Getting Results in Latin America
Carlos H. Fernández Mazzi grew up in Bolivia, where he developed a unique sensitivity to poverty. “I was lucky to belong to a privileged minority, but I had a daily validation of what poverty is – not an academic lesson nor a tourist perception of poverty but a real understanding of the dynamics of inequality,” he says.
Now, Carlos is the chief executive officer of the Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative (CGSGI), which was established in June 2007 by President Bill Clinton and Frank Giustra to help alleviate poverty in areas where it is widespread. Carlos is responsible for the strategic direction, policy, and overall resource allocation of the youngest initiative of the Clinton Foundation.
CGSGI is committed to deliver economic development with social relevance to Latin America, says Carlos, who is determined to help reduce wealth gaps in Colombia and Peru, where projects have been set up to encourage economic empowerment. “Wealth creation, job opportunities, and stable employment are the only way to close the wealth gap and to find the sustainable answers to the health and education challenges,” he says.
“I love that it’s a start-up. We have all the elements of a start-up and an incredible opportunity to make a difference,” says Carlos, who was excited about the prospect of developing a team of doers trained in a culture of “metrics-based execution.”
“My vision is that we build CGSGI into a best-in-class organization and that we become the partner of choice when it comes to joint efforts for closing the wealth gap,” he says. “I feel fortunate to lead this initiative and I believe we have all the elements to be a game-changer in the world.” Carlos believes that CGSGI can effectively show that good intentions with good business judgment can lead to replicable and scalable impact in the journey to reducing the wealth gaps. “What sets us apart: relentless focus on getting things done. When we decide to go from A to B, we go from A to B,” he explains.
Carlos, who has spent his whole career in business, is convinced of the critical role of for-profit enterprise as a change agent in an economically deprived environment. At the same time, he grew frustrated with the waste of money and resources in the name of poverty. “When it comes to poverty, most public, private, and nongovernmental organizations want to do good, but often fail to get results,” he says. “There is no shortage of passion, but there is a clear lack of discipline and focus and results-oriented mentality.”
Through his leadership in the building of a large mine, which became a world reference for innovative sustainable development initiatives for the benefit of the extremely economically disadvantaged surrounding communities, Carlos proved that public-private partnerships, managed with business discipline, can lead to tangible results.
“My legacy was to integrate social responsibility into the corporate strategy and, more importantly, to manage community development projects with the same business rigor as all other areas of the mining project,” he says. “In my own experience I was able to show that you can have tremendous social impact if you allocate resources effectively. It is not only about money, but, more importantly, about getting things done, with passion and discipline.”
He loves his work for CGSGI because he gets “to simplify complex challenges into executable bits.” He adds: “If I have to single out a personal trait, I would say I have a great ability to get results through people, to get them inspired and to lead them for effective execution. Effective teams need two basic elements: alignment of values, goals and objectives and cooperation via measurable outcomes and standards.”
Over the past 20 years, Carlos has held numerous leadership positions in industry and finance, including seven years as the president and chief executive officer of the Bolivian subsidiaries of Apex Silver Mines, Ltd.
Most recently, he served as the country director in the Dominican Republic for the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative. Carlos received the deans’ award for outstanding student when he earned an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. He also holds a BS in Engineering from the University of Arkansas, and an SEP from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. His other passions include running, traveling and cooking.
