Featured Speakers

José Alencar Gomes da Silva
Vice President of the Federative Republic of Brazil

José  Alencar was elected Vice-President of Brazil through 2010. Well-known in Minas Gerais State, he built an empire in the textile business, with Coteminas his major enterprise.

As political man, José Alencar was president of Federation of Industries of Minas Gerais State – FIEMG. He run for election to Minas Gerais Govern in 1994 and in 1998 he became Senator with 3 million votes. As Senator, he was president of Permanent Commission of Infrastructure Services, member of Permanent Commission of Economical Affairs and member of the Permanent Commission of Social Affairs.

He won elections to become Vice-President in 2002 and again in 2006.

Antonio Augusto Junho Anastasia
Vice-Governor of Minas Gerais State

Antonio Augusto Junho Anastasia is a graduate of the Law School of the Federal University of Minas Gerais State, where he also received a Master Degree in Law. He is also a Professor of Administrative Law.

Anastasia has experience as Planning and Managing Secretary, Social Defense Secretary, Planning and General Coordinator Secretary, Cultural Secretary, Human Resources Secretary, and President of Joao Pinheiro Foundation, all at the public administration of the Minas Gerais State. At federal level, he worked as Executive Secretary of the Work and Justice Ministries.

In 2006, he became Planning and Managing Secretary of State of the Minas Gerais, and was reelected as Vice-Governor of Minas Gerais State through 2010.

Mary Ellen Iskenderian
President, Women's World Banking

Mary Ellen Iskenderian is President and CEO of Women’s World Banking, the world’s largest network of microfinance institutions and banks. Iskenderian leads the WWB global team, based in New York, in providing hands-on technical services and strategic support to more than 50 top-performing microfinance institutions and banks in 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

Iskenderian, who joined WWB in 2006, brings more than 20 years of experience in building global financial systems throughout the developing world. She has become a leading voice for women’s leadership and participation in microfinance and a strong advocate for the role of capital markets in the sector.

Prior to WWB, Iskenderian worked for 17 years in senior management at the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank, where her numerous leadership positions included Director of Partnership Development, Director of the Global Financial Markets Portfolio and Director of the South Asia Regional Department. Previously, she worked for the investment bank, Lehman Brothers.

Aécio Neves da Cunha
Governor of Minas Gerais State

Aécio Neves da Cunha was elected governor of Minas Gerais State in 2002 and will stay at Liberty Palace until 2010.

He started his political career as the president of young league of Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro (PMDB), in Minas, between 1983 and 1984. In 1985, as president of International Youth Year Committee of the Education and Culture Ministry (MEC), he traveled to Moscow to represent Brazil in the International Congress of Youth.

In 2002 he was elected president of the Brazilian Parliament. He left his post as federal deputy to candidate as governor of Minas Gerais State in 2002.

Ozires Silva is the founder of Embraer and a well-known Brazilian entrepreneur. In 1962, Ozires graduated on Aeronautics Technological Institute (ITA) as an aeronautical engineer. He was immediately hired by the Brazilian General Command for Aerospace Technology (CTA), where he would become part of the IPD - Instituto de Pesquisas e Desenvolvimento (current IAE - Instituto de Aeronáutica e Espaço). He soon became the lead engineer of the Bandeirante project.

The first Bandeirante prototype flew on October 26, 1968. After that, Ozires attempted to convince private industries to produce the Bandeirante in series, without success. His efforts, however, contributed to the creation of a government-owned aircraft manufacturer, the Embraer, which he become president on July 29, 1969.

On 1986, Ozires left Embraer. He became president of Petrobras for a short time, and also became Minister of Infra-Structure from March 15, 1990 to March 27, 1991. He returned to Embraer from 1991 to 1995 to conduct the privatization process. He was also president of Varig from 2000 to 2002. Ozires is currently Director of Technology of AVAMAX, Executive Vice-President of Academia Brasileira de Estudos Avançados “Dr. Adolfo Bezerra de Menezes Cavalcanti”, and President of Pele Nova, a biotechnology company.