8:30–11:40 am GT

10:30–1:40 pm ET

The Westin Camino Real Hotel
14 Calle 0-20
Guatemala City
Guatemala

Share

2024 Latin American Cities Conferences: Guatemala City

AS/COA hosted a discussion in the Guatemalan capital on opportunities to attract investment, achieve growth, and promote social development.

8:30–11:40 am GT

10:30–1:40 pm ET

The Westin Camino Real Hotel
14 Calle 0-20
Guatemala City
Guatemala

Share

Overview

Towards Growth with Inclusive Social Development

Since starting his presidency of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo has emphasized the importance of attracting foreign investment and respecting the rule of law. Americas Society/Council of the Americas, in partnership with FUNDESA, is hosting a conference in Guatemala to engage the new government in a productive dialogue with the local and international private sector on ways to collaborate to achieve social development through inclusive growth.

What opportunities does the private sector see in Guatemala? What sectors are sources of job creation and inclusive social development? What regulatory hurdles exist? Energy, infrastructure, water, and human capital are key factors in attracting investment. How can the public, private, and multilateral sectors collaborate to strengthen these areas? 

This conference is free, by-invitation-only, and open to COA corporate members and special guests. 

The program will be in Spanish. Live webcast of this event will be available on this page, and no prior registration is required to watch the broadcast. 


Hacia un Crecimiento con Desarrollo Social Inclusivo

Desde sus primeros días como presidente de Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo ha destacado la importancia de atraer inversión extranjera y respetar el estado de derecho. Americas Society/Council of the Americas, en colaboración con FUNDESA, está organizando una conferencia en Guatemala para entablar un diálogo productivo entre el nuevo gobierno y el sector privado local e internacional sobre las posibles formas de colaborar para lograr desarrollo social a través de crecimiento económico inclusivo. 

¿Qué oportunidades percibe el sector privado en Guatemala? ¿Qué sectores son fuentes de creación de empleo y desarrollo social inclusivo? ¿Cuáles son los obstáculos regulatorios existentes? La energía, la infraestructura, el agua y el capital humano son factores clave para atraer inversiones. ¿Cómo pueden colaborar los sectores público, privado y multilateral para fortalecer estas áreas? 

Esta conferencia es gratis, abierta a los miembros corporativos del COA e invitados especiales. 

La conferencia será en español. El evento será transmitido en vivo en esta página, y no se requiere registro previo para ver la transmisión. 

Follow the discussion on Twitter: #CouncilGT | @ASCOA 

 

Speakers:

  • Bernardo Arévalo, President of Guatemala 
  • Jazmín de la Vega, Minister of Communications, Infrastructure, and Housing
  • Gabriela García-Quinn, Minister of Economy
  • Jonathan Menkos, Minister of Public Finances
  • Ricardo Quiñónez Lemus, Mayor, Guatemala City
  • Julio Álvarez, CEO Guatemala, Citi 
  • Andrew Biles, Executive Board Member & former CEO, Chiquita
  • Paul Dyck, Vice President, Global Government Affairs and Business Diplomacy, Walmart 
  • José González-Campo, Senior Director for Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, CMI
  • Gerardo Martinez, Managing Director for North LatAm and Caribbean, AWS
  • Juan Pablo Mata, CEO, Grupo Mariposa
  • Juan Carlos Paiz, President, FUNDESA 
  • Susan Segal, President & CEO, Americas Society/Council of the Americas
  • Juan Carlos Zapata, CEO, FUNDESA

Event Information: Sharon Salischiker | ssalischiker@as-coa.org 
Sponsorship Opportunities: Constanza Guarino | cguarino@as-coa.org 
COA Corporate Membership: Miranda Gastelum | mgastelum@as-coa.org 
Press Inquiries: Claudia Torrens | mediarelations@as-coa.org

Agenda

Read the conference agenda. En español. The agenda below is in local time.

7:45 am: Networking and Coffee 

8:30 am: Welcoming Remarks

  • Juan Carlos Paiz, President, FUNDESA
  • Susan Segal, President & CEO, Americas Society/Council of the Americas

8:40 am: Keynote Remarks

  • H.E. César Bernardo Arévalo, President of Guatemala

9:10 am: Keynote Remarks

  • Gabriela García-Quinn, Minister of Economy

9:25 am: Panel Conversation—Investment as a source of job creation and inclusive growth

  • Andrew Biles, Executive Board Member & former CEO, Chiquita 
  • Paul Dyck, Vice President, Global Government Affairs and Business Diplomacy, Walmart 
  • José González-Campo, Senior Director Coporate Affairs, CMI Capital 
  • Juan Pablo Mata, CEO, Grupo Mariposa 
  • Moderator: Susan Segal, President & CEO, AS/COA

10:25: Keynote Remarks

  • Jonathan Menkos, Minister of Public Finances

10:35 am: Panel Conversation—The role of government in creating an environment conducive to attracting investment

  • Jazmín de la Vega, Minister of Communications, Infrastructure, and Housing 
  • Jonathan Menkos, Minister of Public Finances 
  • Julio Álvarez, CEO, Citi Guatemala 
  • Gerardo Martínez, Managing Director for North LatAm and Caribbean, Amazon Web Services 
  • Moderator: Juan Carlos Zapata, FUNDESA

11:35 am: Closing Remarks

  • Ricardo Quiñónez Lemus, Mayor, Guatemala City

Speakers

Bernardo Arévalo
President of Guatemala

Bernardo Arévalo has served as the fifty-second President of Guatemala since January 15, 2024. First surfacing on the political scene in 2020, he served as a Deputy in the Guatemalan Congress from 2020 until this year. Before running for public office, President Arévalo worked as...

