Dan Buettner is an explorer, National Geographic Fellow, award-winning journalist and producer, and New York Times bestselling author. He discovered the five places in the world – dubbed blue zones hotspots – where people live the longest, healthiest lives. His articles about these places in The New York Times Magazine and National Geographic are two of the most popular for both publications. 

Buettner now works in partnership with municipal governments, large employers, and health insurance companies to implement Blue Zones Projects in communities, workplaces, and universities. Blue Zones Projects are well-being initiatives that apply lessons from the Blue Zones to entire communities by focusing on changes to the local environment, public policy, and social networks. The program has dramatically improved the health of more than 5 million Americans to date. 

In his new book The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer, Buettner returns to Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula; and Loma Linda, California to check in on the super-agers living in the blue zones and interprets the not-so-secret sauce of purpose, faith, community, down-time, natural movement, and plant-based eating that has powered as many as 10 additional years of healthy living in these regions. And Buettner reveals an all-new Blue Zone—the first man-made Blue Zone yet explored.  

Buettner also holds three Guinness World Records in distance cycling.

Career Europe Leader, Mercer

Kim Abildgaard is a senior partner and the Career Europe Leader at Mercer. He has been with Mercer since 2001, holding various global and regional positions in the Mercer Career business. Kim has extensive knowledge of client management, sales and business development. While at Mercer, Kim has worked on several M&A deals as well as numerous product management, transformation and innovation initiatives.

Before joining Mercer, Kim worked for IBM as a client manager and as a senior analyst for International Data Corporation.

CHRO, Softys

Maye Alessandrini joined Softys in September 2018 to lead Human Resources for the eight countries where the company operates. She has been a member of the Gartner CHRO Global Leadership Board since 2023 and is the current Vice President of the Chile-Mexico Commercial Integration Chamber.

During her career, Maye has held key roles at companies such as Unilever, Walmart, Avon and now Softys, where she has worked on high-impact projects at a senior level in the areas of HR strategy, organizational development, organizational effectiveness, talent, total rewards, communications, and diversity and inclusion. She is currently addressing the challenge of transforming the Softys business into an agile Multi-Latin mass consumption company.

She works every day to take care of the business and its employees, seeking the optimal organizational capabilities to deliver sustainable, long-term results and an inspiring experience that transforms the organization and its people.

Advisory Leader, Mercer Marsh Benefits

Ariel Almazan has more than 15 years of experience in the fields of occupational and environmental health, health promotion and organizational well-being. After graduating as a physician and sociologist, he earned his MBA, specializing in health administration and corporate well-being, and completed postgraduate studies in public health, with a focus on occupational health and health promotion. He is currently a PhD candidate in organizational management.

His postgraduate studies at national and international institutions include areas such as corporate social responsibility, occupational and environmental health, health economics, productivity and health culture in organizations, management competencies in health, health and human rights, organizational well-being, occupational toxicology, and industrial hygiene, among others. Ariel is a postgraduate teacher in master’s degree programs in public health and organizational psychology and has been a speaker at several national and international forums on occupational health and organizational well-being.

Latin America & Caribbean (LAC) Leader, Mercer Marsh Benefits

Ricardo has more than 20 years of experience in the health & benefits insurance industry. He has led numerous executive, commercial and technical teams and worked with large Latin American and global organizations.
Currently, Ricardo is responsible for the development, enhancement and the execution of MMB strategy regionally. He leads a team of more than 2,000 employee benefits, health and digital experts in the region, striving to enhance MMB clients’ EVP and financial performance while improving their people’s lives and well-being. 

Global Leader, Digital HR Strategy, Mercer

Jason is a Senior Partner and Global Leader of Digital HR Strategy at Leapgen, Mercer. He is a leading figure in Mercer's global Generative AI strategy and services, and an accomplished author.

President, Health, at Mercer & Global Leader at Mercer Marsh Benefits

He brings more than 25 years of experience in insurance, reinsurance and professional services, having led and transformed international business across both mature and emerging markets, with a specific focus on solving client needs and delivering sustainable growth and value creation.

