OUR TEAM

FERNANDA SOZA
Executive Director

Fernanda is a lawyer from Universidad Católica de Chile, and LL.M from Boston College Law School, admitted to the Massachusetts’ and Chile’s Bar Associations, with a long experience creating teams and catalyzing ideas in very different areas. Fernanda founded a law office, was Director of a Law School, and a City Councilor in the south of Chile. She moved to Boston in 2013, receiving the Leadership Award from the Master of Laws program, served on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and worked at Boston College as a Luksic Scholar.  In June 2018, she joined ChileMass and, a year later, she was appointed Executive Director. As such, she is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs, and strategic planning of the organization.

CAMILA ALBORNOZ
Director Strategic Initiatives

Camila is an experienced lawyer from the University of Chile. She holds a LL.M from King’s College London and a MPA from Sciences Po. She has specialized in antitrust law, economic regulation, cultural rights, and cultural policy. She works for non-profit organizations in the cultural sector such as Nube Lab and the Observatory of Cultural Policy (OPC) in Chile and is an arbitrator for the Arbitral Tribunal of Contractual Affairs of the Chilean National Professional Football Association (ANFP). She previously worked as a senior attorney in the antitrust practice at Carey & Cía for several years. She joined ChileMass in February 2018 as a volunteer, but in June she was appointed Director of Strategic Initiatives. As such, she is responsible for developing new projects that align with the organization’s mission and goals, including overseeing and managing various events within the organization.

MARÍA JOSÉ RUBIO
Director of Entrepreneurship

María José is an Industrial Engineer from Universidad Adolfo Ibañez. With over two years of experience with the esteemed ChileMass Team, she exudes an unwavering passion for technology and entrepreneurship.She is in charge of the ChileMass Emprende program, where she has diligently assisted numerous startups in enhancing their technological prowess and expanding their global reach.

 

Furthermore, María José has been instrumental in identifying cutting-edge startups at the forefront of the market’s most trending technologies and innovations. Her extensive scouting efforts ensure that ChileMass stays abreast of the latest developments, facilitating its continuous success in the dynamic world of technology and innovation.

XIMENA RAMOS
Operations Director

Ximena is originally from Chile, with almost 20 years of experience in Postgraduate and Continuing Education Programs in Chilean Universities (Universidad Católica de Chile, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez and Universidad de Los Andes). She studied Executive Assistant and Business Administration at Duoc UC. Ximena is in charge of operations and networks of the organization, providing support in the different programs of ChileMass.

SOFÍA MATTE
Director of Education

Sofia, a psychologist with a minor in educational psychology from Universidad Católica de Chile, holds a diploma in School Climate and Socio Emotional Learning from the same university and a master’s degree in Human Development and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She began her career as an assistant teacher and advisor at Valoras UC before leading the Academic and Artistic Program for Gifted Students at SIP red de colegios. As an entrepreneur, she founded Estudio Farol. Sofia currently serves on the Board of Fundación Bayos, consults for Fundación Encuentro and Escuela Global, and is the Director of Education at ChileMass, overseeing strategic planning, program development, and coordination with stakeholders.

JENNIFER PHILLIPS
Program Manager Education

Jennifer Phillips teaches English as a Second Language (ESL) to her students in the U.S. and around the world and is committed to creating a learning community that increases knowledge and cultural understanding through shared language. She previously worked at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics, where she led the Fellows Program and the National Program, establishing a network of colleges and universities to convene students nationwide to increase democratic engagement. Jennifer received her MPA from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and her bachelor’s degree from McGill University in Montreal. Jennifer prepares our Chilean entrepreneurs and teachers helping with their pitch and presentations, to facilitate their landing in the U.S., and also help organize several initiatives.

JAIME ALBORNOZ
Communications Manager

Jaime is a journalist, with a master’s degree in E-commerce and Digital Marketing Management from the University of Barcelona. He has 13 years of experience developing Digital Marketing strategies for prominent brands and institutions in Chile, including the Ministry of Social Development and Family, Corfo, and Imagina Chile.

