Christian Picardo

Christian Picardo has over 25 years of experience in the financial sector, standing out for his successful career and his leadership roles in various multinational corporations. His experience spans payment methods and consumer banking, and he has been key in driving business and revenue growth both regionally and globally. This success has been made possible by his dynamic leadership style, business management skills, and ability to execute strategic changes in the banking and financial industry.

Co-Founder & CEO, MIO

Belkis Vasquez-McCall

Belkis Vasquez-McCall is a partner at McKinsey’s Southern California office and leads McKinsey’s global Tech Delivery capabilities. With over two decades of experience, she helps companies navigate enterprise-wide transformations in digital, engineering, and technology-enabled business ventures. As a deep technologist and practitioner, she works with executives to design bold, technology-driven strategies that create lasting impact.

Partner, McKinsey & Company

Lucas Penchas

Lucas Penchas leads the Strategic Partnerships team at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. His professional journey includes experience in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and corporate development at Ualá, among others. Lucas has also conducted research on exotic derivatives at Harvard Business School which was showcased at prestigious platforms such as the World Economic Forum in Davos. Originally from Argentina, he has lived in various countries and speaks English, Spanish, Hebrew, Swiss-German, and Russian.

Member of the YPA Steering Committee

Sofía Saravia

Sofía Saravia is an R&D and Product Management professional with eight years of experience in taking products from launch through transformation by using AI and other pioneering technologies in Nasdaq’s fastest-growing business. She holds a B.A. in Financial Economics and a Minor in Mathematics from the University of Rochester in New York. She is originally from Durango, Mexico.

Director of Product Management, Nasdaq

Felipe Marin

Felipe Marin is the associate director for the Americas at Eurasia Group, where he leads the firm's business expansion in Miami and Latin America. He collaborates with global and local companies to integrate political risk considerations into their decision-making processes and investment strategies. Originally from Cali, Colombia, Felipe holds a bachelor's degree in liberal arts with a concentration in government from Harvard University.

Associate Director, Americas, Eurasia Group

Kristina Rosales

Kristina Rosales Kostrukova is the head of Government Relations for Latin America at Warner Bros. Discovery, where she oversees the company's governmental interactions and strategies within the region. Prior to this role, her extensive diplomatic career includes positions as the U.S. Department of State's Spanish-language spokesperson and Director of the Media Hub of the Americas in Miami, as well as the Department's Portuguese-language spokesperson. She also held assignments at U.S.

Head of Government Relations, Warner Bros. Discovery; Former U.S. Diplomat & Spokesperson

Lina García

Lina García is a distinguished Dominican business leader and the current president of Envases Antillanos, a leading company in the packaging industry that is part of Grupo Linda. She graduated Magna Cum Laude in Business Administration from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) in 1996 and later earned a master’s degree in Business Administration through a joint program between APEC and Université du Québec à Montréal, where she graduated with the highest academic ranking in her group.

President, Envases Antillanos, Grupo Linda

Manuel Estrella

Manuel Estrella is a prominent Dominican civil engineer and entrepreneur, founder and president of Grupo ESTRELLA, a leading conglomerate in infrastructure, construction, and mining. He graduated Magna Cum Laude in Civil Engineering from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), he furthered his education with a masters degrees in Business Administration and Corporate Finance.

President & Founder, Grupo Estrella

Daniel Cancel

Daniel Cancel is the senior Latin America Wealth and Business reporter at Bloomberg News. Based in São Paulo, he covers the region’s financial markets, business trends, and economic developments. Daniel will soon be taking on the role of Miami bureau chief at Bloomberg News.

Previously, he served as managing editor for Latin America, overseeing coverage from Bloomberg’s bureaus in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. He was also Bureau Chief in Buenos Aires and Caracas, where he began at Bloomberg as a reporter covering the economy and government.

Senior Latin America Wealth and Business reporter, Bloomberg News

Héctor Valdez Albizu

Héctor Valdez Albizu is an economist with a distinguished career in the financial and banking sector. He is the Governor of the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic, a position he has held since 2004, with successive confirmations in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024.

Governor of the Central Bank, Dominican Republic