Most recently, Hervé served as global CEO of Credit & Lifestyle Protection at AXA Partners and previously, as Head of Employee Benefits for AXA’s US business and CEO of MAXIS GBN, a unique partnership between AXA and MetLife.

Hervé holds a master’s degree in international economics and finance from Paris University at Sorbonne; a master’s degree in banking, finance and insurance from Paris University at Nanterre; and an MBA from Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) in Paris.

Hervé takes pride in the work we do in the health & benefits space, and focuses on collaboration as a team, having a purpose and making a real difference in people’s lives. As a leader, he is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and giving people trust, freedom and authority.

Career Leader, Mercer Chile

Agustina Bellido is the Career business leader at Mercer Chile. She brings over 17 years of experience at Mercer to her current role, where she oversees business operations in Chile and Bolivia, focusing on transformation, executive rewards and talent strategy projects. Agustina also serves as a senior relationship officer (SRO) for several Multilatin companies based in Santiago de Chile.

In addition to her professional responsibilities, Agustina is actively involved in academia. She is a professor in the compensation diploma program at the University of Santiago de Chile and also serves as a guest professor in the HR master’s program at the University of Chile.

SVP Regional Head of Distribution Excellence and Product Development, MetLife

With a 32 years career in the insurance industry, Sofía Belmar is currently SVP Regional Head of Distribution Excellence and Product Development for the markets of Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil and Colombia. Sofia previously served as the Country Manager of MetLife Mexico from 2015 to June 2021. She started her career at MetLife in 2010 as Vice President of Marketing; she has also served as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Distribution with the responsibility of promoting the diversification and growth of the Company towards new market segments, including Private and alternative channels. Sofia holds a position within the Board of Directors of MetLife Mexico, MetLife Mexico Pensions, MetLife Mas and Fundación MetLife Mexico.

From May 2020 to April 2022, she was President of the Mexican Insurance Industry Association (AMIS) -the first woman to hold the leadership of this organization in its 80-year history-. From this position, she participated in the Executive Commission of the Mexican Business Coordinating Council (CCE). Formerly, she was a professor at the Department of Sciences and Economics of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM). 

Chief People, Branding, Communication, Sustainability and Social Investment, B3

Ana is Vice President of People, Marketing, Communication, Sustainability and Social Investment at B3. She invests mainly in the evolution of the company's culture and brand. She led the struggles for adaptation of people upon the merger of Cetip with BM & FBOVESPA. She was also responsible for the development of Cetip's Human Resources area. Ana’s previous roles were spent at leading financial institutions such as Banco Santander, ABN Amro and Citibank. She is a board member of the UN Global Compact for Brazil. 

Global Advisory Solutions & Insight Leader, Mercer

As Global Advisory Solutions and Insight Leader, Kate supports Mercer’s thought leadership, knowledge management, and sales and leads on innovations for the HR buyer.

She authors Mercer’s Global Talent Trends study and partners with the World Economic Forum to define Good Work standards.

Career Business Director, Colombia, Central America and the Caribbean, Mercer   

Marietna Cantillo is an experienced principal consultant at Mercer with a remarkable 20-year track record in consulting and management. Her expertise lies in driving organizational development, cultural and digital transformation, corporate governance, talent management, executive compensation, strategic formulation and value-based management initiatives.

Throughout her career, Marietna has successfully collaborated with numerous national and multinational companies across Latin America, delivering impactful solutions and driving positive change.

Director of Mercer Marsh Benefits, Argentina and Uruguay

Julieta leads the team that manages Workers’ Compensation, Life and Health & Benefits consulting in Argentina & Uruguay. For more than 28 years Julieta has advised clients on employee risk management.
In this role, she has advised clients on the development of risk and reward strategies in line with the local regulatory framework and market practice, supported by her strong relationship with suppliers.
Julieta has addressed the entire spectrum of people's risk management approach, starting with company diagnosis, strategy definition, action plan and solution implementation, including operational processes and indicators to measure impact.
Julieta has worked in the insurance market since 1996, specializing in Life insurance, Workers’ Compensation and Health at top insurers such as Liberty International and Zurich, joining Marsh McLennan in 2013.

