Our Community
The purpose of the EMPRENDIA Community is to create sustainable prosperity and value, delivering combinations of knowledge for the South American and global markets. It creates synergies from the profiles, trajectories, reputation and social capital of a diverse network of companies, civil society organizations, public agencies, academic institutions and independent professionals, experts and consultants.
We believe that by being together, in diversity and complementing each other, we can be of much more value to our societies and markets and offer better response to our customers. We note that, increasingly, customers of EMPRENDIA and from the Community members are exploring regional and global approaches. This way, through the EMPRENDIA Community, it is hoped that supply of services can be expanded both in technical depth and quality as well as in geographic scope. Professional relations with members of the Community are guided by the Voluntary Framework Agreement.
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Strategic Allies – Individuals
Carlos M. González Guerrico
Carlos is a lawyer and counsellor, graduated from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and has completed postgraduate studies at the University of London in Commercial and Corporate Law. As a lawyer has worked for major law firms and companies. Since 1992 is also developing activities related to environmental issues and sustainable development, working for the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN) as a contributor. In 1994 he founded the Committee for Environmental Studies of the Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI) and led it until 2004. In that year until 2008 he served as Manager of the Business Chamber of the Environment (CEMA) and certified it for ISO 9001 and 14001. He subsequently served as Manager of the Canadian company “Versus Goliath Argentina SA” developing CDM projects in the carbon market. He has been honoured in 1997 by the U.S. Government as a leader on environmental issues and invited as a Fellow of the government to develop a special program on this subject in United States. He has published articles on topics of their specialty in environmental and sustainable development. He has also completed studies in strategy.
Catherine Fieschi
Catherine is the director of Counterpoint. Once the think tank of the British Council, Counterpoint now operates as an independent cultural risk consultancy. Based in London, Counterpoint works with a network of associate experts and resources around the world to provide businesses, NGOs and governments with research and analysis on how cultural and social dynamics affect politics, policy-making and markets. Prior to directing Counterpoint, Catherine led the London based think tank Demos (2005-2008). From 2001 to 2005 she taught Comparative Politics at the University of Nottingham and directed the Centre for the Study of European Governance. Catherine holds a PhD in Comparative Political Science from McGill University. She is the author of In the Shadow of Democracy: Fascism, Populism and the French Fifth Republic (MUP) and of numerous pamphlets and articles on extremism, populism, citizenship and identity politics. She is a contributing editor for Prospect Magazine, a board member of the Quilliam Foundation and a trustee of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR). She is a Senior Fellow in the Department of Government at the LSE and a regular contributor to radio and television debates. Catherine grew up in Italy, Senegal, the United States, France and Canada. She has lived in the UK for the past 18 years.
Claudia Martínez
Claudia is Executive Director of E3 – Ecology, Economics and Ethics. She has been Director of the Office of Sustainable Development and later Vice President for Social and Environmental Development at the Andean Development Bank (CAF), Deputy Minister of Environment of Colombia, and environmental officer for the Latin American Bureau of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in New York. She studied Business Administration at the Los Andes University in Bogotá and holds a Masters Degree in Development Economics and a Masters Degree in Environmental Studies from Yale University. She is a member of the board of Tropenbos International, CIFOR, the Center for International Forestry Research, the Yale environmental leadership council and CATIE, the Center for Research and Learning in Tropical Agriculture. She has been a consultant to different international organizations such as World Bank, IDB, UNDP, ODI among others and has promoted and participated in the development and visions of publications like Our Own Agenda, Amazonia Without Myths and Dawn in the Andes by the Latin American and Caribbean Commission on Development and Environment as well as Environment and Human Well being of the Environmental and Sustainability Group of the UN Millennium Project. She is also a professor at the MBA and the Masters of Environmental Management at Los Andes University in Colombia.
