Dr. Carla Barnett, CBE, became the eighth Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on 15 August 2021.

An economist, she brings over 30 years of professional experience in the Region to the post, including having served as Deputy Secretary-General, CARICOM Secretariat; Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Belize; Financial Secretary, Government of Belize; and Vice President, Operations, Caribbean Development Bank, blazing a trail as the first woman appointed in these positions.

Her multi-faceted career also includes appointments as Senator and Minister of State in the Government of Belize.

She is a Member of the CIWiL Belize Chapter; past President, Belize YWCA; and Board Member, Haven House.

Dr. Barnett has received several awards, including Commander of the British Empire.

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.

Dr. Isaac Solomon is the Vice-President (Operations) at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). In that position, he provides strategic leadership and direction to the Economics, Projects, Strategy and Development Effectiveness Departments and the Private Sector Division. Dr. Solomon served as the Acting President of the Bank from January 2024 to January 2025.

His experience encompasses corporate strategy and planning, transformation and leading change, Financial and Economic policy formulation and execution and regulatory affairs.

He is passionate about and leads the Bank’s climate action agenda to include climate finance and infrastructure, championing inclusion of the vulnerable and disadvantaged and embracing digital transformation as the most significant lever to move the development agenda to the next frontier.

Dr. Solomon has a varied background in education and training. He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration, MSc. in Financial Management and the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) designations.

Dr. Solomon held many directorships on the boards of a wide array of institutions across the region in the areas of finance, telecommunication, and aviation among others.

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 Director of Projects at the Caribbean Development Bank, where he leads staff responsible for the preparation, appraisal and implementation of all CDBfinanced 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.

Donneil Cain is Coordinator, Climate Change in the Environmental Sustainability Division at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). He is an economist with extensive experience in climate finance, project development, economic research, and policy analysis. Mr. Cain holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Economics from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, as well as a Master of Science in Economics and a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Statistics from the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. 

With more than 15 years of professional experience, Dr. Cain specialises in applied econometrics, macroeconomics, international trade, climate change, environmental economics, and sustainable development, with a particular focus on the Caribbean region. His work has supported the design and implementation of climate resilience and sustainable development initiatives across Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), providing him with deep insight into the region's development challenges and opportunities. 

Over the last decade, Dr. Cain has focused on supporting Caribbean countries in identifying, developing, and mobilising financing for transformative and bankable climate investments. He has played a leading role in the preparation and advancement of climate finance projects/programmes across sectors including water resources, renewable energy, agriculture, coastal resilience, disaster risk management, and early warning systems. Among his notable achievements is his leadership and technical support in securing approval for climate finance projects valued at more than US$200 million, including funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other international climate finance partners. He is currently supporting CDB's efforts to enhance access to climate finance in support of its Borrowing Member Countries low-carbon and sustainable development pathways. 

Prior to joining Green Climate Fund (GCF), Kristin Lang was head of the division covering the public sector in Latin America and the Caribbean within the International Partners Department at the European Investment Bank (EIB), where she had worked since 2000. She covered a wide array of matters, including capital markets, securitisation, climate action and the evaluation of operations. She represented EIB as Deputy Head of the Secretariat of the Multilateral Carbon Credit Fund, a fund co-managed with EBRD which included both EU countries and private sector companies as participants.

Prior to joining the EIB, Kristin started her career working in Latin America equity research at Morgan Stanley in New York and in global custody at Bank of New York where she covered African, European, and Middle East financial markets. She is a graduate of School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University (MIA) and Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (BS).

Charline is the Global Head of Sustainability for the Financial Institutions Coverage (FIC) franchise and is in charge of fostering the strategic dialogue on sustainability with Financial Institutions and catalyzing BNP Paribas’ unique sustainability product offering, through strategic advisory, financing and investment solutions.

Charline has over 16 years of experience in the financial industry working across various business lines within BNP Paribas Corporate and Institutional Banking (CIB).

She notably spent 5 years in Export Finance, originating and structuring credit enhanced solutions for sovereigns, Corporates and banks in emerging markets with a strong sustainability and development angle.