SEE MORE
Jazmin de la Vega
Minister of Communications, Infrastructure, and Housing

Jazmin de la Vega serves as Guatemala’s Minister of Communications, Infrastructure, and Housing. Minister de la Vega has had a long career as a government official. She was first elected as a Deputy to the Guatemalan senate in 1996, where she served on behalf of the Partido de...

SEE MORE
Gabriela García-Quinn
Minister of the Economy

Gabriela García-Quinn has served as Guatemala’s Minister of Economy since January 15, 2024. Prior to her current role, she has held various roles at non-governmental organizations. 

García-Quinn was a Project Coordinator at the National Competitiveness Program from 2006 to 2010...

SEE MORE
Jonathan Menkos
Minister of Public Finance

Jonathan Menkos currently serves as Guatemala’s Minister of Public Finance. Prior to his current role, Minister Menkos served a member of the Guatemalan Senate. He was also the Vice-Presidential candidate for Thelma Aldana in 2019. 

As an economist, Minister Menkos held various...

SEE MORE
Ricardo Quiñónez Lemus
Mayor of Guatemala City

Ricardo Quiñónez Lemus has served as the Mayor of Guatemala City since 2018. He was previously the First Councilor, a post he occupied from 2008 to 2018. He was also elected to be the First Syndic of the Municipality of Guatemala in 2003. Quiñónez is the founder of the Unionist...

SEE MORE
Julio Álvarez
CEO Guatemala, Citi

Julio Álvarez currently serves as the Chief Country Officer for Guatemala on behalf of Citi. As the CEO, Mr. Alvarez works with Citi’s first-rate cliental to increase corporate and investment banking in the country. He has worked in the private sector at Citi for more than 15...

SEE MORE
Andrew J. Biles
Executive Board Member & former CEO, Chiquita

Andrew Biles is the former Chief Executive Officer of Chiquita and a current member of the company’s Executive Board. In the past, he has served as the President of the European Fruit Juice Association, the CEO of the Gerber Emig Group Limited, the European Chief Operating...

SEE MORE
Paul Dyck
Vice President of Global Government Affairs and Business Diplomacy, Walmart

Paul Dyck is Vice President for Global Government Affairs & Business Diplomacy at Walmart, where he leads the team responsible for managing geopolitical risk, public policy, government affairs, stakeholder engagement and corporate reputation initiatives for Walmart’s...

SEE MORE
José González-Campo
Senior Director for Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, CMI

Mr. González-Campo is the Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Senior Director of Corporación Multi Inversiones (CMI). CMI is multinational family-owned corporation of Latin American origin that generates investment, employment, and development in the region. Founded in...

SEE MORE
Gerardo Martínez
Managing Director of North Latin America and the Caribbean (NOLA), Amazon Web Services

Gerardo Martínez is the Managing Director of North Latin America and the Caribbean for Amazon Web Services. He has occupied the role since January of 2024. Previously, at AWS, he served as the Regional Head of North Latin America and the Caribbean (NOLA) from January 2023 to...

SEE MORE
Juan Pablo Mata
CEO, Grupo Mariposa

Juan Pablo Mata, a Guatemalan, is the CEO of Grupo Mariposa where he's responsible for leading the sustainable growth of the Group.

Juan Pablo holds an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, a bachelor of arts and science with a major in finance and economics at...

SEE MORE
Juan Carlos Paiz
President, FUNDESA

Juan Carlos Paiz is the current President of FUNDESA, a non-profit organization based in Guatemala that looks to boost the nation’s economic growth and development. He is also a member of the organization’s Board. Furthermore, he is the Co-Founder and President of Panifresh, an...

SEE MORE
Susan Segal
Presidenta y CEO, Americas Society / Council of the Americas

Susan Segal was elected President and CEO of Americas Society/Council of the Americas in 2003 after having worked in the private sector with Latin America and other emerging markets for over 30 years. Prior to her appointment, Susan was a partner at Chase Capital Partners...

SEE MORE
Juan Carlos Zapata
Executive Director, FUNDESA

Juan Carlos Zapata is the chief executive officer of the Guatemalan Development Foundation (FUNDESA). He is also a columnist for elPeriódico, Revista Crónica and RepúblicaGT, an online magazine. Zapata is responsible for the editorial content of the magazine Mejoremos Guate. He...

SEE MORE
In Partnership With
Pan-Regional Sponsors
Corporate Sponsors
Media Partners