Foreign Trade Analyst, holds a degree in Economics from the University of Brasília (UnB) and a master's degree in Economic Theory from the University of São Paulo (USP). She worked as an economist and Budget Coordinator at the Federal Public Defender's Office (2010-2012) and as a substitute professor at UnB (2014-2015). As a federal executive career public servant since 2010, she served as an advisor at the former Ministry of Planning (2016-2019). At the Ministry of Economy, she held the positions of Chief of Staff (2018-2022) and Deputy Special Secretary (2022) at the Special Secretariat for Foreign Trade and International Affairs. At the Ministry of Planning and Budget (2023-present), she worked as General Coordinator of External Financing for Social and Sustainability Projects and currently holds the position of Deputy Secretary at the Secretariat for International Affairs and Development. She currently coordinates issues related to payments to International Organizations and Regional Integration, in addition to external financing and Brazil's participation as a shareholder in Regional Development Banks.

Mr. Best is the 7th President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Region’s sole indigenous multilateral development finance institution based in Barbados. A highly professional and diverse leader, Mr. Best was a Senior Infrastructure and Development Advisor to the Office of the Prime Minister of Barbados, seconded from his role as Director, Projects Department at CDB. With over 30 years of experience as a Civil Engineer, Project Management Professional, and Development Banker, he is known for his ability to foster strong working relationships and leading teams to success.

Under his leadership, the CDB Projects Department was able to transform the lives of approximately 1.6mn Caribbean people in the areas of education, access to resilient infrastructure and expansion of inclusive opportunities to women and girls. He not only spearheaded the Bank’s collaboration outreach to other regional IFIs but also led the development of the Bank’s first Sustainable Financing Framework and created the window to mobilise private capital for regional development. Mr. Best graduated from the University of Durham with a Master of Business Administration and holds a Master of Science in Construction Engineering and Management from the University of the West Indies (St. Augustine). He is widely recognised back as a regional authority in the ideation and delivery of resilient inclusive development solutions that meet the transformational needs of the Caribbean. His leadership, professionalism, and understanding of the value of collaborative relationships have been key to his success.

Mr. Clarke assumed the role of Deputy Managing Director at the IMF on October 31, 2024.

Before joining the IMF, Mr. Clarke served as Jamaica’s Minister of Finance and the Public Service, and a Member of Parliament, since March 2018. Prior to this, he served as Ambassador of Economic Affairs from 2016. During this period, he stewarded his country’s economy to a stronger and more sustainable position. He spearheaded ambitious national reforms, including central bank independence, creation of an independent fiscal commission, as well as other tax policy, public body governance, public procurement, public sector compensation, and public investment management reforms. He also led Jamaica’s economic policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic with innovative and well-targeted policy support and completed privatizations and public-private partnerships of major infrastructure assets. Under his stewardship, Jamaica implemented a multi-layered disaster risk financing model, and became the first small country to independently sponsor a catastrophe bond, with World Bank assistance. In 2023, Jamaica successfully completed its first ever international issue of a local currency denominated bond, and in 2024, Jamaica successfully executed its first ever securitization transaction in international capital markets.

In 2022, Mr. Clarke was elected Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank and the Inter-American Investment Corporation. Prior to his public service career, he was Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of the Musson Group, a regional conglomerate, having started his career as an Equity Derivatives Trader at Goldman Sachs in London.

Mr. Clarke holds a PhD in Numerical Analysis from Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and a Master of Science Degree in Applied Statistics, also from Oxford, while he was a Commonwealth Scholar. He also holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of the West Indies where he was a Jamaica Independence Scholar.

Timothy N. J. Antoine is an economist and development practitioner who was born in Grenada. He has served as the third Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) since 1 February 2016.

Mr. Antoine holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of the West Indies (Cave Hill), and a M.Sc. in Social Policy and Planning in Developing Countries from the London School of Economics.

He has invested 14 years of his life as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Grenada.

From 2005 – 2007, Mr. Antoine served as Advisor to the Executive Director for Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean and was based in Washington DC.

In 2016, he was the recipient of the Order of Grenada Gold Award for Excellence.

