Speakers

Ajata Mediratta is a Member of the Board of Directors of the Emerging Markets Investors Alliance.

AJ joined Greylock Capital Management in 2008, following the acquisition of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc by JPMorgan Chase. He became a Partner in 2009 and President in 2012. Greylock Capital Management, LLC is a leader in emerging market distressed, event‐driven, and high-yield investing in sovereign and corporate situations. 

Prior to joining Greylock, AJ was the Global Head of Bear Stearns’ International Debt Capital Markets Group. His group at Bear Stearns was responsible for the capital market financing transactions for sovereign, quasi-sovereign, and corporate clients of Bear Stearns in Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. From 2000 to 2008, AJ’s group at Bear Sterns underwrote more than $30 billion of securities in more than fifteen countries worldwide and acted as a financial advisor on several corporate and sovereign debt restructurings.

Prior to joining Bear Stearns in 1997, AJ headed Credit Lyonnais Securities (USA) Inc.'s fixed-income Structured Products Group for emerging markets in New York.  Before joining Credit Lyonnais Securities in 1995, AJ spent three years at The Weston Group, a New York-based investment banking boutique, specializing in the origination and structuring of private placement issues out of Latin America.  AJ joined Weston after graduating from the Columbia University Graduate School of Business. Prior to Weston, AJ also worked in the International Division of the Export-Import Bank of the United States in Washington D.C. In addition to the Emerging Markets Investors Alliance, AJ serves on the board of directors of Unit Trust Corporation, a U.S.-registered investment company.

AJ earned a B.A. in Economics from Williams College and an MBA in Finance and International Business from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.  He holds a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. AJ is fluent in Spanish and conversant in Portuguese.

Ana Maria Camelo Vega is a Senior Economics and Finance Researcher at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment. Her expertise lies at the intersection of finance, economics, and sustainability. Through evidence-based strategies like green financing and impact investing, she is dedicated to promoting innovative approaches aimed at advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With extensive experience in both quantitative and qualitative research, she expertly analyzes the pathways critical to achieving global climate goals, facilitating the energy transition, and advising various financial sector actors and regulators. At CCSI, Ana Maria leads the work in international climate finance, with a specific focus on emerging markets. She has led projects in advancing the financing pathways for the energy transition from a regional perspective in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe. Her efforts are crucial in creating effective frameworks for the public, private, and institutional financial sectors to transition towards sustainable and resilient economies. 

Previously, Ana María worked both in the private and public sectors. At Finance in Motion, she managed multiple technical assistance projects to optimize investment transactions aimed at promoting sustainable finance through the LAGreen Fund. Her efforts supported the issuance of GSS+ bonds in ten Latin American countries, contributing to substantial greenhouse gas mitigation.

She has also served as an economic adviser at Colombia's Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development and the Ministry of Housing, Cities, and Territory, where she contributed to national strategic priorities, green taxonomy development, and urbanization policy. She also has a rich background in policy analysis. Ana María holds a Master of Science in Public Policy from NYU's Wagner Graduate School and double Bachelor's degrees in Applied Economics and Global Studies from the College of St. Scholastica.

Asbjørn Purup Andersen is a Senior Portfolio Manager at Velliv Pension, one of Denmark’s largest retirement funds with c. $50bn in assets under management. Mr. Andersen is responsible for Velliv’s Emerging Markets Debt portfolios as well as bespoke Sustainable structured fixed income investments such as outcome bonds and debt-for-nature swaps. Mr. Andersen has a background in credit research and has been managing credit and debt portfolios for more than a decade.

Ashok Parameswaran is the President and Founder of the Emerging Markets Investors Alliance (EMIA) and a member of the EMIA Board of Directors.

Ashok has over 20 years of experience relating to emerging markets, mostly as an emerging market sovereign debt analyst. During his career, he has worked at asset managers including Invesco, AIG Investments, and Fidelity Management and Research. Ashok was part of an Invesco team that performed in the top third of Bloomberg-listed emerging market peers for four out of five years. He also has significant experience in international economics and development. At the US Treasury Department, he advised the US Treasury Secretaries Paul O’Neill and John Snow on economic policy towards South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa. During this time, he served as Treasury’s Coordinator for Afghan Reconstruction. Ashok helped to start the India Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where he worked with CSIS Executive Vice President Doug Johnston, US Ambassador to India William Clark, and Congressman Stephen Solarz, former Chair of the House Subcommittee on Asia and Pacific Affairs.

Ashok has served on the Board of the microfinance non-profit United Prosperity and on the Junior Board of Seeds of Peace.

