is a highly accomplished business executive with a remarkable career spanning over two decades, during which he has excelled in various domains such as business development, institutional strengthening, MSMEs development, investment and export promotion, competitiveness, economic development, and impact evaluation. His extensive expertise has been honed through dedicated involvement in the advancement of Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), the facilitation of innovation and entrepreneurship development, and the promotion of trade and investment across a diverse array of executive roles and consultancy projects, spanning more than 40 countries worldwide. Most notably, Luis recently steered the $47 million USAID El Salvador Economic Competitiveness Program, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at bolstering the growth of Salvadoran MSMEs. This multifaceted program encompassed pivotal areas such as digital transformation, innovation, market access, financing, and entrepreneurship development, underlining Luis's commitment to fostering economic prosperity and sustainable development.

With a distinguished career in business development services, he has contributed significantly to a broad range of projects concerning MSMEs business development, regulatory frameworks, situational analysis, strategy development, innovation and digital transformation, and export promotion strategies, from international organizations. His vast experience spans both public agencies and the private sector, with a notable emphasis on managing local (MSMEs) and international private investment development and export promotion projects. Among his outstanding accomplishments are: - Directing during 5 years, the USAID’s $47M El Salvador Economic Competitiveness Project aimed at bolstering El Salvador's economic competitiveness by supporting the development of more than 6,000 MSMEs, generating more than 30,000 new jobs and increasing sales of MSMEs by $300 million.

GPC Partner, has been a consultant for over 30 years, with experience in roles such as expert, Project Manager, and Director in Latin America, the USA, and Europe. Miguel has led numerous projects with the IADB, World Bank, UNDP, and various presidential offices and Ministries throughout Latin America, focusing on Strategic Alignment, Transportation, Public Policy, Investment Attraction, and Leadership, among other topics, in the Telecom, Mining, Public Sector, Energy, and Professional Services sectors.

He has also focused on Public Policy, where he worked with Tony Blair Associates, designing and implementing Delivery Units in Presidential Offices in Latin America, Colombia, and Haiti, among others, covering Energy, Education, and Employment Generation.

Miguel was Director of EY Consulting Chile, Leader of the Government & Public Sector Practice of EY, and Leader of the Public Finance Management Center of Excellence for Latin America.

Miguel also led projects at McKinsey & Co on Leadership, Strategic Alignment in various companies in the region, Growth Models and Organizational Alignment.

Miguel holds an MBA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and is a lawyer from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Caracas. Also, has an Innovation Diploma from Universitat de Barcelona, and a Diploma on Institutional Development - Chilean Constitutional Assembly from Universidad Autónoma de Chile.

Alberto Mestas has more than 25 years of extensive experience in quantitative and qualitative evaluation and formulation of public policies and regulatory frameworks on trade, private investment and SME development. Mr. Mestas has focused on the promotion of SMEs and their competitiveness in highly demanding environments. He has worked for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ-IS), the Andean Development Corporation (CAF), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), as an external consultant.

Among such a vast experience, Alberto was the external consultant of the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) for the implementation of the Strengthening and Regional Articulation of the Business Development Centers in the Countries of the Pacific Alliance (Colombia, Chile, Peru and Mexico) Project. Within this framework, he identified and evaluated the main financial and non-financial technical support programs to the competitiveness and internationalization of SMEs in the countries of the Alliance. On the other hand, he evaluated the operation of the Business Development Centers in the countries of the Alliance, identifying spaces for their improvement and proposed a strategy of interoperability and regional articulation among the Business Development Centers in the countries of the Alliance, to facilitate the internationalization of SMEs and their export processes.

Ms. Labrador is a consulting professional with over 20 years of experience in economic development and business strategy. She has specialized in entrepreneurship support, business models, and monitoring & evaluation throughout her career. María Eugenia, a Startup Mentor certified by IDB Lab - IESA and active mentor in the EmpredeTech Program (Venezuela), is expert in early-stage business development, business model and organizational transformation, and data-driven decision making. In 2023 she was a key part of the consulting team delivering the Venezuelan Private Sector Landscape Assessment to USAID, which demonstrates her abilities to diagnose and analyze industries and businesses. She is bilingual (Spanish- English) and certified as Scrum Master and Agile Project Manager.

● Startup Mentoring & Innovation

María Eugenia is a certified Startup Mentor (IDB Lab–IESA), reflecting her expertise in advising early-stage companies on business model optimization, growth strategy, and investment readiness. In this capacity, she has mentored entrepreneurs on how to refine their value propositions, use data to drive strategic decisions, and integrate social, environment, and financial goals into their business models. María Eugenia supports entrepreneurs from idea development through to pitch preparation. Her passion for startups, innovation, and data-driven decision making makes her well-suited to support IDB Lab’s clients (startups and VC funds) in improving their impact models. She stays current with agile methodologies which facilitate iterative learning and adaptation – key for impact enhancement.

● Impact Monitoring & Evaluation

Throughout her numerous consulting engagements, Ms. Labrador has been responsible for setting up monitoring frameworks to track project outcomes. She is proficient in using both qualitative and quantitative evaluation techniques, improving data collection, and ensuring that a project’s impact on target beneficiaries is clearly measured and reported. María Eugenia approaches assignments with strategic thinking, strong analytical skills, and a results-oriented mindset – qualities essential for building effective impact management systems.

● Equal Opportunity Initiatives

As a female leader in consulting and a mentor, she brings a nuanced understanding of the challenges faced by diverse entrepreneurs and incorporates solutions to address those in project designs. Her work with multidisciplinary teams across industries has given her a comprehensive view of organizational change management and how to drive inclusion within companies’ strategies.

● Master in Management, European Institute of Advanced Studies (IEP), Spain

● MBA, Institute of Advanced Management Studies (IESA), Venezuela

Industrial Engineering, Universidad de Carabobo, Venezuela