Daniel Ilar
Daniel has a MS degree in Telecommunications from the ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and a MS degree in Electrical Engineering/Administration from Stanford University, USA. He started his professional career as a trainee engineer at Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) in Switzerland, Argentina and Sweden, and then worked during five years as consultant and engagement manager at the Zurich and São Paulo offices of McKinsey & Company. He also worked as an independent consultant for more than six years, mostly in the areas of telecommunications/information technology, transport, NGOs and in new business building situations. In 2007 Daniel joined Zattoo, an internet TV business, where he served as general manager for Iberia and Latin America for more than three years. Currently he works as independent consultant/associated consultant for Emprendia with a special focus on developing new businesses and managing complex projects.
Derk Norde
Derk was born in Wageningen the Netherlands, and holds degrees from the University of Amsterdam and Leiden University. In 2003 Derk co-founded Fair Ventures, a consulting company for businesses looking to improve their supply chain in emerging markets. Subsequently in 2004 he co-founded the BiD Challenge with the Dutch Committee on Sustainable Development (NCDO), a project that spun-off into the BiD Network Foundation, which has its head office in the Netherlands and partner offices in 17 countries. The BiD Network sources and selects business plans of small and medium sized enterprises in emerging markets and offers tools to the best entrepreneurs, paving the way for them to access finance. Derk has been working and living in Latin America since 2007. He has set up operations and secured funding with partner organizations in Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru and Colombia, whilst working for clients and investors in Europe. He has worked with countless businesses and entrepreneurs from all over Latin-America, and is always inspired by individuals that know how to recognize market opportunities, and turn them into new businesses.
Enrique Piedra-Cueva Marchesano
Enrique is an uruguayan with a master’s degree in Sociology from the Catholic University of Lovaina, Belgium. Social Worker from the Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay. Specialized in applied sociology of organizations and organizational change management. With certificated training in Third Sector Management, Corporate Social Responsibility, Management skills, Communication Persuasive and High Performance Teams. Professor of post grade courses at Universidad Catolica del Uruguay and also in different academic programs in Argentina, Mexico, Paraguay, USA, Ecuador. Experience in organizational change and institutional sustainability, is focused on the socio cultural, behavioral and human organizations. Provides consulting and training services in private companies (multinational, national and SMEs), in Cooperatives, in NGOs, international cooperation organizations and public and government agencies. Has identified and trained over 120 leaders in sustainable development projects in Latin America. Is an independent consultant and associate consultant of Emprendia Leadership for sustainability, institutional strengthening and change management.
Germán Castellanos
Germán is the owner and partner at TeXis, a housing company with a business model that combines personal investments, construction, real estate and low income rent demand. He is also the Chair of the Board at the Instituto Argentino de Responsabilidad Social Empresaria – IARSE (Argentine Institute for Corporate Social Responsibility). In 1998 , he joined the AVINA Foundation where he ran different positions. He left the organization in 2009 as member of the Executive Committee and Regional Representative, supervising the activities of AVINA´s offices in Santiago and Chillán (Chile), Córdoba (Argentina) Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia) and International Bridge Building. He graduated and worked as an Agricultural Engineer. He then focused on Non Profit organizations(development and management) and specialized in SMEs and Micro-Credit. The common thread throughout his professional life has been his commitment to Change Processes and Management, assisting many diverse organizations that led sustainable and inclusive development models.
Iñigo Álvarez de Toledo y Alvear
Bachelor (Law) Complutense University, Madrid. His first job was as an account executive at Marsh (risk management & insurance broker). Continued at Sedgwick, its direct competitor, where ends up in charge of the new Environmental Risk department in Spain and becomes a member of the CEO´s Council. In 1995 leaves the company to study the MSc in Human Ecology at Edinburgh University, Scotland, gaining the grade with a thesis on politics, economy and sustainability in Chile.He works for a year in a Chilean foundation, profiting to travel extensively in the region, and building up relations with similar-aim organizations in Argentina. Back in Europe he works in the Italian countryside. In 2002 funds IDEAA. The first years it works to influence in public and private politics and economics, after what it centres its activity in agriculture and cattle growing, base of all sustainability and regeneration. The technics most widely used by IDEAA are Biodynamics, Key Line and Holistic Management.
