SPEAKERS

Alfredo Aguilar Arízaga, Secretary General of Mobility, Gad Cantonal de Cuenca, Ecuador

Alfredo Aguilar Arizaga is a doctor of Jurisprudence and a court lawyer of justice in Ecuador. He has developed in different areas within the public administration, transit and transportation with 19 years of experience. 

Also, he has served as Prosecretary and Secretary of the illustrious Municipality of Cuenca. He was General Manager of the Municipal Public Company of Land Transportation, Transit and Road Safety (EMOV EP) and Coordinator General of Municipal Companies in the Municipal GAD of Cuenca. He was a councilor of the Cuenca canton from May 2019 to May 2023.

Currently, the following companies are under its coordination public and municipal directorates: Directorate of Mobility Management (DGM), Management of the Cuenca Tram, Cuenca Airport Corporation (CORPAC) and the Municipal Public Company of Land Transportation, Transit and Road Safety (EMOV EP).

JOYCE ARGUEDAS CALDERÓN, Director of Strategic Projects, COSTA RICAN INSTITUTE OF RAILWAYS

Civil Engineer, University of Costa Rica, 1999

Master in Project Management, University for International Cooperation, 2014

Diploma in Urban Transport Systems, International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies OAS, 2017

25 years of experience in Transport Systems Planning, public and railway transport, sustainable mobility and infrastructure.

Technical participation in national level projects:

• Interurban Passenger Train of the Greater Metropolitan Area.
• Freight Train of the Huetar Norte and Caribbean Region.
• Sectorization of the Integrated Public Transport System in the Metropolitan Area of San José
• Regional Framework Policy for Mobility and Logistics, SIECA
• National Observatory of Data for Transport Planning in Costa Rica.
• Sustainable Urban Mobility and Transport Program for Costa Rica
• National Transport Plan 2011-2035

Juan Carlos Aguilera, Director for the North Latam region, Signify

Juan Carlos Aguilera is the Director of Signify for the North Latam region (Central America, the Caribbean, and Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador). He has a degree in Marketing and a Master's degree from IESE. He has a 25-year career in the lighting sector. He has led multiple areas in the Signify Iberia organization in Europe, Key Accounts, Energy Efficiency and Environment, Retail Segment, among others. Currently located in Panama for the past 4 years, he leads the North Latam strategy, which also has a Competence Center from where several successful transportation projects have been developed in the region.

Manuel Arias Vallarino, Undersecretary, National Railway Secretariat, Panama

Manuel Arias Vallarino is an expert in strategic project planning and management with over 20 years of experience in infrastructure development in Panama. He has held key positions in the real estate and urban development sector, including General Manager at Arval Developers and Vice President of Projects at Grupo Los Pueblos.

He has led large-scale projects, including Westland Mall, one of the largest shopping centers in the region, and multiple high-profile residential developments at Santa María Golf & Country Club. His specialty encompasses strategic planning, operational optimization and execution of projects with national impact.

Currently, as Undersecretary of the Panama Railway, he is working on the structuring and planning of a key railway project for the connectivity and logistics development of the country, aligned with international standards of sustainability and regional integration.

Juan Carlos Ayala, Undersecretary of Project Structuring and Evaluation, Secretary of Public-Private Investments, Ecuador

Professional with more than 20 years of experience in the development and implementation of projects; as well as in strengthening innovation, competitiveness and sustainability, through self-management or through inter-institutional alliances that allow the fulfillment of institutional objectives.

Professor at prestigious universities in the Republic of Ecuador where knowledge is imparted regarding entrepreneurship, innovation, structuring, research and evaluation of projects of various kinds, with special emphasis on infrastructure.

Also specialized in comprehensive mechanisms for direct export to the United States of America and in permanent support of local and initial export processes, in all their stages.

He currently serves as Undersecretary of Project Structuring and Evaluation at the Secretariat of Public-Private Investments, an entity of the Executive branch and his expertise is vast in the PPP process, including risk analysis, profiling, pre-feasibility and project feasibility.

David Barragán, VP Customer Manager of LATAM, voestalpine Railway Systems

David Barragán, Zaragoza, Spain, 1979, is VP Customer Manager of LATAM for voestalpine Railway Systems.

Industrial Engineer from the University of Comillas, with a Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Control from the University of Humberside & Lincolnshire in the United Kingdom, he has an Executive MBA from the Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, Spain.

After working for several years in companies of the railway sector, he joined the voestalpine group in 2013. Since then he has focused on business development for the voestalpine Railway System solutions such as turnouts, signaling and monitoring systems for the Latin American and Spanish markets.

Paola Benavides, Senior Manager for Infrastructure and Project Finance, EY Central America, Panama & Dominican Rep.

Paola Benavides is a professional with over 24 years of experience in the financial and public-private sectors. She holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Universidad Fidélitas and a Master's in Management and Public Policy from Universidad de Chile, along with executive programs at Harvard and the IDB.

Paola has spent 5 years at EY in the Strategy and Transactions (SaT) area and previously worked 15 years at the Ministry of Finance in Costa Rica, specializing in Public Policy and Project Management. She served as the Technical Secretary for the National Public Investment Committee and the Head of the PPP Unit, involved in projects like the Moín Container Terminal and Route 27. Her extensive experience in project formulation, Project Finance, and legal-economic analysis positions her as a leading figure in infrastructure advisory.

Jean-François Blanc, Solutions Director Turnkey and Infrastructure, ALSTOM

Jean-François Blanc, is currently Solutions Director within ALSTOM Turnkey and Infrastructure platform, supporting the commercial development of Turnkey Systems, managing Technical Reference Solution, including rolling stock, signalling, track, catenary, power supply and their integration.  

•2012-2017, he was in charge of systems and concessions development within the Product and Innovation team.

•2007-2012, held various positions in Marketing and Service Strategy.

•2003-2007, he was Customer Director for Alstom's South African business.

•1993-2003, held various business development positions for the services group within Alstom Transport.

Joined Alstom in 1989 until 1993, he has been in charge of the commissioning and guarantee of several metro systems, including Val Metro in Taipei.

He started his career at Merlin-Gerin in France and graduated in engineering from the École Centrale Marseilles.

Jerzon CARRILLO, Project Manager, SOFRATESA

Civil engineer with a master's degree in transportation, passionate about the extensive use of technology in sustainable mobility, and ITS Intelligent Transportation System.

His participation in the development of the new ABT Ticketing system for the Medellín subway, the structuring, technological modernization and start-up of the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) systems of Transcaribe in Cartagena (312 gas buses), Transmilenio in Bogotá (more than 3500 Euro 5 and 6 buses, including 1485 electric buses), as well as the structuring and start-up of the integral urban project and cable car transportation system - TransMiCable in Bogotá.

He has also participated in the structuring of several ITS transportation projects, including Ticketing, fleet control, CCTV (+34 thousand cameras in vehicles with real-time video transmission), weight sensors, passenger counters, CanBus telemetry, ITS in highways and tolls, tunnels, cargo transportation, electronic parking, among others.

Julio Castiglioni, Director - President, Sao Paulo Metro

Julio Castiglioni is the President of the Sao Paulo Metro. Before that, he was the CEO of the Port of Vitória from March 2019 to April 2022, leading the first privatization of a port authority in Brazil. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Espírito Santo Regulatory Agency between 2015 and 2019. He has been a State Attorney since 2005, with a distinguished track record in developing business models based on concessions, authorizations, and public-private partnerships.

Karina CORDERO, Legal Director, SOFRATESA

Karina Cordero Saladin is an outstanding legal professional with a degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), a Master's Degree in Public Law and a Postgraduate Degree in Public Utilities Law from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona). With a solid 18-year career in the SOFRATESA GROUP, Karina has played key roles as Group Legal Director and Commercial and Contractual Manager in large-scale projects, such as the Santo Domingo Metro.