Total Rewards & Performance Leader, South America, Schneider Electric

Alejandro is Total Rewards & Performance Leader for South America at Schneider Electric.

Alejandro began his career at Unisys, as leader of the HR Shared Services Center for Latin American Spanish-speaking countries. He then joined the Finance function as Finance Analysis Manager — where he gained M&A experience by leading the acquisition of a +50M USD business while ensuring both business profitability and an attractive compensation and benefits package for employees — before returning to HR to head up the Rewards function for Latin America.

He took up his current role at Schneider Electric in 2022, helping to transform the Total Rewards & Performance function at the company and bringing in new ideas and solutions such as the implementation of a Flexible Benefits Scheme aligned to corporate wellness pillars.

Head of International Benefits and IEB Captive Leader, Amazon

For the past 20 years Rosa María has been enhancing the Employee Value Proposition and improving employee engagement for Amazon, Walmart Mexico and Centroamerica and American Express LACC. Currently she is responsible for delivering all Benefits for more than 500K Amazon employees and their families across 62 countries and designing a meaningful Benefits strategy focused on Health & Wellbeing, Financial Wellness and Time Away to drive Amazon to be Earth’s Best Employer.

In addition, she is responsible for managing the International Employee Benefits Captive for more than 60 countries, containing more than 240 plans, in partnership with Risk Management, Local Benefits Teams, Global Captive consultants and underwriters. Previously, she collaborated at Coca-Cola de México, Tecnológico de Monterrey and Procter & Gamble.

MMB Country Leader, Peru

Juan Pablo Fernandini is the leader of Mercer Marsh Benefits in Peru, where he oversees the Employee Benefits practice and the consulting line in benefits, communications, wellness, and risk prevention. With over 23 years of experience in the consulting and insurance industry, he has worked for both insurers and insurance brokers, and has been with Marsh for the past 15 years. Under his leadership, Mercer Marsh Benefits in Peru has built a portfolio of over 1,000 clients, offering a wide range of products and services. Juan Pablo and his team of nearly 300 colleagues are committed to being strategic partners to their clients.

The main industries that trust them include mining, construction, energy, retail, and education, which represent over 60% of their portfolio. Juan Pablo and his team advise these industries on people risk management and benefits program administration. In Peru, Mercer Marsh Benefits has a market share of 40% in health, life, and accident lines.

Juan Pablo is passionate about being close to his clients and making all the capabilities of his team available to them. He seeks to leverage technology and advancements in development to anticipate future challenges and avoid complicated situations. His goal is to care for the well-being of his colleagues and industries, using technological tools, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and agile methods to implement high-impact projects in short timeframes. With his customer-centric approach and commitment to innovation, Juan Pablo Fernandini is a prominent leader in the field of employee benefits in Peru.

Digital Wellbeing Leader LAC, Mercer Marsh Benefits

Angela Garcia is responsible for driving the strategy of the Digital Ecosystem for Mercer Marsh Benefits in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC), supporting 11 LAC countries in elevating the Digital and Advisory capabilities to clients across the region. She ensures the Value Proposition demonstrates real value to clients and MMB through proven usage, adoption and value of digital solutions. 

Angela has 15+ years of industry experience, including developing markets in the Latam Region. Before MMB, her role was LATAM Partnerships Director at Cover Genius where she got great knowledge from the Digital world and embedded protection. Previous to that she was Sales Director at AXA Partners for more than 8 years, and also worked as Sales Manager at BNP Paribas Cardif Colombia. Angela's experience has a vast exposure to the insurance sector focused in the B2B2C, developing successful partnerships with main players in Latam.

