Women’s Economic Empowerment: Creating the Role Model in Latin America

H.E. Michelle Bachelet is the United Nations high commissioner for Human Rights. Bachelet, the first female president of Chile, served for two terms, between 2006 and 2010, as well as from 2014 to 2018. During her presidential tenures, she achieved education and tax reforms and...

Margarita Zavala is the former first lady of Mexico. During the tenure of her husband President Felipe Calderón from 2006 to 2012, she chaired the Citizen Advisory Board of the Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF), led the Estrategia Nacional para una Nueva Vida, and worked on...

Carolina Barco is senior advisor on emerging sustainable cities to the Inter-American Development Bank. Previously, Barco served as ambassador of Colombia to the United States from 2006 to 2010, and minister of foreign affairs of Colombia from 2002 to 2006, under President Álvaro...

Gina Diez Barroso is president and CEO of Grupo Diarq. Under her leadership, Grupo Diarq has completed more than 650 residential and hospitality projects to date. In 2004, Diez Barroso founded CENTRO, the first university in Mexico City specialized in creative studies. CENTRO...

Michelle Caruso-Cabrera is a reporter for CNBC television. She formerly co-hosted the program Worldwide Exchange. As well, Caruso-Cabrera appeared regularly on Power Lunch in an analyst capacity. In 2010, she wrote a book titled You Know I'm Right: More Prosperity, Less...

Carolina Eterovic is executive director, since 2005, and founder of Mujeres Empresarias, an organization which provides networking opportunities and support for women. She has created the Women‘s Center of Business Studies, ME magazine, and various others endeavors like the award...

Kristin Hetle is director of strategic partnerships, advocacy, civil society, communications, and of the resource mobilization division at UN Women. Ms. Hetle has worked in the UN system, the Norwegian government, and the private sector. Previously, she served as director of...

Michele V. Levy is CEO and co-founder of Melissa USA, which has the exclusive distribution of Melissa Shoes in North America and Mexico. Prior to her involvement with Melissa, Michele was senior director of Programs at the Americas Society/Council of the Americas, an organization...

Vilma Martinez was confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Argentina on July 24, 2009. Ambassador Martinez has been a Partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson since 1982, where she specialized in federal and state court commercial litigation. In recent years, her legal practice focuses on...

Judith McHale is the former undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, appointed by President Obama and confirmed on May 21, 2009. McHale is the former president and CEO of Discovery Communications, parent company of the Discovery Channel cable channel. She has also...

Noa Meyer is Global Program Director for the 10,000 Women Program at Goldman Sachs. Previously, she managed John L. Thornton’s global philanthropic initiatives. Her prior non-profit experience includes launching Revenue Watch at George Soros’s Open Society Institute, as well as...

Stephanie Ruhle is a TV anchor on Bloomberg, where she co-hosts Market Makers and contributes to Lunch Money since October 2011. Before working as a TV anchor, Stephanie served as a managing director in Global Markets Senior Relationship Management at Deutsche Bank, where she...

Vanda Scartezini is a co-founder and active partner Polo Consultores, a Brazilian IT consulting firm. She also acts as president of ALTIS, a software & service outsourcing company, and as chair of the board of FITEC, an ICT R&D foundation. Additionally, she is an associate...

Susan Segal was elected president and CEO of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas in August 2003 after working in the private sector with Latin America and other emerging markets for over 30 years. A passionate supporter of Latin America, she joined the organizations...

Susan Silbermann has served as President and General Manager of Vaccines, within Pfizer’s Specialty Care business unit, since May 2012. Previously she was regional president of Pfizer, Inc.’s Latin America Emerging Markets Business Unit. She began her career at Pfizer in 1988 as...

Saadia Zahidi is senior director and head of constituents of the World Economic Forum. She is responsible for the engagement of religious leaders, NGOs, labor leaders, women leaders and gender parity groups and also for leading research on gender issues. Before that, she served...