A. M. 
The World Bank Group announced the appointment of Susana Cordeiro Guerra as vice president for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, a position she assumes effective today. Cordeiro Guerra will lead the Bank’s engagement with 31 countries in the region and oversee a portfolio of ongoing operations totaling US$41.5 billion. Her office will be based at World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Cordeiro Guerra (the first Latin American woman to hold this position) brings deep leadership experience in development effectiveness, institutional strengthening, and innovative finance. She will advance the Bank’s agenda to achieve job-driven development, measurable results, and greater public-private collaboration in LAC.
“In assuming this position, my priority is to support Latin America and the Caribbean in creating quality jobs, which are the foundation for inclusive growth and poverty reduction”, said Cordeiro Guerra. “Employment not only provides income; it also brings dignity, strengthens communities, and expands opportunities. By working with governments, the private sector, and local partners, we can create the conditions for investment and innovation that translate into more resilient economies and more prosperous societies”.
Prior to this appointment, Cordeiro Guerra held senior management positions at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), where she led strategy in fiscal and economic programs, promoted data-driven decision-making, and promoted financial innovation. From 2019 to 2021, she led the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), supervising 12,000 staff members and spearheading the modernization of the country’s official statistics and the national population census. Earlier in her career, she worked at the World Bank Group across multiple agencies and regions on decentralization and subnational development.
She holds a PhD in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a Master’s degree in Public Administration and International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies from Harvard College. Her publications cover front-line manager innovation in the public sector, higher education, and labor market outcomes, as well as decentralization and regional disparities.
She replaces Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, who has been appointed World Bank Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific.