Throughout her career, she has led complex negotiations and managed strategic contracts in infrastructure projects. In addition, she has worked as a consultant specializing in the design and implementation of public expenditure reengineering processes for the Ministry of Finance and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). She has also played a crucial role in the negotiation of contracts for railway projects with international financing from entities such as the French Development Agency (AFD) and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI).

Fredy Espejo, Railway Management Advisor, ANI - National Infrastructure Agency, Colombia

Fredy Espejo is a civil engineer with a master's degree in transportation engineering and 15 years of experience in railway infrastructure, public transport planning, and sustainable mobility. As an advisor to the Colombian National Infrastructure Agency, he develops large-scale railway projects through public-private partnerships (PPPs). Fredy is currently advising the national government on the revitalization of the Colombian railway network through various projects, such as the 526 km La Dorada-Chiriguaná freight corridor, which will be the country's first freight rail PPP, and the 450 km mixed-use railway line that will connect the Colombian capital with Caribbean ports.

Previously, he contributed to the Bogotá Metro project and helped define the transportation policy for the Colombian Ministry of Transportation. His experience spans metro and BRT planning, multimodal integration, and transportation system optimization.

Gustavo Estay, Partner, Strategic Relations Manager, CyD Ingenieria

Civil Engineer from Universidad de Chile, with more than 30 years of experience in infrastructure projects, quality management, construction and technical inspection of works. Since 2003 he has been part of CyD Ingeniería, where he has held positions as Infrastructure Manager and Engineering and Transportation Manager for the last 12 years. He is currently a partner and, as of 2025, Strategic Relationship Manager.

He combines his work activities with trade unionism, being a member of the Colegio e Instituto de Ingenieros de Chile. In addition, he has been representing CyD Ingeniería for more than 10 years in the Corporación de Túneles y Espacios Subterráneos de Chile, where he currently chairs the Board of Directors.

He is passionate about the transfer of technical knowledge to promote sustainable infrastructure in the region and promotes the use of the subway world as a key option for the development of Latin America.

Maria Victoria Giraldo, Head of Business, Medellín Metro

Maria Victoria Giraldo is a Production Engineer and Marketing specialist with 20 years of experience in commercial and production processes in companies in the automotive and mass transit sectors. For the past five years, she has been Head of Business at the Medellín Metro, where she leads a team that seeks to bring her knowledge and experience in different areas of the company to the national and international level. One of her main achievements has been signing, together with the French company Transdev, the contract for the operation of the first line of the Quito Metro.

She has also led technical assistance and training projects in Santa Marta, Bogotá, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Peru, Guayaquil, and Quito, several of them related to Metro Culture.

JOSE ADOLFO HERRERA, Technical Asst. - VP Ext. Metro Santo Domingo, OPRET - Office for the Reorganization of Transportation, Dominican Rep.

José Adolfo is a Civil Engineer with a specialty in Construction Administration, Geotechnics and Foundations and in business (MBA). He also has a PhD in Civil Engineering and another in the area of business. He is a founding partner of the Constructora Herrera Khoury (COHECA) and the real estate company PORTACASAS.

He was General Secretary of the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors (CODIA) in the Northeast region of the country, he was President of the Association for the Development of the Duarte Province and of the Inter-American Association of Business Men and Women (Northeast chapter). He was a director of the Regional Development Council of the Dominican Republic.

He served as a professor at the Universidad Católica Nordestana, being Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Deputy Academic Vice-Rector for 6 years. He was Director of the School of Civil Engineering at the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University. He is currently a professor at several universities in the area of Postgraduate Studies.

Eng. José Adolfo Herrera has written five (5) books related to engineering, business and construction.

He has extensive experience in design, construction and management of works throughout the national territory with nearly forty (40) years of experience.

He currently serves as Technical Assistant to the Executive Director of Opret and is the Vice President of the Executive Unit of the Santo Domingo Metro Extension Project, from Km 9 of the Duarte Highway to Los Alcarrizos.