She also has a solid experience in the Official Institutions Coverage(OIC) with a strong focus on developing partnerships with Multilateral Development Banks and as a credit analyst on financial institutions.

She graduated from ESCP Europe in 2010 with three degrees: Master in Management Grande Ecole, Master of Science, Kauffrau degree. She also holds certifications from the Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership.

Ricardo Marshall is a career public servant with a proven track record of providing quality technical advice, leadership and programme/project management and implementation to the government and people of Barbados.  He brings holistic thinking and practical knowledge across a wide range of technical subjects related to sustainable development and climate change response for small island developing states.  Having spent most of his career serving in the Ministries responsible for Environment and Health, he joined the Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs and Investment as the Director of the Sustainable Development Section, and of the Roofs to Reefs Programme. This portfolio was then transferred to the Prime Minister’s Office. He has represented Barbados and the Alliance of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS) on matters related to Adaptation, Mitigation, Loss & Damage, Just Transition, Climate Finance and Climate Justice. Ricardo works on a wide range of subjects including sustainable development, blue and green economy, climate change, finance, resilience and development, resource conservation, international multi-lateral environmental agreements, biodiversity management, biosafety, desertification, land degradation, alternative energy, and solid waste management. 

Constance Chalchat is the Chief Sustainability Officer of BNP Paribas Global Markets and is a member of the BNP Paribas Global Markets Board. 

Over the last 10 years, her mission has been to shape and support the development of BNP Paribas CIB sustainable offer, which led the Group to become one of the world's leaders in Sustainable Financing. 

Her work now bridges institutional investor strategy, sustainable, transition and adaptation finance, with particular expertise in blue bonds, innovative structuring, and AI for Sustainable Finance. 

A PADI divemaster and ocean conservation advocate (@ilovesealife), Constance is the author of Hidden Wonders of Paros published in 2024 in Greece. 

She is also a member of ORRAA Blue Bond Accelerator Advisory Board, to which she brings a rare dual perspective: the systems-level rigor of capital markets and the ground-truth urgency of someone who has witnessed firsthand what is at stake beneath the surface.

Ryan Zuniga is an accomplished climate change and sustainable development professional with over 10 years of experience in project and programme development, climate finance, resource mobilization, and implementation. He holds a Master of Science degree in Natural Resource and Environmental Management, specializing in Climate Change, and has extensive experience working at national, regional, and international levels.

Currently, he serves as Lead Senior Project Development Specialist at the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre, where he provides strategic leadership in developing climate-resilient investment programmes across CARICOM. His achievements include contributing to the development of approved projects valued at over USD $100 million and managing a project pipeline exceeding USD $500 million.

Prior to joining the CCCCC, Ryan served as Programme Lead for the Nature, Climate and Energy Programme at the United Nations Development Programme in Belize, supporting initiatives in environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and sustainable development.

He subsequently served as a Junior Professional Climate Change Officer with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, supporting climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives across North Africa, including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania.

Earlier in his career, Ryan served as a Lecturer at the University of Belize, contributing to academic development and knowledge-sharing in environmental management and climate change.

Ambassador Jerry Jermain Enoe serves as Grenada’s Ambassador and Special Envoy for Oceans and Blue Economy Advisor to the Ministry of Blue Economy and Marine Affairs. He is also Strategic Advisor for Oceans and Blue Economy to the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Chair of the Ocean Coordination Mechanism (OCM) for the Wider Caribbean, and a recently appointed Member of the Advisory Board of the Korea–Association of Caribbean States Joint Ocean Research Center (K-ACS JORC).

His work spans national, regional and international ocean governance, with particular emphasis on sustainable blue economy development, ocean diplomacy, climate resilience, marine spatial planning, sustainable fisheries, maritime decarbonisation and innovative blue financing.

Ambassador Enoe contributes to regional cooperation and international negotiations concerning marine biodiversity, sustainable ocean resource management and the ocean-climate nexus. He works to strengthen institutional frameworks, mobilise strategic partnerships and translate international commitments into practical investments and development outcomes.

His professional focus is on advancing coordinated ocean governance, strengthening science-policy cooperation and expanding financing opportunities that support resilient coastal communities and sustainable economic development across Caribbean Small Island Developing States.