CEO, DirecTV Latin America, Sky Brasil, DGO

With more than 36 years in the industry, Mariana Goldvarg has extensive experience in financial services at major regional and international companies. She served at IBM for almost four years, where she was a member of the Global Consulting Unit and responsible for Financial Services for Latin America. Mariana was also President of Latin America at Evertec, a technology solutions company for business, payment processing, risk management, ATM and digital banking.

Previously, she was President of Latin America at Equifax Inc., a US multinational consumer credit reporting agency. Before that, she worked at Citigroup, where she was Executive Director of Citi Mortgage Retail, a subsidiary for the mortgage lending business. She was also Executive Director of Business for Latin America North and Executive Director of Marketing for the company in Latin America. At Vrio Corp., Mariana drives efforts to reduce the gender gap for greater equality.

She was twice recognized as one of the 24 leading women among the 100 most disruptive executives in Latin America in the HORSE CEOs Change Makers Latin America ranking. Her commitment to promoting female leadership is reflected in the tireless efforts to create equitable opportunities and encourage the participation of women at all levels of the company.

Multinational Team Leader Latin America and Caribbean, Mercer Marsh Benefits

Carolina Gomez is responsible for driving the strategy for Mercer Marsh Benefits in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC), supporting 11 LAC countries in realizing their objectives for global benefits management (GBM). She ensures the standardization of the value proposition and services for global accounts, including multilatinas, by leading the GBM regional team and working together with country leaders and their teams.

Carolina has 20+ years of industry experience, including seven years with Mercer, Marsh and Mercer Marsh Benefits. She was the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Supervisor in Mercer Marsh Benefits´ Regional Benefit Management Team for GBM clients, and her experience in GBM management also extends to the Asia-Pacific region.

Before joining Marsh McLennan, Carolina worked at Hay Group and other consulting firms. Throughout her professional career, she has been involved in team performance development, HR strategy construction, salary structure projects and various types of HR consulting projects for organizations in Latin America.

President Colombia & Central America, Mercer

With more than 15 years at Mercer and more than 20 years of overall work experience, Adriana has extensive expertise in organizational and HR strategies. Since 2017, she has led the strategic execution of Mercer's business in Colombia, Central America and the Caribbean. With the multicultural and diverse dynamic of the region, Andriana is responsible for leading the company’s efforts to actively contribute to the development of the future of work and organizations in Latin America.

Before joining Mercer, Adriana worked for a local boutique consulting firm specializing in strategy and executive compensation and at Oracle as a strategic consulting analyst for the northern Latin America.

VP Global Risk Benefits, Health & Wellbeing, DHL

Matthias Helmbold joined the DHL Group’s Insurance and Risk Management Group in September 2021. Matthias has 20 years of experience within the employee benefits arena and has worked in actuarial consulting, corporate HR and insurance network roles in Germany, Switzerland, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Matthias’s primary responsibility is managing the global employee benefits and health and well-being program, which utilizes DHL captive insurance companies applying a breakeven premium pricing strategy. The program operates in 100+ countries with gross annual premium that exceeds €150 million.

Human Resources Sponsor, Farmacity      

For over 30 years, Mariana Ibero has delved into the comprehensive process of human evolution in relation to the discovery of life purpose and rooted in self-awareness, well-being and happiness. She leads the organizational transformation process to enhance agility at Farmacity, an Argentine pharmaceutical retail company committed to health, well-being, beauty and healthy eating, where she has been the Director of Human Capital since 2013.

Mariana began her career in the operations and human resources areas of McDonald’s Argentina, leading Corporate Internal Communications. In 2001, she founded HUMANA Consulting, her first venture, while navigating motherhood with the birth of her first daughter. She has been involved in developing talent and training leaders at significant Argentine and multinational companies. She is a specialist in cultural transformation, having extensively studied human behavior in the pursuit of purpose, and the evolution of organizations in complex environments.

Mariana is an experienced high-impact speaker on transformational leadership, cultural evolution and personal transformation. In 2023, she was recognized as CHRO of the Year, an award conferred by the University of UCEMA, together with the El Cronista newspaper and Apertura Magazine, for excellence in organizational management.