Jhael Isa, Executive Director, Trust for the Development of Mass Transportation (FITRAM)

Jhael Isa, Civil Engineer, transportation specialist, completed a Master's Degree in Transportation Sciences in New York at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has more than 16 years of professional experience providing specialized transportation consulting and developing mass public transportation system projects in the Dominican Republic and the region, defining a career focused on the reform of the transportation sector, contributing his knowledge to important legal reforms for Mobility, Land Transportation, Transit and Road Safety in the Dominican Republic.

Currently Director of the Office of Development of Urban and Interurban Mobility Projects and the Trust for the Development of Mass Transportation (FITRAM), he leads the most important road infrastructure projects of this administration, directing modern, sustainable proposals that are accessible to all users residing in the most populated regions of the country. Integrated Transportation System Santo Domingo and Santiago.

William Kim, Director of Segment Portfolio Latin America, Hexagon Leica Geosystems

Cartographic Engineer graduated from Universidade Estadual Paulista of Presidente Prudente with over 15 years of experience in the Latin American market where he started giving several training courses on digital photogrammetry for public and private institutions in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Honduras, Cuba, Venezuela, El Salvador, etc. and led the deployment and operationalization of aerial sensors and mobile mapping systems in Latin America. Currently based in Santiago, Chile, he's focused on evolve the adoption of reality capture geotechnologies in the transportation engineering segments by using airborne, mobile mapping and terrestrial scanning solutions.

Carlos Mella, Planning and Development Manager, EFE Trenes de Chile

Carlos Mella holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, specializing in Transportation and Logistics. He holds postgraduate degrees in Project Evaluation and Project Management. With extensive experience in public transportation system planning, investment project evaluation, and development studies, he has served as Planning and Development Manager at the State Railways Company since 2022, leading corporate planning processes, strategies, and the development of plans and business cases for network growth for future passenger and freight services. He has implemented a Corporate PMO model at the company, managing the largest portfolio in its history (approximately USD 7,000 million and more than 10 ongoing megaprojects).

Previously, he worked in the public sector, with roles in Chile's National Investment System, developing tools and methodologies for the economic evaluation of transportation projects, and in the Chilean Ministry of Transportation, as a consultant in technical and financial analysis of large public infrastructure projects (urban highways, new Santiago metro lines, and ports).

Carlos Melo, Planning and Clients Manager, Santiago Metro, Chile

Carlos Melo is a Civil Industrial Engineer with a Diploma in Transportation Engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. He has developed his professional career in the field of urban transportation systems planning, and has extensive experience in the public sector, consulting and academia. He has served as Head of Planning and Development for the Ministry of Transportation of Chile, Technical Secretary of Strategy and Planning for the Metropolitan Public Transportation Board of Santiago and academic at different universities. Today he holds the position of Corporate Manager of Planning and Clients for the Santiago Metro.

David Miranda, Infrastructure & Public Investment Proj. and PPP Consultant, Peru

Industrial Engineer Master in Administration with a major in General Management from ESAN, with Master's studies in Public Services Regulation and Infrastructure Management from the Universidad del Pacifico and a Master in Multinational Business Management from the Autonomous University of Madrid. Certified as a Project Management Professional by the PMI and Certified in Public-Private Partnerships by APMG International. He was Director of Infrastructure and Public Services Management at the Ministry of Transport and Communications and in charge of the development of the national railway infrastructure. He has experience in issues related to investment projects, financial structuring and public policies. He has worked as a Consultant on infrastructure investment issues, Investment Director, Director of Policies of the General Directorate of Policies and Regulatory Analysis at PRODUCE, General Director of Electricity, Director of the General Directorate of Transport Concessions, among others.