In 2018, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by St George’s University.

In 2018, he received a Certificate for Outstanding Leadership and Public Service from UWI (Cave Hill), on the occasion, of UWI’s 70th anniversary.

In 2018, he was named Caribbean Central Bank Governor of the Year by GlobalMarkets.

In 2025, he received an award for Exceptional Contribution to Finance for the occasion of Grenada’s golden jubilee.

Mr. Antoine is currently Chairman of the Eastern Caribbean Home Mortgage Bank (since 2016), Chairman of the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange (since 2017) and Chairman of CCRIF SPC (since 2018). He also serves as a Board member of the Toronto Centre for Global Leadership in Financial Supervision (since 2023).

Mr. Isaac Solomon served as the Acting President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) from January 2024 to January 2025. In this role, he was responsible for the Bank’s strategic direction, overall management, and engagement with member countries and development partners.

His substantive position is Vice President (Operations), where he provides leadership and direction to the Economics and Projects Departments and the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund.

Mr. Solomon holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Management from the University of the West Indies and a Master of Science in Financial Management from the University of London’s Centre for International Education in Economics. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Lilia Burunciuc is the World Bank Director for Caribbean countries. Ms. Burunciuc, a Moldovan national, is responsible for maintaining the partnership with the countries to address their development challenges.

Since joining the World Bank in 1996, she held a range of increasingly challenging positions: Director for Central Asia; Manager in Operations Policy and Country Services; Country Manager for Macedonia; Country Program Coordinator for Southern Africa and Central Asia; Senior Country Officer for Ukraine and Belarus.

She has extensive experience on leading policy dialogue with governments on various aspects of development.

Prior to joining the Bank, Ms. Burunciuc was a Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Moldova (Moldova’s central bank).

She has a Master’s of Public Administration degree from George Washington University (USA) and a degree (Master’s level) in Economics, Management and Planning from the Technical University of Moldova.

Allison Hunte is the CEO and Co-Founder of Fintech Islands, a global conference committed to accelerating fintech innovation and digital transformation across the Caribbean. With a vision to position the region as a dynamic hub for financial technology, Allison leads the strategic direction, growth, and execution of Fintech Islands, bringing together founders, investors, and policymakers to shape the future of financial services.

Her extensive background in experiential marketing, large-scale event production, and brand development spans over two decades across the Caribbean, U.S., and international markets. A Howard University graduate with a BSc in Microbiology, Allison transitioned into the entertainment industry, where she co-founded and led several successful ventures, including Headline Entertainment and Seven Star Entertainment.

Through Fintech Islands, she leverages her proven ability to build ecosystems, scale brands, and deliver high-impact events, positioning the Caribbean on the global fintech map. Her leadership continues to transform how innovation is convened, spotlighted, and scaled in emerging markets.

PhD in Economics from Graduate School of Economics at Fundação Getulio Vargas (EPGE / FGV). Analyst Central Bank of Brazil since 1998, where he was Head of the Competition and Financial Market Structure Department, and is currently Chief of Staff for the Deputy-Governor’s Office. He also worked at the Ministry of Finance and was a visiting economist at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) between 2013 and 2016.

On July 1, 2016, Dr. Wayne Henry assumed duties as Director General of the PIOJ. Prior to joining the PIOJ, he spent five years as Vice President, Government Affairs of the Scotiabank Group, served as Chief Technical Advisor to the Minister of Finance, as well as Special Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture. He previously worked as the World Bank Representative in Jamaica, and spent several years as a Lecturer in Economics at the University of the West Indies (Mona Campus).

He is currently the Chairman of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), Chairman of the National Social Protection Committee, a member of the National Disaster Risk Management Council and the National Foreign Trade Council. He is a Justice of the Peace and a Lay Pastor in the Methodist Church in Jamaica.

In August 2021, he was conferred with the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Commander (CD) by the Government of Jamaica for Outstanding Public Service in the Development of Jamaica’s Sustainable Development Policies.

