Maria Carolina Duran

Experience

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  I-Flex Solutions LTD

  Oct 2000 - Apr 2001

  Consultant for Business Development in Latin America (Subsidiary of Citicorp)

  Marketed i-flex’s financial solution and promoted partnerships in the Andean region for its implementation.

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  Departamento Nacional de Planeación

  May 2001 - Nov 2001

  Consultant for Presidential Programs and Treasury Ministry

  Supported the DNP in the design, implementation and development of a Monitoring and Evaluation system of 18 Presidential Programs and reported to the National Economic and Social Planning Committee of Colombia (CONPES) on the results.

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  SI COLOMBIA, Colombia 2002 Presidential Campaign

  Dec 2001 - Jul 2002

  International Campaign Strategist

  In-charge of the international campaign strategy. In addition, coordinated the foreign relations working group and presented policy recommendations to the candidate as input for her government plan. Recruited, trained and managed 50-plus volunteers and interns working for the campaign. Traveled with the candidate within Colombia and abroad to meet with community leaders, current and former senior public officials, US congressional members and heads of multilateral organization, among others.

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  Foreign Affairs Ministry Of Colombia

  Aug 2002 - Mar 2004

  First Secretary of Foreign Affairs (Economics, Politics, Culture, Education & Project Portfolio)

  Formulated and implemented "Colombia Nos Une," a program destined to strengthen the bonds between Colombia and its Diaspora. Developed strategy and community outreach; fostered academic, public and private alliances; raised funds and managed budget, media and public relations. Delivered policy recommendations and results of our research in Madrid, Barcelona, New York, Miami, Bogota and Jamaica and managed a team of 5 people. Through this program, we reached 4 million people abroad and 12 million people within Colombia. After the first year of launching the program, we reduced the total transaction costs of remittances by 30% and developed sound incentives for migrants to bring back capital investments to Colombia. "Colombia Nos Une" was chosen as the "Best Institutional Practice” in 2003 by the national media. Show less

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  Asobancaria

  Mar 2004 - Mar 2005

  Assistant to the President

  Created a Social Responsibility Program for the Financial Sector, “Banco Escuela,” designed to strengthen the math skills of the 4th grade public school students of Bogotá. Coordinated specific topics such as: Remittances, Regional Presence of the Association and Corporate Social Responsibility.

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  Departamento Nacional de Planeación

  Apr 2005 - Aug 2006

  Consultant for the Department of Public Policy Evaluation & Executive Director of Colombia Líder

  Designed a citizen response system for best results-oriented practices of the 1099 Mayors and 32 Governors of Colombia. Formalized a public-private partnership between the national media, the national bank association of Colombia and two major think tanks in the country for this initiative. Formed strategic partnerships with donor organizations for financial and technical assistance and as result raised one million dollars required for the first two years of operation of Colombia Líder.

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  Standard & Poor's

  May 2007 - Oct 2012

  International Public Finance, Corporate and Infrastructure.Primary analyst for largest Latin American Energy Utility companies. Responsible for the surveillance of the above mentioned accounts, delivered credit proposals for senior committee, interacted with investors and government officials for relevant information and communicated periodically with the issuers for quarterly reviews. Published full reports, research up-dates, industry analysis, report cards, media releases and sector commentaries. Performed investor outreach initiatives and dialogued with the media when required. Show less Primary analyst for 12 Latin American Energy Utility companies, 3 States, 5 project finance and 6 transportation credits. Analytical leader Latam Country Risk Analysis, Back-up analyst for Mexican and Colombian Local Government ratings. Responsible for the surveillance of the above mentioned accounts, delivered credit proposals for senior committee, interacted with investors and government officials for relevant information and communicated periodically with the issuers for quarterly reviews. Published full reports, research up-dates, industry analysis, report cards, media releases and sector commentaries. Performed investor outreach initiatives and dialogued with the media when required. Show less Latin America Sovereign Ratings Group & Country Risk Group. Covered macroeconomic and political events in Latin America on a daily basis and assisted in the economic forecasts for the region. Prepared country monthly, quarterly and annual reports. Authored commentaries on capital flows and debt issuance in the region, as well as co-authored other tailored research projects. Participated in multilingual conferences, joined several rating committees and interviewed analysts for podcasts in English and in Spanish. Participated in the beta-test and fine-tuning of the Country Risk Framework and database. Awarded Bronze Team ACE Award in the category of Teamwork for excellence in co-delivering a Sovereign Ratings Risk Analysis Course. Show less

  • Associate Director

    Mar 2012 - Oct 2012

  • Associate

    May 2009 - Mar 2012

  • Research Specialist

    May 2008 - May 2009

  • Intern

    May 2007 - May 2008
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  Publicaciones Semana

  Apr 2013 - Jul 2015

  Director of Business Intelligence (BI)

  Director at BI, the new Colombian digital media service specializing in financial data, analysis, and news covering the most dynamic sectors in Latin America, in particular in oil and gas, electric power, and infrastructure. BI focuses on serving clients in financial services, industry, and consulting from across the globe.

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  Corporación Ventures

  Jul 2017 - Jan 2020

  Carolina Duran is Managing Director of Corporación Ventures, advisor for the governmental program Colfuturo Emprende and leads Columbia University’s Global Center expansion initiative for Colombia. She has also been able to successfully create and fund several start-ups and projects that are now successful businesses. Corporación Ventures was founded in 1999 by the Management Consulting Firm Mckinsey & Co. and Dinero Magazine, the top financial and economic media outlet in Colombia. Ventures has been working for 18 years promoting entrepreneurship and advancing the Colombian and Latin American start-up ecosystems. Carolina also serves as an advisor for the governmental program Colfuturo Emprende, aimed at strengthening entrepreneurship among the scholars and fellows of this entity. Show less

  • Managing Director

    Jul 2017 - Jan 2020

  • Managing Director

    Jul 2017 - Jan 2020
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  Bogota's Office of the Mayor

  Jan 2020 - Feb 2022

  Secretary for Economic Development (Commerce, Tech & Innovati, Agriculture, Supply Chain and Labour)

  Includes: Commerce, Technology & Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Agriculture, Supply Chain and Labour

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  Beyond Ventures

  Aug 2021 - now

  Co-Founder

  Strategic Advisor in Innovation and Investment for universities creating VC funds and developing academic programs in entrepreneurship and applied technology for economic development. Partner of VC and PE funds generating and debugging pipeline for investments. International Speaker: OECDE (Italy), TedX Neiva, Stanford University (United States), and IXL Innova Flanders (Belgium), among others. Strategic ally for chambers of commerce: Development and implementation of a program to open new markets for Colombian ventures wishing to enter the USA or Europe. Show less

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  Building Markets

  Mar 2023 - now

  Program Director Latin America