16th Private Equity Latin America Forum São Paulo | December 8-9, 2025 Request Agenda

George Santoro, Executive Secretary of Ministry of Transport, Brazilian Government

George Santoro is the Executive Secretary of Brazil’s Ministry of Transport and has a strong academic background in law, business administration, economics, and accounting, with specializations from renowned institutions in Brazil, the U.S., China, and Singapore. He led Brazil’s first sanitation concession project under the new regulatory framework in Alagoas and currently oversees the world’s largest portfolio of transport infrastructure projects. He’s Leading a package of railway concessions focusing on the Central-West and North regions, crucial for the flow of grains and other commodities. He has also overseen the establishment of a national commission to monitor rail projects planned and implemented by Brazil's freight concessionaires, ensuring effective oversight and progress in the railway sector.

Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Riverwood Capital

Francisco Alvarez-Demalde is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Riverwood Capital, one of the leading global investment firms solely dedicated to technology growth and scalability. Mr. Alvarez-Demalde co-heads the Firm and has been involved in the scalability journey of several of Riverwood’s portfolio companies since its inception in 2008, as a partner to founders and management teams helping scale companies from the $10s of millions to the $100s of millions or more in revenues. During the past decade, Riverwood has been an active investor in more than 80 technology companies, which have grown their revenues at ~40% per year on average during Riverwood’s hold period. Prior to establishing Riverwood, Mr. Alvarez-Demalde was an investment executive at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR), where he focused on leveraged buyouts in the technology industry and other sectors. He was also with Goldman Sachs & Co. Mr. Alvarez-Demalde has invested and been involved in the development, operations, and growth of several successful businesses across North America, Latin America and other geographies. Mr. Alvarez-Demalde earned a Licentiate (Honors) in Economics from Universidad de San Andres, Argentina (including an exchange program at the Wharton School). He has led investments in or is a current or former Director or Advisor of several technology companies and institutions, including 99, Alog Data Centers do Brasil, BigID, Billtrust (Nasdaq: BTRS), Cloudblue, Dock, Globant (NYSE: GLOB), Greenhouse, Industrious, Insider, LAVCA, Mandic, MotionPoint, Navent, Pixeon, RD Station, SecurityScorecard, Shiphero, SUMA, Technisys, VTEX (NYSE: VTEX), among others. Mr. Alvarez-Demalde is also a Global Ambassador with Endeavor, on the board of Him for Her, Founder of LTF and Digitar, and interested in non-profit initiatives related to education.

Juan Pablo Zucchini, Managing Partner & Chairman of the Latam Investment Committee, Advent International

Mr. Zucchini joined Advent in 1996. From 2001 to 2003, he was a Director in the São Paulo office, focusing on the services sector. From 2003 to 2007, he worked in the Buenos Aires office, and seven years ago he returned to Advent's São Paulo office. Before joining Advent, Juan Pablo worked at Grupo Perez Companc, where he participated in several privatization projects in Argentina, particularly in the oil & gas and energy industries. Juan Pablo has been involved in 21 of Advent's investments, including EBANX, Grupo Fleury S.A., Grupo Biotoscana, Grupo Farmaceutico Somar, Neoris, Prisma Medios de Pagos S.A., Skala Cosméticos, and Sophos Solutions.

Henrique Meirelles, Secretary of Finance & Planning, São Paulo (Former Minister of Brazil)

Mr. Henrique Meirelles is a Brazilian economist and politician with a prominent career in both the public and private sectors. He served as Brazil's Minister of Finance from 2016 to 2018, playing a crucial role in the country's economic reforms. Prior to that, he was President of the Central Bank of Brazil from 2003 to 2011, where he helped stabilize Brazil's economy. Meirelles has also held top positions in international finance, including as CEO of BankBoston. He ran for president in Brazil’s 2018 elections but was not elected. Henrique Meirelles is currently a member of Binance's Global Advisory Board, a position he took up in September 2022. This role allows him to leverage his extensive experience in global finance to provide guidance on regulatory and compliance issues related to the cryptocurrency industry. As Secretary of Finance & Planning for São Paulo state, his responsibilities include managing infrastructure projects and promoting both local and international investments.

Mansueto Almeida, Partner and Chief Economist, BTG Pactual & Former Secretary of the Treasury of Brazil

Mansueto Almeida, economist and entrepreneur, is the Chief Economist and Partner at BTG Pactual bank. Beginning in 2018, he also served as Secretary of the National Treasury during Michel Temer's administration and remained in the role after President Jair Bolsonaro was elected, holding the position until 2020. The economist also served as head of the Economic Monitoring Secretariat, a state body responsible for addressing issues such as the country’s economic reform, factors directly linked to improvements in Brazil’s investment grade. Almeida is also known for his outstanding work at the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea), having previously served as General Coordinator of Monetary and Financial Policy at the Economic Policy Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance and as advisor to the Senate’s Regional Development and Tourism Commission.