Keynote Speakers

• Renato Bertani
• Hon. Jaime Aparicio Otero
• Juan Colas de Casso
• Ricardo A. Weiss

Panel Speakers

• Tourism: A New Source of Income
• Politics, Changing Structural Processes and Politicians: The End of the Latin American Pendulum?

---

Keynote Speakers

Opening Keynote

 
Renato Bertani
President
Petrobras USA

Mr. Bertani was born in the southernmost state of Brazil were he studied Geology at the University of Rio Grande do Sul. In 1984 he obtained a Ph. D degree in Sedimentary Geology and Geochemistry at the University of Illinois.

He has been working with Petrobras since 1976, where he took over several managerial positions, the latter being Director for International Exploration and Production of Petrobras, Managing Director of Petrobras UK and, since September 2001, President of Petrobras America.

Mr. Bertani served as a member of the Board of the Brazilian Petroleum Institute, a professional association that congregates companies and entities active in the Brazilian petroleum industry, during the years of 1995 to 1997.

Since October 1997 he has been a member of the Scientific Program Committee of the World Petroleum Council.

In January 2002 Mr. Bertani has been elected President of the Brazil Texas Chamber of Commerce, a non profit organization based in Houston that aims at promoting business and co-operation between Brazil and Texas based firms.

Mr. Bertani serves in the advisory board to the Houston mayor in matters related to the World Energy Cities Association and in the advisory board to the Center for International Studies of the University of St. Thomas.

Link: Petrobras Website

Second Keynote

 
Hon. Jaime Aparicio Otero
Ambassador of Bolivia to the United States

Mr. Aparicio became Ambassador of Bolivia to the United States on Feb. 26, 2003. Ambassador Aparicio previously served as executive secretary for the Summits of the Americas Secretariat at the Organization of American States (OAS) in 2003, director of the Office of Summit Follow-Up at the OAS (1998-2000), and senior adviser of political affairs to the secretary-general of the OAS (1997-98).

Ambassador Aparicio served as a career diplomat for the Bolivian Foreign Office from 1975 to 1990 and 1993 to 1997. He also held posts as vice minister and acting minister of foreign affairs and national coordinator for the first Summit of the Americas in Miami and for the Summit of the Americas for Sustainable Development in Santa Cruz, Bolivia (1993-97).

In addition, Ambassador Aparicio was deputy director the Bolivian newspaper “La Razón” (1991-93), a professor of international law at Catholic University in La Paz, Bolivia (1992-93), and a professor of Bolivian diplomatic history and diplomatic law at the Diplomatic Academy of Bolivia (1985-92). He holds a degree in law from the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés in La Paz and a masters degree in international relations and diplomacy from the Diplomatic Academy of Bolivia.

Lunch Keynote

Juan Colas de Casso
Global Fixed Income Sales Head
Banco Santander - Madrid

Mr. Colas was born in Spain where he completed a Civil Engineering degree at Universidad Politécnica Madrid. He then obtained an MBA degree from the University of San Diego in California.

Mr. Colas worked at Citibank for 13 years serving Treasury positions in Madrid and Argentina. From 2000 to 2003 he served as head of Treasury Sales for Latin American customers at Citibank in New York. In 2003 he joined Banco Santander in Madrid where he is currently the Sales Head of the Global Fixed Income division.

Closing Keynote

Ricardo A. Weiss
Managing Director
Camargo Corrêa S.A.

Ricardo A. Weiss, Brazilian, is 50 years old. He graduated as a Civil Engineer at Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo in 1977, post graduated in Business Administration at Fundação Getúlio Vargas (CEAG) in 1981 and attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1998.

Ricardo started his professional career in 1978 at Price Waterhouse Management Consulting Services as Analyst.

In 1980 he joined the Hochschild Group which was subsequently acquired by Anglo American plc in 1984, one of the largest global natural resources company, as Assistant to the Managing Director, where he remained for almost 22 years. His most recent positions were Executive Vice President and Member of the Executive Committee of the Anglo Base Metals Division, CEO of the Nickel and Niobium Division, President of Anglo American Brazil and Venezuela, and Head of Marketing of Anglo Base Metals.

During 2002 Ricardo was Executive Director Commodities at Copersucar, one of the world’s largest cooperatives of sugar and ethanol producers.

He was also a board member of the companies Aracruz Celulose, Codemin, Mineração Catalão,Copebrás, Salobo Metais and Minera Loma de Níquel.

Ricardo was a member and/or director of several institutions, including ABRAFE (Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Ferroligas), NIDI ( Nickel International Development Institute ), ICZ (Instituto de Níquel, Chumbo e Zinco), and FIESP (Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo – Member of the Department of Economy).

His current position is Managing Director of Camargo Corrêa S.A., the holding company of the Camargo Corrêa Group, one of the largest Brazilian private conglomerates, where he started in 2003 as Director of Strategic Planning and Control.

Ricardo A. Weiss was appointed an Advisory Board member of Alcoa Latin America in 2004. He is also a deputy board member of São Paulo Alpargatas, and a board member of the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein.

---

Panel Speakers

Tourism: A New Source of Income
 
Prof. Eric Clemons - Panel Director
Professor of Operations and Information Management
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Hon. Tomás Dueñas
Ambassador of Costa Rica to the United States
Former Minister of Finance

Ms. Marta Molina
Vice President of Feasibility Development Latin America
Marriott International

Dr. Steve Barnett
Anthropologist and Advisor to rain forest conservation efforts in Brazil

Politics, Changing Structural Processes and Politicians: The End of the Latin American Pendulum?
 
Prof. Witold Henisz - Panel Director
Associate Professor of Management
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Paulo Tenani
Head of Research
UBS Wealth Management Brazil

Mr. Eduardo Wallentin
Strategy Unit Manager - Latin American and Caribbean
Department of the International Finance Corporation

Ms. Caroline Atkinson
Deputy Director - Western Hemisphere
International Monetary Fund

---

Past Speakers Include: