María Ruiz leads CPI’s innovative finance work for Latin America & the Caribbean. She leads the LAC regional program of the Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance, supports the Catalytic Climate Finance Facility and is an advisor of the ClimateShot Investor Coalition (CLIC).

With over eleven years of experience in both the private and public sectors, she has leveraged her background in finance to advance initiatives that promote social and environmental impact across the LAC region. She has a particular focus on innovative financial instruments for nature-based solutions and sustainable agrifood systems.

Before joining CPI, she was Head of Sustainable Investment at SURA Investments, a leading Latin American asset manager with over USD 20 billion in assets under management. She developed and led the incorporation of ESG and climate analysis into investment strategies for institutional investors in multiple asset classes and geographies. 

She’s an advocate of sustainable investment and is actively involved in multiple initiatives supporting the evolution of climate and nature finance in LAC: She is a member of the GRI Capital Markets Technical Committee and PACTA Methodology Advisory Committee. She is a mentor of climate startups in the Catalist Initiative in LAC. She’s the co-founder of Diálogos por el Clima LatAm, an investor-led collaborative climate engagement initiative.

María holds an MSc. in Sustainable Development from the University of Sussex (UK) that she obtained as a Chevening Scholar; and a degree in Business Management and a graduate degree in Finance from EAFIT University (Colombia).