Multinational Advisory, Latin America Leader, Mercer Marsh Benefits

Eduardo Jauregui is a partner in the Mercer MMB Multinational Advisory Segment and has more than 35 years of professional experience. Based in Florida, Eduardo currently leads the Latin America Multinational Advisory team and continues to serve as a global consultant. From 2014 to 2020, he was Mercer’s US Central Market leader for multinational clients based in Chicago. Before that, he was the Retirement Leader for Mercer for Iberia and Italy. He was also the Managing Director of Mercer Brazil and the zone leader of the Retirement Business in Latin America, based in São Paulo.

His professional practice has been focused on the design, valuation and implementation of retirement, healthcare and welfare benefits. Eduardo has also participated in numerous international benefits and compensation projects for multinational companies with operations in Europe and Latin America. He has also experience in social security reforms in Latin America.

CEO Zurich Integrated Benefits & Int. Life, Zurich Insurance Ltd

Wendy Liu is the CEO of Zurich Integrated Benefits and International Life. Zurich Integrated Benefits brings together businesses within the Zurich Group that provide employee benefits to companies ranging from SMEs to mid and large corporates, both domestic and multinational and Zurich International Life includes Zurich’s Isle of Man balance sheet with its various overseas branches for International Life businesses. Wendy joined Zurich Group in 2011 and held various positions in the company, including Global Head of Corporate Life & Pensions, Head of Zurich Global Employee Benefits Solutions or Global Partnership Director. Before joining Zurich, Wendy was with Willis Towers Watson for 10 years, specializing in international benefits consulting and benefits financing solutions.

President, Mercer Brazil    

Eduardo Marchiori joined Marsh McLennan in 2012 and has been President of Mercer Brazil since October 2017. Prior to that, he implemented the Mercer Marsh Benefits JV in Brazil and was also Marsh Consumer Leader there. Before joining Marsh McLennan, Eduardo held prominent positions at Itau Unibanco, Unibanco AIG and Prever, including roles in Corporate Pension & Benefits Distribution in Brazil, AIG Desk, Real Estate Investments Portfolio and Garantec — the largest Brazilian extended warranty company.

Eduardo is a certified board member of IBGC. Since January 2023, he has been a volunteer with the Instituto Reciclar Sustainability Committee (an award-winning Brazilian NGO). Most recently, Eduardo was appointed leader of the Amcham Presidents Committee in Brazil.

CEO, Mexico, Marsh McLennan and President, Latin America and the Caribbean, Mercer            

André is a senior partner and Mexico CEO for Marsh McLennan. He is responsible for positioning the company´s lines of business — Mercer, Marsh, Oliver Wyman and Guy Carpenter — in the market, by bringing strong points of view on current business issues, offering a broad range of solutions and serving as a business partner for clients. In addition, André also leads Mercer’s business for Latin America and the Caribbean region.

André has over 25 years of experience in the professional services industry in Latin America and the US. He developed the first part of his career serving global and local clients in various industries and segments, managing diverse and multi-cultural teams, managing senior relationships and driving commercial efforts. Over time, he transitioned to a number of leadership roles in Brazil, Mexico and Latin America, commonly tasked with launching new lines of business, turning around financial performance and accelerating growth. Most recently, André led Mercer Latin America’s recovery from business impacts of the global COVID pandemic by supporting new and safer ways of working for colleagues, implementing several operational improvements, and accelerating growth priorities — ultimately delivering double-digit revenue and margin growth.

President, Mercer Chile

Prior to taking up his current role as President of Mercer Chile in 2019, Daniel was the Multinational Client Group Leader LATAM, where he led a team of senior client managers and M&A professionals and was responsible for the sales and delivery of transaction-related projects for corporate and financial buyers. Daniel has extensive experience in the healthcare sector has worked with many of the region’s leading private- and public-sector companies.

Executive Compensation & Pay for Results Director Latin America and the Caribbean, Mercer

Christian Pereira has been with Mercer for more than 20 years. He is currently the Director of Executive Compensation and Pay for Results at Mercer for Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the leader of the Executive Compensation Community of Interest (COI) in the region.