Avinash Persaud is Special Advisor to the President of the Inter-American Development Bank. Persaud has over 30 years of experience in finance, public policy, and academia. Prior to this appointment in January 2024, he was Special Climate Envoy to the Prime Minister of Barbados and an architect of the 'Bridgetown Initiative’ that played an instrumental role in helping to set the international financial reform agenda in recent years.

Persaud is a member of the High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance of the COP26, 27 and 28 Presidencies and a member of the Independent Expert group on Debt, Nature and Climate, established by the Governments of Colombia, France and Kenya. He previously served as Chairman of the Caribbean Community's Commission on the Economy and Commissioner of the UN Commission on Financial Reform.  Prior to his public policy roles, Persaud was a senior executive at several major banks including J. P. Morgan, State Street and UBS.

Persaud has authored multiple academic publications with particular emphasis on financial policy. An Emeritus Professor of Gresham College in the UK, he was 2024 Perry World Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, former Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute and winner of the Jacques de Larosiere Award in Global Finance for his work on financial risk management and systemic crises. 

Lina María Mondragón-Artunduaga is Manager of Climate Action and Biodiversity Positive at CAF—Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. She is responsible for the Bank’s internal and external green and blue finance agenda across the region, working in coordination with public- and privatesector stakeholders and strategic partners.

Before assuming her current position, she served for nearly two years as Vice President of Strategy and Sustainability at Corficolombiana, a Colombian financial institution that operates as a multisector investment holding company. In that role, she led the corporate strategy and aligned it with the environmental, social, and governance agenda. As Executive Director of Fundación Corficolombiana, she advanced the portfolio’s sustainability agenda through social and environmental investment projects.

Previously, she served for three years as Executive Advisor to the Executive Presidency of CAF. In this capacity, she contributed to the design of the Bank’s strategic priorities, governance, and corporate affairs, and led initiatives related to partnerships and engagement with other international financial institutions and the private sector.

Before joining CAF, she worked for 19 years in Colombian institutions, including the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, the National Planning Department, and Fiduciaria Colpatria, and also served as an international consultant on development and public policy. Her responsibilities included designing public policies; conducting official international negotiations; arranging, executing, and managing external public debt; and representing Colombia before multilateral development banks, including the World Bank Group, the Inter-American Development Bank Group, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, and the Caribbean Development Bank. She also structured public- and private-sector financial solutions and contributed to the development of corporate strategies.

She has extensive experience in multilateral and corporate finance. For 15 years, she served as the Colombian government’s official counterpart to multilateral and bilateral development banks; she also spent three years structuring fiduciary transactions in the financial sector. Throughout her career, she has served on the boards of state-owned enterprises, private-sector agribusiness companies, and CAF Asset Management, a vehicle designed to mobilize private capital for infrastructure financing.

Her career reflects a strong commitment to development finance and to the role of the private sector, multilateral organizations, and the international system. She promotes innovation and the creation or strengthening of reimbursable and non-reimbursable financial mechanisms and instruments.

She holds a degree in Finance and International Relations from Universidad Externado de Colombia, a postgraduate specialization in Social Project Evaluation from Universidad de los Andes, and a master’s degree in Social Anthropology from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Colin A. Young, a Belizean national, is the Executive Director of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center (CCCCC). The CCCCC is an inter-governmental organization mandated by the Heads of Governments of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to coordinate the Caribbean’s response to managing and adapting to climate change.

Doctor Young has a Bachelor of Science degree and Anthropology and Conservation Biology from Marlboro College, Vermont, U.S.A, during which he conducted original research on Creole Ethnology for a thesis entitled” Concepts of disease and illness and ethnobotanically useful plants among Belize Creoles n North-Central Belize.” During his research, Dr. Young worked with traditional healers and experts to catalog the use of over 100 useful species to the Belizean Creole. He also holds both a Master of Science and a doctorate in Ecology from the University of Connecticut, USA. His doctoral dissertation entitled “A comprehensive and quantitative assessment of Belizean Creole Ethnobotany: Implications for forest conservation” focused on the ethnobotanical importance of different forest types to the Belizean creole, the efficacy of medicinal plants and the reliability ethnobotanical information gathered during ethnobotanical across Belize.” 

