for over a dozen LNG and natural gas price reviews and/or price review arbitrations in Europe and Asia. He also has provided LNG commercial strategy for short- and long-term sales pricing, target markets, and priority customers for leading NOCs and US LNG exporters.

Mr. Goncalves recently coauthored the following chapters: “Expert Role in Causation Analysis for Energy Transition Related Arbitration,” in The Investment Treaty Arbitration Review – Edition 6; and “Expert Evidence in Price Reviews and Disputes” in Gas & LNG Price Arbitration 2019. He also has given numerous presentations and has written several articles on LNG and natural gas market, commercial, and pricing conditions worldwide.

His professional experience spans over fifty countries throughout the Americas, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Within these regions, he offers direct energy market experience in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Algeria, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait, Yemen, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Angola, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Namibia, Morocco, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and other countries.

Carlos De Regules

Carlos is a seasoned leader in sustainability, risk management, strategic planning and regulation in the energy sector, with more than 25 years of experience as senior executive, regulator and consultant. He leads a young and talented team of professionals at ASSIST, a regulatory compliance specialized consulting firm.

In recent years, as a partner with Deloitte and as independent consultant, he advised industry clients, policy makers, regulators and multilateral institutions in Europe, UK, North and Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 2014-2018, he led the creation of Mexico´s ASEA, the National Agency for Safety and Environmental Protection in the hydrocarbon sector. He was responsible for implementing an innovative regulatory model that spearheaded a new phase of environmental oversight over oil and gas projects in Mexico. Carlos led the preparation of the first methane control regulation in Latin America.

Prior to that he held different responsibilities in Petróleos Mexicanos, namely as Deputy Director for Strategic and Operational Planning, responsible for the development of the strategic planning process the integration of the Climate Action Plan and the Sustainability Portfolio of Initiatives to the corporation´s Business Plan.

Carlos is a member o IEA´s Expert Network for Methane Control. He has successfully participated with a wide range of thought-leading organizations including the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Latin American Energy Organization, Chatham House´s New Petroleum Producers Group, Clean Air Task Force, Woodrow Wilson Center, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Institute of the Americas.

He holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering from Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, an MSc in Environmental Engineering and Management from École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris and an MSc in Public Administration from Instituto Nacional de Administración Pública. He is also a fellow of the Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) International Network.

He is fluent in French, English and Spanish and is a trekking and swimming amateur.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Carlos de Regules is responsible for the construction of Mexico’s safety and environmental protection regulatory framework for the oil and gas industry. Major endeavors include:

Institutional design, construction and start of a new regulatory Agency: Led the definition of a risk-based regulatory model, the design and staffing of a 465 strong organization, conducted a 25 million USD budget negotiation and established strategic one-on-one alliances with regulators from Canada, US and UK, and the International Regulators’ Forum (Norway, Denmark, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Ireland).

Development of performance-based regulations for the hydrocarbon sector: Presided over the development of 40+ performance-based regulations to fill in the regulatory gaps and provide industry and society with long-term regulatory certainty, based on best international practices and in a transparent technical dialogue with industry’s main associations (AMEXHI, AMGN, ONEXPO, ADIGAS, ADG and others). Carlos led the team that produced the first national methane control regulations in Latin America.

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Craig Kelly

Craig A. Kelly was appointed senior director of international government relations at Exxon Mobil Corporation in November 2012. He is based in Washington, D.C.
Kelly is a former career U.S. diplomat who spent 26 years in Foreign Service. He held a variety of posts in Europe and Latin America and was U.S. ambassador to Chile from 2004-2007. From 2001-2004, Ambassador Kelly served as executive assistant to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and traveled to more than 90 countries in that capacity. He later served as principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, overseeing U.S. policy and operations in 35 countries and troubleshooting regional crises such as the 2009 coup in Honduras. In 2010, he was the senior-most
U.S. official to travel to Havana, Cuba, in 15 years.
Kelly also held positions in Rome, Paris and Bogota’, and covered Western European affairs at the National Security Council. After leaving the State Department, he ran the Latin America practice at the Cohen Group, a Washington D.C.-based international consulting firm, from 2010 to 2012.
Kelly received a bachelor’s degree (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and a Ph.D. in romance languages and history from the University of California, Los Angeles. He also studied at Stanford University and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in Paris. He was a Fulbright scholar in Italy. He speaks fluent Spanish, French, Italian, and intermediate Portuguese.

Cecilia De La Macorra

More than twenty years of government, corporate affairs, government relations, and media related experience in Latin America and the United States. Excellent network of senior level contacts in the U.S. and the region, including policymakers, industry groups, and think tanks. Strong understanding of international politics, economics, and social issues. Solid analytical and communications skills, with an emphasis on influencing/advocacy strategies to advance national and business interests. Demonstrated ability to plan and manage complex assignments, working independently and as part of a team. Ability to manage multiple clients, stakeholders, and projects simultaneously. Master of International Affairs from Colombia University, with a concentration in Latin American Studies and a focus on International Media and Communications. Bachelor in International Affairs with a minor in International Economics from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City, with studies at Georgetown University in Washington.