JOSÉ MARCOS MIZIARA FILHO, Planning and New Business Director, Compañía Paulista de Trenes Metropolitanos, CPTM, Brasil

Jose Marcos Miziara Filho is a lawyer and has more than 20 years of experience, working especially with Public Law. Having held management positions in renowned public entities, led several large and highly complex projects, which include concessions and public-private partnerships. Since April 2023 he holds the position of Director of Planning and New Business at CPTM (Companhia Paulista of Metropolitan Trains), with it's management marked by the search for an increase in ancillary revenues and the implementation of the CPTM servicios programme. In addition to the new business, is responsible for the areas of mobility planning, research, administration and regularization of railway territory. His academic training covers, in addition to a degree in law, postgraduate degrees in Tax Law and Law administrative.

Leonidas Narváez, General Manager, Bogota Metro Company

Civil engineer and specialist in roads. In his 40-year professional career, he has held positions and developed transport infrastructure projects at the local, regional and national levels.

In his time in the public sector, entities such as the Ministry of Public Works, the National Institute of Roads (INVÍAS), the National Infrastructure Agency, among others, stand out.

Engineer Narváez assumed the position at Empresa Metro de Bogotá since January 28, 2021, and among his challenges are the execution of the concession contract for Line 1 of the Bogotá Metro, the contracting of Line 2 and the structuring of Line 3 of the Metro.

Manuel Fernelis Ogando Guzmán, Country Manager, Central American Bank for Economic Integration - BCIE, Dominican Republic

Manuel Fernelis Ogando Guzmán is of Dominican nationality, he's an Industrial Engineer from the Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) with a Master's Degree in Business Management with a specialisation in International Business from the Pontifica Universidad Catolica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), and a Master's Degree in Modern Management Techniques in Public Administration with a Speciality in the Financial Sector from the University of Cadiz in Madrid, Spain.

For more than two years he served as Financial Director of the Economic and Social Development Council of Santo Domingo (CODESSD), he was in charge of Plans, Programs and Projects of the Superintendency of the Securities Market (SMIV) for a period of six years, in 2014 he achieved the National Award for Quality and recognition of Promising Practices in the Public Sector Award, awarded by the Presidency of the Dominican Republic for great institutional performance.

Additionally, in 2012 he was Deputy Manager of Financial Retail of Centro Cuesta Nacional Group (CNN), and responsible for implementing the first private label credit card in the Dominican Republic.

He is a Certified Lead Auditor under the ISO9000-2015 Quality Standard, and has participated in public consultations on Law no. 155-17 against the prevention of money laundering and financing of terrorism and Law 249-17 that governs the securities market of the Dominican Republic along with its implementing regulations.

Since 2021, he has served as a Country Manager for the Dominican Republic of the Central American Bank for Economic Intergration (CABEI).

Daniel de Oliveira Santos, Manager Infra. & Services, ANTT, Brazil

Civil Engineer trained at the University of Brasília

MBA in Project Management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas

Specialist in Land Transport Regulation of ANTT

Currently, he is Manager of Inspection of Infrastructure and Railway Services

Possess 11 years of experience in studies, concession projects and supervision of concession contracts at the Superintendency of Railway Transport

Julio Palma, Senior Technical Sales Specialist, Autodesk

Julio is a civil engineer with specialization in roads, transportation, management and supervision of civil works. He is part of the Autodesk digital engineering division for the Latin American region. With vast experience in the design and construction of transportation infrastructure and buildings, his main focus is on the transportation infrastructure sector, especially in the railway sector, and construction.

Specialized in BIM methodology, digital construction, asset management and sustainability, Julio advises agencies and entities in the public sector, as well as private companies, in the formulation and implementation of digital project delivery strategies, improving efficiency and effectiveness in the management of transportation infrastructure projects.

Julio accompanies these entities in the implementation of their digital construction strategies, platforms and integrations, supervision and supervision and digital twins, guaranteeing sustainable and technologically advanced projects.

Jesús Ríos, Director of Projects and Engineering, SITEUR, Mexico

He studied architecture at the Instituto Tecnológico de Colima and earned a Master's degree in Urban Planning and Development at the University of Guadalajara.