Dr. Henry holds a PhD in Agricultural and Development Economics as well as an MA in Economics from the Ohio State University, an MBA (Hons) in Finance from Howard University and a BSc (Hons) in Economics and Management from the University of the West Indies. He is married to Dr. Gail Webster, an Ophthalmologist, and together they have a son, Joshua, and a daughter, Gabrielle.

Mr Harris is a Civil Engineer with over forty-five years of experience. He has worked both in the public and private sectors in the areas of design, construction and project management. His experience covers a very wide spectrum of commercial, institutional and infrastructure projects financed by all major international funding agencies, including the Caribbean Development Bank.  

He has lived and worked in Trinidad as well as Tobago and most of the OECS in various capacities as Design Engineer, Resident Engineer, Chief Technical Officer, Chief Construction Engineer, and Project Manager. He has been a member of physical planning boards and has also been involved in the adjudication of construction, land and planning disputes, in both his public and private capacity.

Since 2013 he has been based in Saint Vincent, where he was the Senior Consulting Engineer on the World Bank Regional Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project. In January 2022 he was appointed Program Manager for the CDB funded Project Implementation Management Unit. In January 2025, he was appointed the Project Manager for the Taiwanese funded USD125 million Strengthening Health System Resilience Project in Saint Vincent, which includes a 135-bed state of the art hospital. He is also the Chairperson of the steering committee for the modern city development at Arnos Vale.  

Mr Harris has a BSc in Civil Engineering (1979) from Southampton University, England; a Post Grad Diploma in Construction Engineering and Management (1983) from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and a LLB Law degree (2005) from the University of London, England
 

Dr Alexander Budzier is a Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. He is an expert on the challenges of managing projects, with a particular focus on IT, infrastructure, energy, mega events and change.

Alexander is the Academic Director of the Hong Kong Major Projects Leadership Programme and Australian Major Projects Leadership Academy. He also teaches on Oxford’s MSc for Major Programme Management, the MBA programme, and the UK Major Projects Leadership Academy.

Prior to joining Oxford University, Alexander worked at T-Mobile International and was a consultant with McKinsey's Business Technology Office in Düsseldorf and Chicago. He continues to apply insights, data, and world-leading research to projects as the co-founder of the specialist consultancy Oxford Global Projects.

Ana Euler has Post-doctorate in Biodiversity Governance, Traditional Agricultural Systems and Bioeconomy in partnership with the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, (CIRAD) and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) where she is associated researcher. PhD and Masters degree in Environmental and Forestry Sciences at Yokohama National University, Japan. Bachelor's degree in Forestry Engineer at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Euler is researcher at Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) since 2008, in the fields of natural resource conservation, management of timber and non-timber products, ecosystem services, and socio-bioeconomy, she has made significant contributions to the proposal and implementation of national and international public policies.

 
She was the Executive-Director of the Amapá State Institute of Forests from 2011 to 2014, when she implemented several programs and policies oriented to Protected Areas Management, Forest Concessions, Rural Extension, Climate Change, and REDD+. Currently, she is the Embrapa Executive Director of Innovation, Business, and Technology Transfer, responsible for the areas of Intellectual Property, Market Intelligence, Corporate Partnerships, Open and Social Innovation, Innovation Ecosystems, Licensing of Technological Assets, Digital Inclusion and Sustainable Rural Development. She also holds the position as Executive Director of Technology Transfer at the National Agency for Technical Assistance and Rural Extension (Anater) which is responsible for implementing the National Policy of Technical Assistance and Rural Extension for Family Farming and Agrarian Reform - PNATER. She is a board member of the Amazon Biobusiness Center (CBA), the National Council for Sustainable Rural Development (CONDRAF) and the National Bioeconomy Commission, locus of governance of the National Bioeconomy Strategy, launched by the Brazilian Federal Government in 2024.

Cavon White is a development finance professional with over 15 years of experience leading the design, appraisal, and implementation of infrastructure and social development projects across the Caribbean. At the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), he provides strategic oversight for a regional portfolio focused on sustainable infrastructure, climate resilience, and institutional performance. His expertise spans economic policy, project planning and risk analysis, results-based management, and stakeholder engagement.

