Latin America, the United States, and Spain in the Global Economy Forum

Pedro Sanchez

Pedro Sánchez has been President of the Government of Spain since June 2018. He holds a Doctorate in Economics and is General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Spanish acronym: PSOE), which he joined in 1993. He was also General Secretary of the PSOE, Leader of the Opposition and candidate to the Presidency of the Government between 2014 and 2016. Previously, he was a Member of the Lower House of Parliament for the constituency of Madrid and a City Councilor for Madrid.

Jose Manuel Albares

Jose Manuel Albares is a Spanish diplomat who has been serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in the Government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez since 2021.

Jaime Muguiro

Jaime Muguiro joined Cemex in 1996 and has held several executive positions in Strategic Planning, Business Development, Ready-Mix Concrete, Aggregates, and Human Resources. He has led Cemex’s operations in Egypt, the former Mediterranean Region, the South, Central America, and the Caribbean region, and, more recently, the United States. He holds a BA in Management from San Pablo CEU University in Spain, a Law degree from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Javier Rodriguez Soler

Since 2023, BBVA Global Head of Sustainability and Corporate Investment Banking (CIB). 2021, Global Head of Sustainability. 2018, CEO BBVA USA. 2015, Global Head of Strategy and M&A. 2010, Managing Director of Strategy and M&A. 2009, Managing Director, Industry Banker, CIB. Previous professional career: 2005-2008 Director of Investor Relations, Endesa. 2003-2005 Director of Strategy and M&A, Endesa. 2000-2003 CFO and Corporate Development, Buongiorno - MyAlert. 1997-2000 Engagement Manager, McKinsey. 1996 Associate, Bankers Trust. 1993-1995 Business Analyst, McKinsey. 1992-1994 University professor, CEU and Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Education and qualifications: MBA, Columbia Business School (Beta Gamma Sigma). Economics and Business Administration, CUNEF.

Nicolas Rubio

Based in Washington DC, Nicolas Rubio heads Meridiam Infrastructure North America (MINA). He has built his experience in the development, construction and operation of private and public infrastructure projects over a 38-year career in Europe, Africa and the Americas. He began his career with Ferrovial and its infrastructure developer, Cintra. After ten years as a builder, during which he managed Ferrovial’s branch in Tunisia, he joined Cintra to become successively Global Technical and Development Director, then President of Cintra US in charge of US activities, and finally Global Operations Director, before joining Meridiam in early 2021. Over the course of his career, he has been involved in the development of over 150 private infrastructure projects in more than 30 countries, including such successes as Highway 407ETR in Canada and state-of-the-art managed lanes projects in Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Colorado and Georgia. In 2010, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association awarded him Contractor of the Year for his role in promoting PPPs in the U.S. transportation sector. In 2017, he was selected by the National P3 Council as one of the top 10 U.S. pioneers of P3 transportation infrastructure. Nicolas holds a master’s degree in civil engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain.

Lisa Schineller

Lisa M. Schineller, Ph.D., is Managing Director and Sector Lead for Sovereign & International Public Finance Ratings at S&P Global Ratings. She leads analytics for local government ratings in Canada and Latin America and covers key sovereigns such as Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States, as well as multilateral institutions like the World Bank and the International Development Association. She previously served as S&P’s Chief Economist for Latin America. Earlier in her career, she held roles at the Federal Reserve Board, Exxon, and McGill University. Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University and a B.A. in Economics and Spanish from Wellesley College.

Joseph Stiglitz

Joseph E. Stiglitz is an American economist and a professor at Columbia University. He is also the co-chair of the High-Level Expert Group on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress at the OECD, the co-chair of The Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation (ICRICT) and the Chief Economist of the Roosevelt Institute. Stiglitz was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2001. He is a former senior vice president and chief economist of the World Bank and a former member and chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. Stiglitz founded the Initiative for Policy Dialogue, a think tank on international development based at Columbia University, in 2000. He has been a member of the Columbia faculty since 2001 and received that university's highest academic rank (University Professor) in 2003. In 2011 Stiglitz was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2024 he was named an Honorary Academician by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and in 2025 Pope Francesco named him a Chair of the Jubilee Commission of Experts to address Debt and Development Crises. He is the author of numerous books, including, most recently, The Road to Freedom: Economics and the Good Society.

Ivan Tornos

Ivan Tornos is Chairman, President, and CEO of Zimmer Biomet, having been appointed Chairman in May 2025 and President and CEO in August 2023. He joined the company in 2018 and held several leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer and Group President of Global Businesses and the Americas. Before Zimmer Biomet, he held senior roles at Becton Dickinson, C.R. Bard, Covidien, Baxter International, and Johnson & Johnson. He holds an MBA from the University of Miami and completed executive education programs at Harvard Business School, Wharton, SMU Cox, and the University of Georgia. He serves on the boards of AdvaMed and PHC Holdings Corporation.