Previously, he served as the Director of the Executive Compensation and Pay for Results businesses at Mercer México and Mercer Brazil. In these roles, he advised clients on rewards and human capital projects in areas such as compensation strategy, board compensation, executive pay, design of variable incentive plans, short- and long-term incentives, performance management, sales effectiveness, total remuneration surveys, salary structures, job evaluation systems, succession plans, and human resource policies and benefits. His clients include boards of directors, compensation committee members, C-level and HR leaders at large multinationals, subsidiaries and Latin companies.

Early in his HR career, Christian worked at a multinational electronics company and multinational energy company before assuming roles in the financial and technology industry. Prior to joining Mercer, he held consulting roles at Aon Hewitt and Willis Towers Watson.

Corporate Talent Manager, CMI

Laura graduated in Industrial Psychology and holds a master's degree in Business Administration from Rafael Landívar University. She has a diverse professional background in human resources and has held key roles in companies such as Nokia, where she excelled as an HR Specialist, and Walmart, where she worked as a Human Resources Generalist. Currently, at CMI, she serves as a Corporate Talent Manager.

In her free time, Laura enjoys spending time with her family and supporting charitable activities, accompanied by her faithful companion, Molly, a charming Golden Retriever.

Director, Career Business Leader, Mercer

Rafael is the Career Business Leader for Mercer Brazil. He leads the team responsible for the whole portfolio of Advisory services for Rewards, Talent Strategies and Transformation, plus the full Products, Data and Technology solutions related to HR in the country. Rafael plays a relevant role in HR Innovation and Digitization as an active player, influencer and startup mentor and board advisor in hubs and ecosystems such as Inovabra, AgTech Garage, Urano Hub, Cubo and Endeavor. Through this participation, Rafael also fosters the development of alliances, new solutions and problem-solving ideas for HR. During his 16 years in Mercer, Rafael was a HR consultant for Financial Services companies, delivering a wide set of projects, building relevant relationships with key players, and leading the team responsible for the sector in the country. In the last 5 years, he was the Career Products Director in Brazil, managing the development, innovation and sales of a vast portfolio of digital solutions, platforms, surveys, benchmarks, data and insights for HR in general. Rafael also acts as a Professor in PUC-MG and as a Mercer’s spokesperson for overall HR topics.

EVP & DEI Senior Consultant Leader, LAC, Mercer

Veronica Saracco is a DEI & EVP Senior Consultant Lead LAC at Mercer. Veronica is an experienced global Human Resources executive with a demonstrated history of supporting and coaching leaders as they drive business transformation and results. She loves to support clients in building businesses with purpose and help leaders grow.

Veronica is highly motivated to develop and implement people strategies that ensure companies have the talent, culture and organizational capabilities needed to achieve business objectives and building the best inclusive teams while investing in the individual talent. Her clients define her as a true business advisor and trusted coach, able to develop strategy, design frameworks and someone who ensures results are delivered consistently through tactical execution (zoom out & in).

During the last 20 years Veronica has consulted across a wide range of industries, including professional services, pharma, SMEs and insurance in small, medium size and large countries supporting business transformation, accelerated revenue growth, maximizing organizational efficiency in highly diverse and volatile business environments. Additionally, she has lived and worked mainly in Emerging Markets in Latin America, Central Eastern Europe and Middle East Africa regions. Her breadth of experiences include Organization & Culture effectiveness, Talent Management, Change Management, HR Transformation and HR Business Partnering.

Senior Vice President, Recruiting, Diversity and Culture and Chief Diversity Officer, HP Inc.

With over 25 years of experience, Martin is a seasoned human resources executive. He is currently SVP, Recruiting, Diversity and Culture and Chief Diversity Officer at HP Inc. He leads a global team of Diversity, Inclusion and Culture professionals that connects with over 55,000 employees and a global recruiting and onboarding team that partners with hiring managers to recruit and onboard almost 10,000 new hires per year. His team develops strategies, programs, training and external partnerships, and works very closely with HP’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) all over the world to create an inclusive workplace, promote employee engagement, increase representation of under-represented groups, and evolve the HP Way Culture.