Luis Castelli
Luis is a lawyer specialized in Environmental Law (Universidad de Buenos Aires). Post-Graduate studies in Environmental Law at Universidad de Buenos Aires, Environmental Management at Yale (U.S.A.) and Sustainable Tourism at Universidad para la Cooperación Internacional de Costa Rica (UCI). Since 1993 he is in charge of the Castelli and Associates Law Firm, exclusively dedicated to counseling public agencies and private enterprises, national and international, in the environmental field.He is also the executive director of Naturaleza para el Futuro Fundation, a non-governmental organization whose objectives are landscape protection, development of protected areas, public and private, and the sustainable planning of natural and cultural areas.He worked as advisor for Puerto Madryn in Environmental Planning issues (2000/2002) and for the Ecologic and Human Development Commission of the Honorable Senate of the Nation in environmental policy and legislation. (1996/2000). Luis is the author of many books, as “Landscape Planning and Conservation” (2007), “Argentina, Nature for the Future” (2001), “Conservation of Nature in Lands of Private Property” (2001) and “Argentina Ruta 40” (2007). He is co-author of “Chile without Dams” (2007) and collaborated in the book “Tools for Private Conservation in Latin America” (2006). Was invited as exponent in numerous conferences, sessions and workshops and participates as environmental collaborator for national journal “La Nación”.
Manuel Gutiérrez Arana
Bachelor in Social Communication (Universidad Austral). He began his career as a producer in Radio Rivadavia and Radio Cultura and worte articles for various publications such as Cosas Nuestras (Cardon), Paréntesis (Deloitte), La Tribuna of Colorado newspaper (USA) and Crítica de la Argentina. Manuel worked for nearly two years as an account executive in Emprendia, performing communications, media and social network management. He is also actor, clown and founded Proyecto Calco.
María Paz Gómez Centurión
Graduated in Psychology from Aconcagua University. MBA issued by ADEN. While studying psychology she became interested in organizations and their health as well as in the quality of their work procedures. Paz was Executive Director at Valos and Executive Director at Nuestra Mendoza Foundation, where she carried out the program “For politics to be good word again” and directed Impulsar Foundation. Paz teaches at the chair of Cognitive-Behavioral Clinic at Aconcagua University and gives lessons of Corporate Social Responsibility, Human Capital and Coaching. In 2011 she founded Miradas Sostenibles.
Mariana Caminotti
Accountant graduate from Cordoba National University, with a specialization in International Trade and regional integration processes. She was Undersecretary of the MERCOSUR for the province of Cordoba and Director of the International Business Department of the Business Foundation for the Development. In 2001, AVINA Foundation asked her to design and implement sustainable development strategies in Argentina and Latin America, where she put into practice different projects regarding corporate responsibility, sustainability, communication between different sectors and creating high impact agendas collectively. In 2011 she founded Mirada Sostenible.
Paola Berdichevsky
Paola founded Valor Compartido Chile funder, Corporate Social Responsibility Consultant (CSR). Graduated as Civil Industrial Engineering, MBA and Certified Ontological Coach. Started her career at Forestal Terranova as an engineer in charge of developing corporate, social and environmental responsibility projects. Ms. Berdichevsky was the Director of Corporate Magazine “Tierra Nueva”, which focused on promoting sustainable development proposals of the Group. In 1999 she was invited to be part of AVINA, leadership for sustainable development in Latin America, to start up a representation office and operations at the Chile subsidiary. She designed and managed strategies to impact Latin American economic development. More recently, Ms Berdichevsky began specializing in sustainable economic development related to CSR, inclusive business concept and corporation fair trade. In 2010 she started exploring new challenges integrating sectors and articulating environmental and social development impact between governments, communities and organizations. The result was the foundation of Valor Compartido, that seeks to contribute by counseling corporations and social civil organizations in building sustainable processes to construct, design and implement CSR strategies, and NGOs with sustainable financial and integrated alliances in the private sector.
