NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

This will be a very special week for us at WRI as the New Ventures Global team will be in together in Washington. Taking advantage of this opportunity, we would like to invite you to a panel discussion on the landscape for sustainable enterprise growth in emerging economies. Featuring our five New Ventures Country Directors from China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico, the panel will discuss the current state of investment and entrepreneurship that has the potential to drive sustainable growth in these five countries. Panelists will discuss specific examples from our enterprise portfolio and provide insights about on-the-ground challenges of achieving scale.

The panel will be held at the World Resources Institute on Wednesday, July 9^th at 4:00 PM. A reception will be offered following the panel. Please RSVP by July 7^th at fnoguera@wri.org.

Who are the panelists?

Andr? Carvalho, New Ventures Director in Brazil

Andr? is a Researcher at New Ventures’ partner institution, the Center of Studies in Sustainability, Escola de Administra??o de Empresas (EASP) of Funda??o Getulio Vargas (FGV) – the first and most renowned Brazilian business school. Before joining FGV, Andr? worked for Friends of The Earth – Brazilian Amazon from 2001 to 2004, and was involved in a range of projects related to institutional development, sustainable consumption & production, entrepreneurship, and analysis and monitoring of public policy in the Amazon. Prior to this assignment, Andr? worked for Cargill Foods and Shell Energy in Brazil. Andr? holds an also MsC in Engineering by the Universidade Estadual de Campinas, and an MsC in Environmental Management from EASP in S?o Paulo, where he is also currently pursuing his PhD thesis on closed-loop supply chains.

Weijia Ye, New Ventures Director in China

Weijia has over twenty years of business experience working for American, Chinese, and European corporations in the areas of engineering, production, business development, marketing and sales, and general management. Prior to joining New Ventures, Weijia was the Asia Pacific Marketing and Sales Director for Corus’ Aluminum Division and General Manager of the Division’s China plant. He also held senior posts at PPG Industries and ADK Research, including several placements in the US. Weijia holds an M.C. in Industrial Engineering and an M.A. in Policy Analysis from Pittsburgh University, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Beijing College for Electrical Engineering.

Suneel Parasnis, New Ventures Director in India

Suneel has led the initiative since December, 2005. Prior to his assignment with WRI, Suneel served as the Regional Director of US-AEP project of USAID for the Western Region based at the US Consulate in Mumbai. Suneel is a Mechanical Engineer from Pune University, and has received training in Project management, Finance management, Sales & Marketing management, Organizational management, and leadership development. He started his career with Thermax Ltd. where he worked for eight years before being invited by the US Embassy.

Diyanto Imam, New Ventures Director in Indonesia

Diyanto is the New Ventures Director Indonesia. Prior to joining New Ventures, Diyanto worked for the Office of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality at the Netherlands Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. His other experiences include working for Australian Trade Commission, Queensland State Government and private sector in Indonesia. Diyanto holds a Masters degree in International Business from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. He pursued his undergraduate studies at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia where he graduated with a Bachelor of Business degree in management.

Rodrigo Villar, New Ventures Director in Mexico

Rodrigo is New Ventures’ Mexico Director since 2004. He has been named “One of the 30 Most Promising Executives in their Thirties” and a “Green Hero” by Expansi?n magazine, Mexico’s premier national business magazine. In 2007 he was named an Ashoka Fellow for the Las P?ginas Verdes project – an environmental consumer guide. Rodrigo currently serves as President of the Microfinance Committee for the Mexican Institute of Financial Executives (IMEF), President of the Entrepreneurs Circle, Treasurer and Founding Board Member of BioNexos A.C. Prior to joining New Ventures, Rodrigo was employed by Ernst & Young, The Dow Chemical Company, Desc, S.A. de C.V. and Spangaro Systems Pty. Ltd. Rodrigo holds a B.A. in Accounting and Finance from Instituto Tecnol?gico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and a M.B.A. from the Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Weijia Ye, New Ventures Director in China

Weijia has over twenty years of business experience working for American, Chinese, and European corporations in the areas of engineering, production, business development, marketing and sales, and general management. Prior to joining New Ventures, Weijia was the Asia Pacific Marketing and Sales Director for Corus’ Aluminum Division and General Manager of the Division’s China plant. He also held senior posts at PPG Industries and ADK Research, including several placements in the US. Weijia holds an M.C. in Industrial Engineering and an M.A. in Policy Analysis from Pittsburgh University, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Beijing College for Electrical Engineering.

Suneel Parasnis, New Ventures Director in India

Suneel has led the initiative since December, 2005. Prior to his assignment with WRI, Suneel served as the Regional Director of US-AEP project of USAID for the Western Region based at the US Consulate in Mumbai. Suneel is a Mechanical Engineer from Pune University, and has received training in Project management, Finance management, Sales & Marketing management, Organizational management, and leadership development. He started his career with Thermax Ltd. where he worked for eight years before being invited by the US Embassy.

Diyanto Imam, New Ventures Director in Indonesia

Diyanto is the New Ventures Director Indonesia. Prior to joining New Ventures, Diyanto worked for the Office of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality at the Netherlands Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia. His other experiences include working for Australian Trade Commission, Queensland State Government and private sector in Indonesia. Diyanto holds a Masters degree in International Business from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. He pursued his undergraduate studies at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia where he graduated with a Bachelor of Business degree in management.

Rodrigo Villar, New Ventures Director in Mexico

Rodrigo is New Ventures’ Mexico Director since 2004. He has been named “One of the 30 Most Promising Executives in their Thirties” and a “Green Hero” by Expansi?n magazine, Mexico’s premier national business magazine. In 2007 he was named an Ashoka Fellow for the Las P?ginas Verdes project – an environmental consumer guide. Rodrigo currently serves as President of the Microfinance Committee for the Mexican Institute of Financial Executives (IMEF), President of the Entrepreneurs Circle, Treasurer and Founding Board Member of BioNexos A.C. Prior to joining New Ventures, Rodrigo was employed by Ernst & Young, The Dow Chemical Company, Desc, S.A. de C.V. and Spangaro Systems Pty. Ltd. Rodrigo holds a B.A. in Accounting and Finance from Instituto Tecnol?gico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and a M.B.A. from the Melbourne Institute of Technology.