PATRICIA GALLARDO
Accountant

Patricia is a certified auditor and accountant with a degree from Universidad Diego Portales, Chile.

Having worked in Chile in the field of Human Resources, Patricia specialized in payroll management and HR law.

After moving to the US, she started her own business offering bookkeeping and accounting services.

She has been collaborating with ChileMass since May 2022.

BOARD

MARCELO LARRAGUIBEL
Co-President of the Board

Marcelo is the founding partner of Virtus Partners, a consulting firm based in Chile. With more than 30 years of experience in senior management consultancy, previously he was Senior Partner at McKinsey a firm where he worked for 18 years. In his offices in Madrid, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Lima and Santiago. Marcelo is an Industrial Engineer from Universidad de Chile and MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.

RAMÓN SALINAS
Co-President of the Board

Ramón is an Associate Director of Innovation Consulting at EPAM Continuum. He combines the practical hands-on experience of an entrepreneur with the intellectual curiosity of an academic to make innovation come to life. His professional experiences include co-founding a magazine publishing house and serving as the CEO of an award-winning advertising agency. Recently, he worked with companies from more than 20 industries —including Goodyear, ExxonMobil, Abbott, Cotton, and Converse— helping them identify and shape new growth opportunities. Ramón holds a bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Universidad Católica de Chile, a Master’s degree in Humanities from Universidad del Desarrollo, and an MBA from Babson College.

SONIA COX
Secretary to the Board

Sonia holds a Business degree from Universidad Diego Portales and a Marketing diploma from Universidad Católica de Chile. With over 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector, she has cultivated extensive relationships in the Chilean educational arena. Sonia serves on the boards of Fundación Crecer con Todos, Fundación Infancia Primero, and Fundación Ilumina, and advises the President of La Protectora de la Infancia. Previously, she worked with the Anspac Foundation, focusing on women’s empowerment. Sonia later joined La Protectora de la Infancia as CEO, overseeing education initiatives in impoverished areas. As CEO of Fundación Ilumina, a Family Foundation, she collaborates with the Chilean government on various early childhood education programs, including foster care, preschool education, and special needs initiatives.

MICHAEL BROOKS
Treasurer of the Board

Michael is a consultant with Deloitte, specializing in tech strategy and go-to-market for enterprise organizations across the Financial Services, Industrials, and Technology sectors. Prior to joining Deloitte, Michael worked as a process engineer, supporting manufacturing companies in implementing technology at scale across North America, South America, and Asia. Michael serves in a number of roles for local community organizations, and is a previous recipient of the Boston Business Journal’s 25 Under 25 award. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and is a graduate of the Boston Chamber’s and Harvard Business School’s Future Leaders program.

BRITTANY MCDONOUGH
Board Member

Brittany is the Vice President of Institutional Partnerships at StartX, an accelerator advancing the development of the University of Stanford’s top entrepreneurs. Prior to joining StartX, Brittany was the Director of Global Partnerships at MassChallenge for several years, where she oversaw strategic partnerships with international governments and institutions. Before that, she served in the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment (MOITI) under both Governor Deval L. Patrick and Governor Charles D. Baker. Brittany remains engaged in the Boston community through various boards including Friends of the Public Garden, the Science and Technology Diplomatic Circle (S&TDC) and the UN Association of Greater Boston (UNAGB).

LORENZO GAZMURI
Board Member

Lorenzo is a Civil Electrical Engineer from the Universidad de Chile and began his career at Phillips International. He joined Copec as Deputy Manager of Commercial Planning and later became Deputy Manager of Marketing. In 1993 he was appointed Sales Manager and, in 2009, General Manager of the subsidiary. In 2017 he assumed the position of Executive Vice President. Since 2020, he has assumed the presidency of Icare, a private non-profit corporation independent of the union and political interests, founded by businessmen and professionals linked to various sectors of national economic activity to promote business excellence in the country.

Collaborators

Alex Godoy

Bernardita Burgos

Francisca Alliende

Antonia Sepúlveda

Ricardo Strube

Diego Díaz

Francisco Sepúlveda

Soledad Bambach