Cate Ambrose, known to industry as Chair and Founder of the Economist’s Annual Roundtable on Latin American Private Equity, takes the helm of LAVCA.
Chicago, United States – The Latin American Venture Capital Association (LAVCA) welcomes Cate Ambrose as its new Executive Director. Ms. Ambrose will take leadership of the not-for-profit trade organization in mid-summer.
Ms. Ambrose is well known to many venture capital and private equity (VC/PE) practitioners and other industry stakeholders through her long tenure as Chair of The Economist’s Annual Roundtable on Latin American Private Equity.
“I have known Cate for over 10 years. She is a pioneer in promoting dialogue between different stakeholders in Latin American private equity,” said LAVCA Chair Eduardo Elejalde, Founding Partner of Latin America Enterprise Fund Managers. “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am delighted to welcome Cate to LAVCA at this exciting time for our industry.”
Ms. Ambrose joins LAVCA from her most recent post as Chief of Advocacy for the United Nations Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor – co-chaired by Peruvian Economist Hernando de Soto and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Her contributions included founding the Commission’s Secretariat and initiating research projects on property rights systems in Mexico, Brazil and Guatemala.
At The Economist, she chaired annual government roundtables with the Presidents of Mexico and Colombia as well as high level gatherings on finance, economic policy and business strategy in the US and Latin America. While there, she completed a Masters in Public Administration and International Economic Policy at Columbia University. Ms. Ambrose began her career as a journalist in Spain.
“In Cate we have a world-class leader who will take LAVCA to the next level, consolidating its role as the industry’s premier research and networking organization,” said LAVCA President Christina Kappaz. “Cate is committed to both supporting local venture capital in the region and linking LAVCA to leading edge organizations around the world.”
Ms. Ambrose will assume leadership of LAVCA in mid-summer and ensure delivery of its operational grant from the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) and the Corporacion Andina de Fomento (CAF).
Ms. Kappaz previously shared responsibility for LAVCA’s day-to-day operations with outgoing LAVCA Research Director Ramona DeNies. Ms. Kappaz will continue to support LAVCA as a member of the Board of Directors.
Ms. DeNies, who with Ms. Kappaz was the organization’s core staff for over 5 years and proved instrumental to the organization’s growth, has accepted a new post as Communications Director for LAVCA’s management company Development Capital Networks LLC.