Cavon plays a key role in advancing CDB’s Project Implementation Enhancement Transformation (PIET) agenda, an initiative aimed at examining implementation conditions and developing practical, country-led solutions to accelerate project delivery across Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs). The initiative seeks to strengthen institutional systems, reduce delays, and improve the development impact of CDB-financed projects.

He brings a multidisciplinary perspective shaped by advanced training in economic development, infrastructure planning, and strategic policy management.

Dr. Elouafi is the Executive Managing Director of CGIAR. She was the Chief Scientist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the Director General at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), which was based in the United Arab Emirates. Throughout her career, Dr. Elouafi has advocated for the diversification of food as a way to improve food system resilience. Her work on halophytes like quinoa and Salicornia has had a significant impact on food security and sustainability in countries facing salinity issues. As a geneticist, her research into wheat genetics has significantly contributed to enhancing the resilience and productivity of crops in regions where wheat cultivation is significant. A prolific scientific author, she has contributed to many major publications – including Nature, on Foodomics, the Gaza food crisis, and biodiversity.  

Pedro Corrêa Neto is the Secretary for Innovation, Sustainable Development, Irrigation, and Cooperativism at Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. 
Mr. Corrêa Neto believes that the government's role is to equally steer economic production and environmental preservation, ensuring both progress and sustainability. 

He has extensive experience in strategic planning, project implementation, rural development, and agro-industrial innovation. He holds a degree in Economics from the Catholic University of Brasília, along with postgraduate qualifications in Project Management (FGV) and an Executive MBA (FDC). He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Sustainable Development and Extension at UFLA.

Susannah Savage is the FT’s commodities correspondent based in London. She covers agriculture including agricultural commodities, food and agri companies, and farm and food policy.

Mr. Lennox O’Reilly Lewis is a Civil Engineer with over 28 years of technical and managerial experience, in infrastructure development in the Caribbean. Mr. Lewis currently serves as the acting Director of Projects at the Caribbean Development Bank, where he leads staff responsible for the preparation, appraisal and implementation of all CDB-financed economic infrastructure projects in 19 Borrowing Member Countries stretching from Guyana to Belize.

Mr. Lewis’ professional career includes serving as: Water Engineer at the Central Water and Sewerage Authority in St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Sanitary Engineer at the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute; and Solid Waste Manager in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Mr. Lewis is a Past President of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association. He holds a B.Eng in Civil Engineering from the University of Manchester and an M.Sc in Environmental Engineering from Cornell University.

In November 2022, CAF – Development Bank for Latin America and the Caribbean – officially launched its Regional Management Office for the Caribbean located in Port of Spain, Trinidad and headed by Dr. Stacy Richards-Kennedy, Regional Manager for the Caribbean.

CAF has a US$36 billion-dollar portfolio of projects across Latin America and the Caribbean and Dr. Richards-Kennedy is leading CAF’s efforts to provide increased development financing to governments and private sector clients across the region.

Dr. Richards-Kennedy has over 25 years’ experience in multilateral negotiations, development management and international finance. Her diverse experience includes forging strategic partnerships, leading multi-disciplinary teams and marshalling resources for the successful execution of projects in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Dr. Richards-Kennedy formerly served as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Affairs at The University of the West Indies, which is ranked among the top 1.5% of universities globally. She also has extensive experience working in multilateral development agencies. She was Assistant Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten; Chief Technical Advisor, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); Consultant, The World Bank, Washington DC and Programme Specialist, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris.

A national of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Richards-Kennedy is fluent in Spanish, French and English and has a working knowledge of Portuguese and French Creole. She holds a Doctorate in Education from The University of Sheffield, an MSc in Development Management from American University (Washington DC), an MBA specializing in International Finance from American University (Washington DC) as well as a Postgraduate Diploma (International Relations) and Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages, both from The University of the West Indies (St. Augustine, Trinidad).

Dr. Richards-Kennedy has served on several national as well as international boards and committees and has received various awards and recognitions, including the IDB Martin Luther King Award for outstanding contribution to the promotion of social inclusion, American University’s Ernest M. Aiken Award to Outstanding International Scholars, selection as one of the 50 Most Distinguished Alumni of The UWI Institute of International Relations, and many others.