Previous to his selection as the Executive Director of the CCCCC Dr. Young served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Social Security Board, a parastatal entity that administers Belize’s Social Security Fund from 2017 to 2019 were he championed contribution reform, technology transformation and numerous legislative changes. He also served as the CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, the Environment, Sustainable Development where he had overall responsibilities for all of the portfolios, including climate change, other than agriculture. He also served as the CEO in the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology and Public Utilities from 2012-2015. He also worked as the Programme Director the National Protected Areas Secretariat, an entity established to coordinate and oversee the implementation of the Belize Protected Areas Systems Plan, under the then Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment from 2010-2012.

In academia, Dr. Young was an Assistant Professor at Galen University, where he served as the Director of Galen University’s Environmental Science program and MBA program. At Galen, he co-developed Galen’s flagship program in sustainable development at both the undergraduate and graduate (MBA) levels.

Dr. Young has served on numerous boards including: the Green Climate Fund, a financial mechanism under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Caribbean Telecommunications Union Executive Council, a CARICOM inter- governmental organization dedicated to promoting information and communications technologies, the Belize Telecommunications Limited, the Protected Areas Conservation Trust, the Government of Belize’s financial mechanism for protected areas, the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE), a statutory body of the Government of Belize, Friends for Conservation and Development, an NGO that co- manages Belize’s largest protected area, and Programme for Belize, an NGO that manages Belize’s largest private protected area, among others. 

Nancy Saich is a chartered civil engineer who 25 years ago became involved in incorporating climate change impacts into the design of maritime projects. This was the beginning of her close interest in climate change. After 13 years of work as a consulting engineer, she joined the European Investment Bank in 1998 as its ports expert, and led some of its earliest work on adaptation. Later, as a founding member of the Bank's climate team, she rolled out EIB's greenhouse gas accounting and contributed to its first Climate Strategy in 2015. Through climate and green finance reporting, she also became actively involved in EIB's Green Bond programme, leading to an expert role on Sustainable Finance at EIB. 

Mr. Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, a seasoned development leader and global policy strategist, is the inaugural Executive Director of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD). His appointment marks a fundamental milestone in the operationalization of the Fund, which aims to deliver critical financial support to developing countries most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

An experienced strategist with three decades of expertise in climate action, finance, and multilateral diplomacy, Mr. Diong is uniquely positioned to steer FRLD’s operationalization and ensure equitable support for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. His career spans across disciplines, combining public service as a policy maker in Senegal, executive leadership roles in public and private finance, and high-impact roles in international organizations such as the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Diong served as United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Director General of the African Risk Capacity (ARC) Group, a specialized agency of the African Union, where he spearheaded institutional reforms and scaled ARC’s work in disaster risk financing across Africa. Before joining the ARC Group, he served, amongst other senior roles, as a Special Representative of the President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) matters, Manager at the World Bank Group, Minister, Special Adviser to the President of Senegal, Permanent Secretariat of Energy of Senegal, Director General of International Cooperation of Senegal, Senior Africa Banker at BNP Paribas, Chairman of the National Airlines of Senegal, and Africa Director at Booz. Allen & Hamilton.

Fluent in English, French, and Mandarin Chinese, Mr. Diong holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs, specialized in international finance and environmental policy from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University.

Since January 2013, Isaac Anthony has been the Chief Executive Officer of CCRIF SPC (formerly the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility), the world's first multi-country risk pool providing parametric insurance to Caribbean and Central American countries. He has over thirty years’ senior management experience spanning the areas of public finance, financial sector supervision, economic planning and disaster risk financing having previously held key positions with the Government of Saint Lucia including Permanent Secretary, Finance, Economic Affairs & National Development. Well known regionally for his work in public financial management reform, Mr. Anthony is now a leading voice on development insurance, using his extensive experience in public finance and disaster risk financing to promote catastrophe risk insurance as an instrument to strengthen fiscal and climate resilience.