Alan Solomont

Alan D. Solomont is Dean Emeritus of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University, where he served as Dean from 2014 to 2021. He was the United States Ambassador to Spain and Andorra from 2009 to 2013 and has chaired the Board of Directors of the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce since 2013. Earlier, he chaired the Corporation for National and Community Service, overseeing programs such as AmeriCorps and VISTA. Solomont has also held leadership roles in healthcare and philanthropy and served on numerous nonprofit and corporate boards. He holds a B.A. from Tufts University and a B.S. in nursing from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Francisco Cerezo

Francisco Cerezo serves as Chair of DLA Piper's US-Latin America Practice and also leads the firm's Iberian Americas initiative. He focuses his practice on corporate and international matters, advising US and foreign companies, private equity funds, family groups and sovereigns doing business globally and with a focus in the Americas and the Caribbean. He has extensive experience in corporate and financial services, cross-border transactions, strategic corporate counseling, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and public-private partnerships. He regularly counsels global companies and private equity funds doing business in the Americas on matters ranging from complex transactions and market entry issues to compliance and general corporate strategic counsel. Francisco also serves as principal outside counsel to several significant family groups on matters ranging from corporate governance and succession planning to representing their underlying portfolio companies in billions of dollars of transactions, ranging from banking and energy to telecom and retail.

Rima Yousfan

Rima joined Auxadi in 2009, and now is Sr VP, Head of Funds & COO and a member of the Board of Directors. Before joining Auxadi, Rima worked at Discovery Communications’ UK regional office, managing the European Internal Audit Team, and was soon promoted to Director of Consolidation and Reporting in the firm’s London office. Prior to this, she worked in Public Practice in a Big Four firm. Rima holds an Economics degree from UB (2001), achieved certification as an account auditor from ICAC (2006) and an Executive MBA from CEF in 2008. She undertook postgraduate studies in Tax at IE Business School in 2010, followed by Harvard Business School’s LPSF (2010) and PLD in 2019/20.

David Salvo

Mr. Salvo has over 25 years of experience in operations and general management at Power Electronics, the family-owned company founded in 1987. Since his appointment as CEO in 2004, he has led the group’s global expansion with the creation of 25 international subsidiaries and has driven strong investment in R&D, fostering innovation and developing high-value products supported by 24/7 service. After completing his senior year of high school in Del City, Oklahoma, he graduated in Business Administration from the University of Valencia in 1996 and obtained his MBA in 1999. He joined Power Electronics in 1997, contributing to the development of the administration, procurement, and quality structures, before becoming responsible for Operations—including production, quality, and logistics—until his promotion to CEO. As a shareholder and member of the founding family, Mr. Salvo combines in-depth product knowledge with a strategic vision for global growth, positioning Power Electronics as a leader in its sector.

Robert Da Silva

Robert da Silva Ashley is a trusted advisor to international and domestic financial institutions, project sponsors and developers, investment funds and multinational corporations, advising on sophisticated and market-leading complex cross-border and domestic project finance and corporate lending transactions throughout North America and Latin America. Robert has extensive experience in the renewable energy, infrastructure, hospitality and industrial sectors, guiding clients through the financing of utility-scale wind and solar projects, distributed solar generation, conventional power plants, carbon capture and sequestration facilities, midstream assets, onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration and production, chemical plants, and resorts and hotels across the Americas. Robert's clients have relied on his counsel for other fundamental corporate initiatives, including asset purchase and dispositions, recapitalizations, and workouts and restructurings. He also has significant experience representing multilateral financing institutions, state-controlled development banks and export-credit agencies. Robert serves as Regional Co-Leader for the firm's Latin America practice, with particular focus on advancing the firm's strategic growth and excellence in Energy, Infrastructure, and P3 transactions. Robert is also an active member of the firm's practice initiatives in Renewable Energy, Energy Transition, Leveraged Finance, Project & Commodities Finance, and Infrastructure.

Margaret Crotty

Margaret Crotty is a seasoned public health leader, the Chair of Northwell Health, New York's largest health system, and Co-chair of the Zucker School of Medicine Board. Most recently, she served as President and CEO of JSI, a global non-governmental organization managing large-scale public health, supply chain, and health information system projects in 32 countries; and improving healthcare quality and access in the US. Margaret also chaired the Board of the Partnership for Supply Chain Management, which manages global procurement and logistics for health commodities, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment. Previously, she served as the CEO of Partnership with Children, a major provider of community health services; led Save the Children’s flagship $2 billion campaign to improve global child survival rates; served as CEO of AFS-USA Intercultural Programs; and held roles at EF Education and McKinsey & Company in Jakarta, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Paris. Margaret serves on several health and education boards, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and has received numerous health leadership honors. Margaret holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MPH from Columbia University, and a BA from Princeton University.

Marco Antonio Achon

Marco A. Achon is the Global Head of Corporate Banking for Santander. He has held various senior leadership positions within the Corporate and Investment Bank of Santander and holds a double degree in Law and Business Administration from Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid and an MBA from Columbia University in New York. In addition, he has served as the President of the Spain-U.S. Chamber of Commerce since 2019.