Pilar Ramírez
General Manager of LOCFUND
Pilar is one of the pioneers of microcredit in Bolivia, her native country.
In 1985 she was one of the founders of the non-profit organization FIE that,
after 12 successful years as a microcredit institution, became one of the
first organizations in Latin America to take on the challenge of “transforming” its
microcredit program as part of a new regulated microfinance company, FIE
S.A. under the supervision of the banking authority of the formal financial
system of Bolivia. Pilar Ramirez was President of the Board of FIE
S.A. from 1997 to 2006, years in which FIE S.A. continued growing, successfully
incorporating other financial services such as savings, money transfers,
payment of utilities’ services and taxes, as well as forming strategic
alliances with non regulated microcredit organizations unable to mobilize
savings. In 2001, Pilar headed FIE NGO’s team that founded FIE
Gran Poder S.A. a microcredit company in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a first
experience of transference and adaptation of an institutional technology
in microcredit, from one country to another in the same region. Her guidance
and knowledge in starting and consolidating microcredit institutions, and
in the regulatory environments enabling these developments, has been used
in various international consulting activities for organizations such as
the IDB, SIDA, Women’s World Banking, ECLOF, MEDA, among others. Pilar
was member and President of the Policy Advisory Group at CGAP. In year 2000
she was awarded the Interamerican Development Bank’s “Award for
Excellence in Social Entrepreneurship” and FIE S.A. received this same “Award
for Excellence in Microfinance” in year 2001. She has also been a professor
in the following Universities: Mayor de San Andrés and Católica
Boliviana in Bolivia, Sergio Arboleda in Colombia and Stanford in California,
USA. Pilar Ramirez has a Master of Arts degree in Psychology from The
New School for Social Research in New York and a Master in Public Administration
from The Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
pramirez@locfund.com
Fernando Sánchez 
General Manager of Bolivian Investment Management (BIM Ltd.)
Fernando is General Manager of Bolivian Investment Management (BIM Ltd.) enterprise
that manages seven investment funds, including LOCFUND. He is also President
of the Board of Panamerican Securities, a Bolivian brokerage house. Fernando
Sanchez has 13 years of experience managing Investment Funds and in capital
markets. He headed the design and launching, as well as forming the executive
team of LOCFUND LP and in Carlson Funds Bolivia Facilities, an investment
fund for Bolivia. He is currently a member of the Board in important
enterprises in Bolivia. In the past he was in charge of managing various
investment portfolios for Panamerican Securities and was an official trader
for the Bolivian Securities Exchange. For seven years Fernando Sanchez taught
subjects related to finance and the capital markets in different master and
bachelor programs in Universidad Católica Boliviana and Universidad
Mayor de San Andrés. He has a Master degree in Business Administration
from the UCB-Harvard Program, Masters for Development Programs in La Paz,
Bolivia and graduated with honors in Economic and Business Administration
Sciences from Universidad Gabriela Mistral in Santiago, Chile.
fsanchez@locfund.com
Rodolfo Quirós
Senior Investment Officer
Rodolfo is a Costa Rican economist who has been conducting
evaluations and research on rural finance and microfinance organizations and
projects in Ecuador, Bolivia and Costa Rica as well as analyzing diverse issues
in economic development and global risk assessment. He has been a consultant
in many Latin American countries for international organizations such as The
Ohio State University, DAI, RUTA, FAO, IDB, USAID, the World Bank, GTZ and
Chemonics. Until 2004 he worked in Bolivia as development finance specialist
and Deputy Director for SEFIR, a financial services project funded by USAID
and implemented by Development Alternatives Inc (DAI). SEFIR supported the
institutional strengthening of microfinance institutions in their various objectives
of growth and innovations so as to consolidate the microfinance industry in that country. The
program also gave support to the Superintendence of Banks and Financial
Entities of Bolivia and to the creation of a private credit bureau. Before
and after his work in Bolivia, he has been associated with Academia de Centroamérica,
a research institute based in Costa Rica, where he has participated in numerous
research and policy dialogue exercises. As a consultant he has conducted
institutional evaluations, research, trainings and given lectures. He
has also held administrative positions as director, deputy director and regional
or country coordinator of a series of technical assistance, research and training
projects. Rodolfo Quiros studied Economics in Costa Rica and has a Master degree
in Agricultural Economics from The Ohio State University.
rquiros@locfund.com
Martín Barragán
Investment Officer
Martín worked at the Superintendence of Banks and
other Financial Entities of Bolivia, initially as a Financial Supervisor and
finally as a Market Risk Analyst for the microfinance entities being supervised
by this Superintendence. In both positions he was actively involved in the
evaluation and approval of equity reinforcement plans and corporate restructuring
of microfinance institutions. He was Economic Advisor for the President of
the Treasury Commission of the House of Representatives, the main responsibility
being the analysis of the economic and financial programs of the government of
Bolivia. As consultant, Martin Barragán worked for Private Financial
Fund FIE S.A. a leading regulated MFI in Bolivia; he also worked in Nicaragua
for Micro Service Consult GmbH, an international consulting company headquartered
in Germany. Martín Barragán was Vice-president of the Board of
NAFIBO Sociedad de Titularización S.A. a securitization company in Bolivia.
At present he is Shareholder Representative of the Bolivian Stock Exchange.
He has microfinance experience in countries such as Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia,
Perú, Paraguay and Nicaragua. Martin Barragán has a Master degree in International and Financial Economics from Strathclyde University in the United Kingdom and a degree in Economics from Universidad Catolica Boliviana.
mbarragan@locfund.com
Pedro Fardella
Consultant
Pedro is an Economist with 29 years of experience
in the Bolivian financial system, in various commercial banks. For the last
13 years his professional life has been dedicated to microfinance institutions,
as National Operations and Finance Manager of Banco Solidario (BancoSol) and
National Finance and Operations Manager of Banco Los Andes Procredit. He
has participated in various technical committees and consulting assignments
for ASOFIN of Bolivia (the Association of Financial Entities Specialized in
Microfinance), and of ASOBAN (the Association of Private Banks of Bolivia). Pedro
Fardella also participated in the re-launching of the Bolivian Stock Exchange,
as Vice President and President of that country’s Association of Brokers. His
academic work includes a professorship in Universidad Católica Boliviana
as well as in various seminars in the areas of finance, bank management and
operations, internal and risks control. He is part of the academic team
of the Microfinance Program at Centro AFIN in Bolivia, an international center
in support of innovations in finance. This long experience as operator
in microfinance, as well as professor and consultant, is now part of LOCFUND’s
team in its Technical Support Facility. Pedro Fardella has a Licenciatura in
Economics degree from Universidad Católica Boliviana.
pfardella@locfund.com
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