Rachel Biderman Furriela
Graduated in Law from Universidade de São Paulo (1990), she is vice-coordinator and researcher at the Center for Sustainability Studies at Fundação Getulio Vargas in São Paulo (FGV), Brazil. Coordinator of the course on “Low Carbon Management” at the Extension School of FGV. Professor at FGV MBA on the Management of Sustainability at FGV. PHD in Public Administration from FGV (2011). Fellow at the Science, Technology and Society Program at the Harvard JFK School of Government, Fall, 2009. Holds two masters degrees: Environmental Sciences (MSc), Universidade de São Paulo (1999), and International Legal Studies, American University Washington College of Law, D.C.(1992).She coordinated the creation of the Environmental Dimension of the Brazilian Stock Exchange Sustainability Index (ISE). She has been a member of the technical team of ISE since 2004. She has teached disciplines on Environmental and Contemporary Environmental Problems for one decade in different private universities in São Paulo. She is one of the founders and was the first executive director of the Climate Observatory; coordinator of the Brazilian Climate Change Forum, member of the Sao Paulo State Environmental Secretariat Cabinet´s Office (1996-98). She is author of the book `Democracy, Citizenship and Environmental Protection´ (2002) and co-author of environmental children´s books. She currently holds different pro-bono positions as board member of Brazilian NGOs, such as Greenpeace and the Consumer´s Defense Council. She is a member of the Governance Committee of Instituto Ethos.
Verónica Edwards
Verónica is a philosopher from the Universidad Católica de Chile, she holds a Master degree in Educational Research with specialization in Anthropology from the Center for Advanced Research, Mexico, and holds a diploma in Generic Managerial Skills (Ontological Coaching). She works as a consultant in Business and Sustainable Development (BSD), a swiss consulting enterprise that seaks to promote sustainable development. She has identified and strengthened the social and entrepreneur leadership, as well as promoting projects in the field of sustainable development and CSR in Chile and Latin America. She is the former local representative of AVINA Foundation in Santiago and later on she became the regional representative of AVINA for Ecuador, Peru and Central America. In that position she developed politics, identifying leadership and making investments in projects with high environmental and social impact, thus, promoting networks at national and continental level. She was the former Executive Director of the NGO Interdisciplinary Program for Educational Research (PIIE) and adviser of the Subsecretary of Education and later on of the Ministry of Education. She has published books and numerous articles. As the Executive Director of PIIE she contributed to promote social networks in education at a national and Latin-American level. She participates as project director for Fondo de las Américas (FDLA) in the fields related to the environmental issues within the civil society.
Wendy Arenas
Wendy is a co-founder of ALISOS and its Executive Director. She has a BA in Anthropology and an MA in Political Science and Conflict Resolution. Wendy has been working for over 23 years with the purpose of bringing together a diversity of thoughts and visions in social development. This work has directed her towards many accomplishments in developing a multidisciplinary approach. Wendy has wide range of experience from, East Harlem, New York, United States to the Amazon Rainforest; she has held the position of Directorate of Social Responsibility in the Casa Editorial El Tiempo, (Bogota DC, Colombia)). Over time she helped to implemented new and modern strategies of corporate social responsibility for media companies.Wendy has also worked in the environmental field at Inderena, (The Colombian National Institute of Natural Resources), and Ministry of Environment for Colombian.Before she became co-founder of ALISOS, Wendy was the representative of AVINA in Colombia which promotes national and continental initiatives for sustainable development in Latin America. She was also co-editor of several books on education, construction of citizenship, social responsibility and civil society.