Prior to HP, Martin worked at DHL and at The Clorox Company and performed a variety of HR roles, including talent management, total rewards and M&A.

Latin America Career Leader, Mercer

Javier is a partner with Mercer and the Career Business Leader for Latin America, responsible for all information and consulting business within the region. He advises large multinational and national enterprises in rewards, talent strategy and transformation. Before joining Mercer, Javier acted as CHRO for Pampa Energia, the largest energy group in Argentina, with assets in oil and gas, electricity and construction. He developed his career in several HR managerial positions with Citibank, Reckitt Benckiser and Roland Berger & Partners.

Senior Investment Consulting Manager, Mercer

Chris is a partner and has over 30 years of investment consulting experience and advises several of Mercer’s largest investment clients. He has worked with many types of investment mandates, including corporate, healthcare, multi-employer and public Defined Benefit and Defined Contribution plans, and Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) — in both advisory and OCIO roles. Chris also serves as Mercer’s US Investment Client Team Leader, focusing on senior team capacity, client pursuit teams and consultant career development across the US Investments business. 

Prior to joining Mercer in 2007, Chris worked at Jeffrey Slocum & Associates in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and R.V. Kuhns & Associates in Portland, Oregon, where he served endowment/foundations, public funds, healthcare systems, defined benefit/contribution, Taft-Hartley and insurance clients. 

President, Mercer Argentina and Career Leader for Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay

Based in Buenos Aires, Ivana leads the Career business for Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. She joined Mercer in late 2001 as an analyst in the Health and Benefits business in Argentina and has subsequently held a number of senior roles for the company in Latin America and Spain.

Currently, Ivana holds two roles at Mercer. She is still serves as Director of the Career business for Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, where she is responsible for interacting and developing relationships with key clients. In addition, she is President, leading a team responsible for sales and project execution, as well as ensuring the achievement of revenue-growth objectives throughout the organization.

Transformation Leader Latin America & Career Business Leader, Mexico, Mercer

Alexander is a partner at Mercer and Leader of both the Transformation business for Latin America and the Career business in Mexico. He advises clients throughout the region on how to support new strategies through people, as well as on topics related to the future of work, including its redesign, sustainability and flexible schemes.

Alexander has been with Mercer since 2017, and has more than 20 years of professional experience overall, 13 of which have been spent working in strategy and operations consulting and strategic planning, as well as M&A transactions. He has also spent eight years working on the corporate side, collaborating with companies such as Citibank, Edegel (Enel Group), Telecom Italia and SAP, and has coordinated multifunctional and multicultural teams in various industries, including consumer goods, financial services and energy.

Managing Director & Leader, Colombia, Mercer Marsh Benefits

Natalia Velez is the leader of Mercer Marsh Benefits for Colombia. She excels in strategic benefits consulting, with the aim of being the leading broker in the market in providing adequate support and advice in the application of strategies in the area of people risks. She has successfully created, developed and consolidated high-impact teams.

A professional in marketing and advertising, Natalia specializes in marketing management. She has more than 20 years of experience in the sector, holding leadership positions for the past eight years

Senior Vice President, Government Engagement, LAC, Mastercard

Darren leads the Government Engagement team for Latin America and the Caribbean. In this role, he engages with local and national public sector leaders to increase Mastercard’s relevance and collaborate with governments on their digital transformation efforts, financial inclusion and modernization of public finance management.

He has worked across Latin America and the Caribbean for over 20 years, always in technology with a focus on national digital agendas, financial inclusion and public-sector strategy and business development. Before joining Mastercard, Darren was at Cisco Systems for 14 years in a variety of roles across global, Emerging Markets and Latin America teams. He worked both in strategy and business development roles, including building a City Diagnostics model to benchmark Emerging Markets city efforts against global best practices, and drove Country Digital Acceleration efforts with key national governments in Latin America.