Participants Bio

 

Gema Sacristan

Chief, Financial Markets Division
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

Gema Sacristan joined the Bank in 2008. She currently manages the Financial Markets Division (FMK) of the Structured and Corporate Finance Department (SCF), responsible for capital markets development, trade finance and financial intermediaries, which include primarily banks and investment funds.

Previously, she was a Lead Investment Officer in SCF/FMK where she worked in structured trade finance and social impact funds, and developed and led the sustainability program “beyondBanking: banking on global sustainability”, now the Division’s strategy.

Prior to joining the IDB, Gema worked for three years at BBVA New York as Director of the Americas Export and Agency Finance Business, and eight years at Banco Santander in Madrid and New York as Vice President and Product Manager of the Structured Trade and Corporate Finance Department. She started her career in 1994 at Mishubishi London (UK) where she spent two years in the Business Development Department.

Gema holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Madrid’s Autonóma University, Master’s degrees in Sustainability from Cambridge University (UK) and International Business from Complutense University (Madrid), and an Advanced Diploma in International Finance from New York University.

She serves on the Board of Directors of the Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST) and is a member of the Stakeholder Council of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Gema was named 2011 First Mover Aspen Fellow (The Aspen Institute).

 

 

Matias Bendersky

Matias Bendersky was named Chief of the Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Unit at the Inter-American Development Bank in March 2014. In that role, he is responsible for coordinating the mobilization of financial and non-financial resources and managing strategic partnerships with development actors in the public and private sectors, foundations, universities, and other multilateral organizations. Prior to joining the IDB in 2008 as a Lead Operations Specialist for the Office of Outreach and Partnerships, he worked at the World Bank and for law firms both in Argentina and in the United States. Matias attained a J.D. from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, as well as a Master’s in Business and Law from Northwestern University.