Ashok earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Avril Benchimol leads the blended finance initiative at the GEF. She has two decades of experience in capital markets and structured finance, both in multilateral institutions and investment banking. At GEF, where she has spent the last 6 years, she focuses on growing the GEF investment portfolio in blended finance (currently above $350 million in active projects) to include more innovative financial structures for environmental impact. These structures include the Rhino Bond, Debt for Nature debt conversions, or the securitization of a biodiversity lending portfolio on the Amazon. Previously, she spent eight years at IDB Invest and IDB Lab as an investment officer, where she designed and executed capital markets and structured finance transactions supporting various SDGs. She also led a green microfinance facility in 11 countries that facilitated microfinance clients’ mitigation and adaptation initiatives.

Prior to joining the IDB, she spent six years working in investment banking at Morgan Stanley and BNP Paribas in London, Madrid, and Brussels. Her main areas of expertise included capital markets and structured equity derivatives. In Morgan Stanley's global capital markets division, she worked in the origination and structuring of both equity and debt transactions. During her time as structurer and sales at the BNP derivatives desk, she worked on structuring equity derivatives for institutional clients in Spain and Portugal. In 2011, she received her Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, where she graduated with honors. Avril is originally from Spain and currently lives in Washington, D.C.

Conal Duffy is the political risk insurance practice leader for Alliant Insurance Services.  In this capacity, he helps to innovate the use of insurance to support sovereign debt financing and to have this done with DFIs supported by private market insurers.  A former Peace Corps volunteer and senior insurance officer at OPIC, now DFC, Mr. Duffy, has more than 35 years of experience supporting financing and investments in developing countries.

Daniel Hewitt is Director of the Sovereign Debt Sustainability Campaign and International Affairs with the Emerging Markets Investors Alliance. Before retiring, he was an Emerging Markets research economist at Barclays covering Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. Previously, he worked at AllianceBernstein, the International Monetary Fund, and the University of Connecticut.

Gabriel Silva is the co-founder and CFO of Mombak. Prior to Mombak, Gabriel was the CFO of Nubank, where he helped to build and scale one of the world's largest FinTech companies. Gabriel holds an MBA from Stanford University, a BA in Economics and International Relations from Tufts University, and an International Diploma from Sciences Po in Paris.

Iftin Fatah is a Senior Program Officer in the Development Policy and Finance team at the Gates Foundation. She leads the financial systems and private capital mobilization body of work, and the design and implementation of systemic approaches and scaling of innovative financial structures aimed at attracting private investment and unlocking growth in EMDEs. As an expert in development finance, Iftin has structured, monitored, and advised on blended finance structures, development impact bonds, and innovative financial structures across different financial instruments to include debt financing, guarantees, equity investment, and technical assistance programs.

Iftin has nearly 15 years of experience in development finance, focusing on financial sector development in EMDEs with a concentration in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. She was previously a Director, Program Financial Services at the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Prior to MCC, Iftin served as a Director, Financial Institutions & Capital Mobilization division for the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) for 12 years. She has a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University and a Master of Arts in International Commerce & Policy and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from George Mason University. She also completed the Harvard Business School-Accion Program on Strategic Leadership in Inclusive Finance.

Jozef leads the Resource Mobilization team in the Financial Solutions, Mobilization & Asset Sharing Department at IDB Invest. He is responsible for the distribution of development finance assets to third parties, the development of new mobilization products, and the pricing of new operations. He has accumulated over 25 years of experience in the syndicated loans and debt capital markets. Since joining IDB Group, Jozef has overseen the distribution of over US$30 billion in assets across more than 450 transactions. During this tenure, he has also led the diversification in mobilization product solutions and the development of innovative instruments such as the “B-bond”.

Before joining IDB Invest, Jozef was a Director at ABN AMRO Bank N.V., where he was responsible for the origination and distribution of syndicated loans in the Integrated Energy and Leveraged Finance sectors for the Americas. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Management degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Katrina Butt is a Vice President and Portfolio Manager for Emerging Markets Debt, where she is responsible for the management of hard-currency emerging-market sovereign portfolios. Previously, she was a senior Latin America economist in the Global Economic Research group for Fixed Income, focusing on macroeconomic analysis and fixed-income strategy in Latin America and the Caribbean. Earlier in her career, Butt was an economic research associate, supporting G10 and emerging-market economists at AB. She joined the firm in 2013 as a rotational associate for Fixed Income, serving in roles in quantitative research, credit research, and portfolio management. Butt holds a BA (cum laude) in economics and mathematics from Bucknell University, an MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and is a CFA charterholder. Location: New York

Lapo Guadagnuolo is the Global Head of the Centre of Excellence in the Methodology group of S&P Global Ratings. Lapo oversees the development, application, and maintenance of all general and cross-sector ratings methodologies, including the maintenance and updates to ratings definitions. Lapo spearheads the development of analytical frameworks to embed emerging risks and trends like ESG, cyber, and crypto/DeFi in the rating analysis. He also oversees the quality and governance of S&P quantitative models used in rating analysis.