Yolanda Kakabadse Navarro
Yolanda studied Educational Psychology in the Catholic University of Quito. Her nexus with the environmental conservation movement officially began in 1979, when she was appointed Executive Director of Fundación Natura in Quito, where she worked until 1990. Fundación Natura become one of Latin America’s most important environmental organizations. In 1993 she created Fundacion Futuro Latinoamericano and was its Executive President until 2006; she is presently the Chair of the Advisory Board of this organization. From 1990 until 1992, Ms. Kakabadse coordinated in Geneva, Switzerland, the participation of civil society organizations for the United Nations Conference for Environment and Development (Earth Summit). In August 1998 she was appointed Minister of Environment for the Republic of Ecuador, position she held until January 2000. During 2001 she was a visiting professor at Yale’s School of Forestry and Environment, USA. She was President of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) from 1996 to 2004, and Member of the Board of the World Resources Institute (WRI) during the same period. She co-chaired the Environmental Sustainability Task Force of the UN Millennium Project, 2002–2005. She chaired the Scientific and Technology Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility (STAP/GEF) from 2005 to 2008. Yolanda Kakabadse became President of Worldwide Fund International (WWF) on January, 2010. She is member of the Board of Trustees of the Ford Foundation (1997–1998; 2000–),of the Environmental Advisory Board of CocaCola (2002–) and of the Environmental Advisory Board of the HOLCIM Foundation (2005-).
Strategic Allies – Organizations
Arbores
Arbores is a global network of professionals working to help organisations and individuals understand how they can contribute to sustainable development. We deliver tailored services for companies as well as for not-for-profit organisations. Arbores Associates are based in various locations around the world and share a passion for sustainability and social change. The Arbores team brings together extensive experience from across the sectors. Arbores also deliver work for the NGO and not-for-profit sector at charity rates, we provide strategic fundraising, partnership and programme development support. Arbores works with questions of leadership, change and sustainability. Arbores Associates bring a range of skills and experience to work with clients in a collaborative way to identify practical ways of addressing individual or organizational challenges. We offer leadership work, field based learning, organisational change and development, stakeholder engagement and insight, bespoke sustainability training, partnerships, programmes and fundraising, scoping, mapping and understanding impact.
Castagnola López Peña Abogados
Castagnola – López Peña / Abogados is a prestigious and experienced boutique law firm in Argentina recognized for the excellence and high quality of its services and for the personalized and enthusiastic attention of its lawyers to the matters entrusted to them. We provide services in a variety of areas, such as commercial, corporate, administrative and environmental law, lawsuits, foreign trade and customs, and investments. Our service is specially aimed for Companies and Pymes as well as National and International Corporations. Our objective is to offer broad legal advice in the areas we cover, developed from an intense and deep analysis of the business or case considered. Our highly personalized service is developed to achieve the benefits of anticipating the possible conflicts or eventualities by bringing intelligent solutions which will fully satisfy our client. Finally, we consider the importance of the corporate interest in business but, always and foremost, promoting a socially responsible behavior and the resolution of conflicts betting for the integration.
Estudio Fernández Quiroga, Ayarragaray & Ocampo
The firm was founded in 1997 by three partners in a renowned law firm in Argentina, with the aim of forming a modern and efficient studio and offer its clients advice to the highest standards of quality, expertise and commitment. The study’s objective is to offer its clients advice through integrated teams with a high degree of direct participation of its members, so as to ensure the quality of work and greater satisfaction to customer requirements. The Firm‘s clients include multinational corporations and large and medium-sized local and regional businesses that work in different sectors of the economy, also representing governments and NGOs. We are committed to providing comprehensive response to the legal needs of our clients in the specific areas in which we perform, through advice designed to give accurate answers and constructive solutions to their needs. Under increasing globalization, the firm has formed a strategic alliance with Curtis, MESHES-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP a leading international law firm based in New York City, with the aim of providing its customers a integral service around the world.
