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SPEAKERS
Want to see who you will meet at the conference? Below you can read a little bit more about all of our amazing speakers! From UCLA professors, to Smithsonian researchers to artists, we guarantee there will be someone from your field of passion!
ANDREW QUITMEYER, PhD
Dr. Andrew Quitmeyer and Kitty Quitmeyer run digital naturalism laboratories in Gamboa Panama. They help Field biologists create tools for interacting with nature in new ways. They also work with local animal rescues to develop enrichment devices for endangered animals. The laboratory is solar powered and uses most of its material from free upcycled waste.
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NATALIE FERRO
Natalie Ferro Lozano is a PhD candidate in Wageningen University based in Gamboa, Panamá where she does her research at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. She graduated with a Biotechnological degree in Buenos Aires, Argentina and later on did her masters in Plant Biotechnology with a focus on molecular breeding and phytopathology. Her focus is to study the plant genetical traits that are responsible for the regulation to environmental interactions, such as symbiosis with microorganisms. Her current project is studying the root traits in Theobroma cacao and how these are influenced by different mycorrhizal symbiosis. For this purpose, she works with a multidisciplinary team of supervisors, university chair groups and institutes from Panamá and the Netherlands.
CLAUS KJAERBY
Director of Operations, Geoversity
Claus left Denmark and settled in Latin America in 1997, starting with a six-year stint in the Amazon engaging indigenous people in environmental monitoring, sustainable economic development, including ecotourism; and establishing innovative protected areas management regimes. Some of Latin America’s most renowned lawyers then trained him in legal matters and human rights-based development strategies. Claus managed, for seven years, intercultural governance and poverty eradication programs in Central America, served as director to a World Bank infrastructure project and managed a land titling process in culturally complex territories in collaboration with national environment authorities. He spent two years as a consultant evaluating natural resource management programs and most recently, he was the regional representative of the environment organization, Forests of the World. Before Google Earth existed, Claus was conducting expeditions to the Earth’s most remote and indigenous territories.
CRISTINA FIGUEROA
Econtigo Founder and Lima Compost Partner
Cristina is an Industrial engineer with a MBA, who has dedicated her last 8 years to live in a sustainable way.
She has developed the 5 pillars philosophy for an ecosustainable system and teaches this philosophy to homes, schools and businesses.
She is implementing the Food Waste Reduction and Management Program at MET, developing consciousness in the whole community to value food, and the setting a Compost place and a vegetable garden, creating a virtuous circle and relationship with food for the wellbeing of the MET community.
She believes that Compost is the most important way to reduce waste, therefore she became partner of Lima Compost to spread this habit in Panamá.
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JAVIER MANZANARES
World Bank's Senior Advisor on Carbon Markets
Javier Manzanares is currently the World Bank's Senior Advisor on Carbon Markets, UN Senior Consultant at United Nations UNEPFI, Co-CEO of ClimateCoin, member of the Climate Trade Advisory Board and CEO of ALLEN MANZA INC.
He was CFO & Director of Support Services and Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund "GCF" for almost 8 years. Previously, he held the positions of Director and Regional Representative of UNOPS for MERCOSUR, based in Argentina and Manager of the Investment and Development Banking Division at "CABEI/CABEI" based in Honduras. Javier also worked as Executive Vice President of two private banks of Grupo Fierro in Miami and Guatemala. His career in banking and finance began with Banking and finance started with Banco Santander/BSCH in the United States, Hong Kong and Japan.
Javier was the first Chairman of the Board of Directors of “IASE”, the International Association for Sustainable Economy, holds a double MBA from Northwestern University/Kellogg (USA), an EMBA from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology "HKUST" (China), ESG certification from Competent Boards and a PhD in Sustainability Management from INHA University in South Korea.
Javier also collaborates with the faculty of ESG, Innovation and Technology and Climate Finance at “IE” Instituto de Empresas, Seoul National University “SNU” and “BS4CL” Business Schools for Climate Leadership.
JESSICA JACOB
Founder of SURECO & Partners
Jessica Jacob is a economist specialized in sustainable development from the Sorbonne University in Paris, holds a Master's degree in Economics and International Politics from the Universities of Lausanne and Geneva (Switzerland) and recently completed an Executive Master in Digital Business at ESADE (Spain). Currently, she is the CEO of SURECO & Partners, a company specialized in environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects and access to climate finance. Jessica was an Accreditation Specialist and Regional Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Green Climate Fund 2015-2021. She has been a climate finance consultant at UNEP, UNESCO, IFAD, FAO, World Bank, among others.
Previously, she was the Director of Social and Environmental Responsibility at Findeter - Infrastructure Development Bank; she was the President of the Green Protocol in Colombia, President of the Latin American Group of UNEP FI and Vice-President of the Environmental and Climate Change Committee of ALIDE.
Jessica Jacob founded SURECO & Partners with the objective of providing quality consultancies in access to climate finance and project development in LAC, generating professional opportunities for consultants and young people in the region who seek to contribute with motivation and innovation to climate change and sustainable projects.
Leticia Papadikis