Lapo held various senior roles as the Global Head of Analytics & Research, the Chief Credit Officer for the EMEA region, and the co-head of the EMEA Structured Finance department with more than 130 analysts and staff located in various offices.

Before joining S&P Global Ratings in 2001, he worked for Banca Popolare di Lodi in Italy.

Lapo holds an MSc in International Banking from the University of Southampton (UK) and a BSc in Economics from the Università Cattolica in Milan (Italy).

Marie-Aimee Boury is a structured finance professional with 31 years of international business experience at Société Générale in New York, London, and Paris. She has a demonstrated track record in advising, structuring, and executing complex transactions in project finance, structured finance, and project bonds, where she developed a strong network of relationships amongst corporate, financial sponsors, MDBs, institutional, and impact investors.

Throughout her various positions, she has developed an in-depth understanding of debt financing and capital markets in energy and infrastructure on a global basis, with a strong focus on emerging markets and blended finance, in particular in Africa and Latin America.

She is currently Head of Impact Based Finance, a team that sits in the Investment Banking division of Societe Generale. Its mission is to act as a catalyst for financial innovation to originate, execute, and distribute impact investments in the public and private markets, using an impact-driven and blended finance approach. 

The team also contributes to thought leadership in collaborative initiatives to build an ecosystem supportive of an efficient scale-up.

Marie-Aimee holds a Master’s degree in International Finance from EDHEC.

Marie-Clara has more than 15 years of cross-sector sustainability experience, helping advance the bank’s clients’ ESG strategies, programs, and financing needs. She focuses on the linkages of ESG strategy to capital allocation and sustainable value creation in line with investor expectations, regulatory requirements, and market best practices.

Before joining SG, Marie Clara advised corporates and large institutional investors on developing sustainable business practices and investment stewardship strategies. She also worked as a World Bank consultant, focusing on the linkages between development finance and private sector activities to advance social and environmental objectives. She holds an MSc in Global Business and Finance from Georgetown University and a Master of Law from the University of Vienna.

Passionate about making a difference in the emerging markets, Mariyam has been Lead for Structured Climate Debt Fund Investments at the Financial Institutions Group of International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank Group's private investment arm. Her expertise encompasses originating, structuring, and executing capital market transactions on a global scale, spanning regions such as Latin America, Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. Her prior experience includes roles in financial institutions across emerging markets, notably as an infrastructure banker at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, covering Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Mariyam is a CFA charterholder, holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, and a Master of Accounting degree from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

Matthew Cox is a Partner in the London office of global law firm Baker McKenzie.  Matthew started his career in New Zealand and his been based in London since the late 1990s, where he specializes in domestic and international finance transactions. Matthew has been at the forefront of debt-for-nature swap structures and deals since their resurgence over the last 10+ years. Representative transactions include representing The Nature Conservancy on the Seychelles debt swap in 2015 and the project manager on the $1.60 billion Ecuador debt swap in 2023.”

Matt Lawton is a portfolio manager in the Fixed Income Division. He manages the Global Impact Credit Strategy and the Global Impact Short Duration Bond Strategy. Matt is a member of the Investment Advisory Committees for the Corporate Income, New Income, Ultra Short-Term Bond, and Short-Term Bond Funds. He is also a member of the Fixed Income ESG Steering & Advisory Committee and the ESG Committee. Matt is a vice president of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. Matt earned a B.S. in finance from Boston College and an M.B.A. from Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business. He also earned the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation.

Naomi Cooney is a senior member of the Structured Finance team within the Capital Markets and Investments Department of the World Bank Treasury. She leads the structuring and execution of innovative outcomes bonds that mobilize private capital to directly support sustainable development projects, linking investor returns to project outcomes. Recent projects include groundbreaking outcome bonds such as the Amazon Reforestation-Linked Bond, the Plastic Waste Reduction-Linked Bond, and the Wildlife Conservation Bond.

With over ten years at the World Bank, Naomi has a wealth of experience, including four years in the Crisis and Disaster Risk Financing team. There, she collaborated with developing country governments to create cost-effective, efficient solutions for financial protection against disasters. In her current role, she also leads catastrophe bond transactions for World Bank member countries such as Mexico, Chile, and Jamaica that increase financial resilience against natural disasters.

Naomi holds an MBA from Imperial College London, a Bachelor of Science in Financial and Actuarial Mathematics from Dublin City University, and became a Fellow of the UK Institute and Faculty of Actuaries in 2007. Naomi previously spent ten years in actuarial roles in Ireland with KPMG and Irish Life Assurance.