Jesús has worked as a structural engineer, urban construction supervisor, and traffic engineering consultant. He later served as Coordinator of Public Transportation Policies at CTS EMBARQ Mexico, now WRI Mexico. He also spent four years as Technical Project Coordinator at the Urban Planning firm.

He currently serves as Director of Projects and Engineering for the Urban Electric Train System of the State of Jalisco.

Rafael Santos, Executive Director, Office for the Reorganization of Transp. OPRET, Dominican Republic

Eng. Rafael Antonio Santos Pérez, a native of Moca, is a prominent leader in construction and engineering in the Dominican Republic. A graduate of the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra, he has developed a successful career in the public and private sectors. In the 1980s, he was regional director of the Secretariat of Public Works in the north and northeast of the country. Between 1990 and 1994, he supervised the construction of the Cibao Central Aqueduct, a key project for the region. In addition, he was an advisor to the State Works Supervisory Office from 2000 to 2004. As president of the Association for the Development of the Espaillat Province and co-founder of the province's Strategic Development Plan, he has promoted important local projects. Since 1984, he has led the construction company Ingeniería y Construcciones Viaducto S.A. (INGCOVISA), managing residential projects.

Currently, as head of OPRET, he is working on the expansion of line 2C of the Santo Domingo Metro, as well as on the increase in the capacity of line 1 and its extension to Punta de Villa Mella. These initiatives reflect not only his modern and efficient vision, but also his commitment to improving the daily lives of Dominicans.

Pelayo Suarez Smith, Head of Business Development in Central America and the Caribbean, SENER Mobility

Pelayo Suarez Smith is an architect specializing in urban planning from the University of Navarra (1987).

Since 1988, he has worked at SENER Mobility, where he is currently Head of Business Development in Central America and the Caribbean.

He has participated in more than 100 urban planning, construction, and, especially, transportation infrastructure projects (light rail and conventional metro systems, railways, and transportation interchanges).

In many of these projects (more than 30), he served as Project Manager, coordinating the Architecture, Urban Planning, Civil Engineering, Electromechanical Installations, and Transportation Engineering teams, and being responsible for the technical and financial results of the work.

Among the projects in which he has participated are notable references in Latin America, such as the First Line of the Bogotá Metro, the Toluca-Valle de México intercity train, Line 3 of the Guadalajara Metro (Mexico), Lines 1 and 3 of the Panama Metro, and the extension of Line 5 to Maipu (Santiago de Chile Metro).

Fernando Vara, Global Business Development Director ACCIONA's construction business,

Fernando has developed his professional career participating on major civil engineering projects across the world. With deep experience as Project Director under P3, design-build and collaborative contract models (Alliance, ECI, PDB) on major railways and road tunnels, such as the ones excavated for the High Speed rail line in Vigo Das Maceiras (Spain), highway in Legacy Way project (Australia), and High Speed Rail line in Follo Line (Norway), has giving him hands-on experience in managing large scale projects in complex urban environments. He has taken part in the construction of more than 100 km of tunnels with TBM.

After 21 years of Project Management experience around the world, Fernando has been occupying in the last 5 years different senior Global roles in ACCIONA HQs based in Madrid.

Jorge von Fedak, International Sales Manager, Linsinger

Jorge von Fedak is our International Sales Manager at Linsinger Maschinenbau GmbH, where he leads and develops the Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Market, via our web of representatives as well as directly involved with projects that demand attention to detail.

Mr. von Fedak has been in the International Sales for over 20 years, successfully linking Europe with the Americas, leading technology transfer projects, on the job training programs, joint ventures and strategic alliances in the Oil & Gas, Defense, environment remediation areas and development of infrastructure projects.

Currently located in Upper Austria, he is continually visiting the region to maintain our database updated on current and future projects where we can provide tailormade solutions, strategic partnerships and alliances.

Always available in Spanish, Portuguese, English or German.