in/situm
Established over 10 years ago, in/situm is an innovation consultancy that provides strategic solutions to organizations interested in growing and increasing their competitive differentiation. With offices in Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Bogota, Mexico City and Chicago, we have conducted over 500 innovation projects for a wide range of industries and sectors. Our goal is to create positive impact in our world. To do so, we work with global companies, startups and the public sector to develop new and improved products, services, brands, messages and strategies based on a deep understanding of people’s needs, behaviors and aspirations. Our multidisciplinary teams combine diverse backgrounds, experiences and interests. We bring together ideas, theories, tools and methods from many disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, cognitive psychology, design, communication, marketing and business strategy. This approach allows us to reach actionable solutions that are meaningful to users, generate value to businesses and are new to the world.
Morena Consulting International
We inspire and coach executives and managers, their teams and organisations, helping them to achieve their full business potential and to reach their most ambitious goals. In an ever changing world we enhance our clients’ awareness of their role in today’s business environment and in managing the change, with passion, energy and empathy. Because of our scientific and humanistic background, our professional experience leading teams in global companies and public organisations, particularly in Europe and the Americas, we provide our clients a different perspective with regards to business, client relations and help them to deal with the different cultures encountered in a global market. Our skills and tools are individual and group coaching, training and consulting related to: Business & life development, Team leadership, Conflict management, Behavior based safety (BBS), Environmental management and metrics and Sustainable development.
New Generation Consulting
New Generation Consulting is a team of multicultural professionals providing expertise and strategic advice on the Middle East and South America (MESA) as well as on the relations between the two regions. Our services focus on Public Diplomacy and Sustainable Development, ranging from analytical reports to full strategy design and project coordination.Together, NGC members form a strong multi disciplinary team pooling knowledge and experience from researchers and practitioners in order to formulate solutions to public policy challenges in the MESA regions. Our three guiding principles are: responsibility, we are responsible world citizens who actually care about public affairs and worry about the future of our planet. We will aim at proposing efficient and sustainable solutions tailored to each context; openness, NGC welcomes political change, New Technology and innovative policy models that bring real benefits to the community. We believe in open dialogue and genuine debate as the best method to reach optimal solutions; independent thinking, our moral integrity and professional independence are key assets which allow us to develop our own thinking based on in- depth research and analysis as well as an extended network of partners.
SocialWOM
In SocialWOM believe that “new forms of communication require new structures and organizations”. We offer integral communication solutions for social entrepreneurs and for the third sector. The acronym WOM of “Word Of Mouth”, refers to the importance of communication based on trust and confidence of the deal person to person. The word Social would add our personal and professional commitment. We support the creation of new initiatives providing strategic counsel specializing in communications, accompanying the co-design and implementation of their strategies, assisting in the management of proposals and advising on communication solutions. SocialWOM has a network of professionals, selected with socially responsible criteria. We are multidisciplinary, highly experienced in national and international advertising agencies, entrepreneurship and social innovation and social coaching. We work for causes, projects and brands looking for environmental, economic, social and cultural sustainability and commitment of initiatives and institutions.
Symbiolab
Platform specializing in generating transdisciplinary creative dynamics that foster the interaction and integration of artistic, scientific, social, environmental and business processes mediated by info-technologies. Symbiolab designs conceptual structures and symbiotic methodologies, to explore new models of systems that integrate research and development, training and production, dissemination and social communication in the same process of open innovation. From a biomimetic approach, Symbiolab is inspired by the biological concept “symbiogenesis”; an evolutionary term referred to the origin of new entities through permanent associations which constitute the motor of the evolution of the species. Organisms of different species will unite and generate a third body. Similarly, Symbiolab fosters alliances and new relationships of networked production, between different subjects (researchers, creatives, managers) and entities (institutions, corporations, civic associations) to dynamize emergent environments for ASTESS (Art-Science-Technology-Entrepreneurship-Society-Sustainability) innovation. It grows out of the projects Banquete (www.banquete.org) and MediaLab Madrid (www.medialabmadrid.org).