Patrick O’Connell is a Senior Vice President and Director of Responsible Investing Portfolio Solutions and Research for public markets. In this role, he develops strategies and tools that help integrate ESG considerations into the teams’ research, engagement and investment processes across AB’s Equities and Fixed Income businesses. From 2021 to 2024, O’Connell served as director of Fixed Income Responsible Investing Research. Earlier in his career, he served as a corporate credit research analyst, focusing on emerging-market corporates in Latin American and African countries. O’Connell joined the Emerging Markets research team in 2013 after working as a credit analyst covering US high-yield energy credits at AB. Prior to joining the firm in 2012, he was a desk analyst at UBS Investment Bank, where he helped allocate capital on the trading desk. O’Connell holds a BS in accounting and finance (magna cum laude) from Villanova University and is a CFA charterholder.

With over a decade of experience in capital markets, Rekha Nair is currently the Managing Director at Société Générale Corporate and Investment Banking, driving growth in fixed income and derivatives. Her journey includes impactful years at Standard Chartered Bank, where she honed her expertise in emerging market sales. Rekha’s team's mission aligns with Société Générale's culture of innovation and excellence, leveraging her field expertise to navigate complex market dynamics. She brings a strategic mindset to the table, focusing on ethical practices and a goal to foster enduring client relationships.

Sara Rosner is a Senior Vice President and AB’s Director of Responsible Investing Research. In this role, she collaborates with investors across the firm to lead thematic research on material ESG issues. She also manages the development of training and programming on issues related to responsible investing, focusing on enhancing investors’ ability to integrate material environmental, social and governance considerations into their decision-making and investment processes. Rosner has created and implemented AB’s Climate Transition Alignment Framework. She co-chaired the firm’s working groups on the energy transition, ESG research and biodiversity, managing firmwide initiatives on climate scenario analysis, carbon offsets and ESG education and training. Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Rosner performed research for the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, where she worked on projects related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and renewable energy alternatives in the extractive industry. She spent most of her early career as a journalist covering energy and infrastructure finance in the Americas for Euromoney Institutional Investor. Rosner holds a BS in international studies (magna cum laude) from Pepperdine University and an MS in sustainability management from Columbia University. She is a global member of 100 Women in Finance and a financial literacy volunteer. Rosner was named one of Crain’s New York Business Notable Leaders in Sustainability 2023.

Steve is the lead portfolio manager for Nuveen’s fixed income strategies that incorporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) criteria and Impact investments. He is also a member of the Investment Committee.

Steve was a member of the ICMA Green Bond Principles initial executive committee and subsequently its Advisory Council. He serves on the Steering Committees of the Debt Conversion for Nature and Climate Practice Standards and the Orange Bond Principles. He is also a member of the UN Capital Development Fund’s working group on Climate Resilient Infrastructure Finance, Sustainalytics’ Investor Committee and the board of the Fixed Income Analysts Society, Inc. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and a subject matter expert across media outlets. Steve and his team were awarded “ESG Fund of the year –fixed income” at Environmental Finance’s (EF) 2024 Sustainable Investment Awards in addition to “Investment team of the year –asset manager” and “Fund of the year –fixed income” at Environmental Finance’s (EF) 2023 Impact Awards. Previously, Steve and team were recognized as “Investor of the Year” (EF 2020 Bond Awards) and “Impact Report of the Year (for Investors)” (EF 2022 Bond Awards).

Steve graduated with a B.S. from the State University of New York at Buffalo and an M.B.A. in Finance and Operations from Wake Forest University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a member of the CFA Society of North Carolina and the CFA Institute.

Slav is a senior emerging market financier and executive with 25+ years of global experience in team leadership, origination/business development, and the development and financing of infrastructure projects, corporates, and governments. He started his career at Delphos (a specialized EM investment bank) in 1997 and became an equity partner (Managing Director) in 2010. Leading multidisciplinary teams, he structured and raised $3 billion of DFI/private financing for energy, telecommunications, and social infrastructure projects in the global emerging markets for Fortune 100, middle-market, and government clients. Having facilitated the sale of the firm, he departed in 2020.

Since March 2021, Slav has led the growing Sustainable Debt team of The Nature Conservancy, the world’s largest conservation NGO with 3,000+ employees in 70+ countries and $9 billion in assets. The team arranges large-scale sovereign financings -- the award-winning Belize, Barbados, Gabon, Bahamas, and Ecuador Nature Bonds transactions -- to facilitate ambitious national conservation/climate commitments and unlock large-scale, long-term financing for nature. Together, these deals have refinanced ~$3 bn of debt and unlocked ~$1 bn for conservation. A native of Bulgaria, Mr. Gatchev earned an executive MBA (with honors) from NYU's Stern School of Business. He lives in Washington, DC.