Meet the people who make Canning House what it is today - our staff, board, and honorary and associate positions.
Jeffrey Richard de Corban Evans is a London shipbroker and UK hereditary peer, who served as Lord Mayor of London from 2015 to 2016. Born in Gothenburg, Sweden, and Cambridge-educated, he has worked in the City since 1972 when he joined Clarksons shipping as a graduate trainee.
He is now a ship-broking executive and managing director at Clarksons, and has been a familiar figure in the City since he served as Sheriff of the City of London Corporation in from 2012-13.
Lord Mountevans has been Canning House's Honorary President since 2019.
Canning House's Honorary Vice-Presidents are distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to advancing the UK's relationships with Latin America and Iberia.
Honorary President & Vice President 1987-2020
Honorary President & Vice President 2002-2020
Honorary President & Vice President 1987-2020
Canning House regrets to announce the death of David Montgomery, Viscount Montgomery of Alamein CMG CBE, who passed away on 8th January 2020 at the age of 91.
Honorary President & Vice President 2002-2020
Canning House regrets to announce the death of Lord Garel-Jones, who passed away on 24th March 2020 at the age of 79.
Dean of GRULA and Ambassador of Honduras to the UK
Our Chairman, Nick McCall, has had a long history with Latin America having been raised in Argentina and Brazil followed by a BA in Hispanic Studies at Bristol University, Nick spent his early career in a number of Latin American countries working for Bank of London & South America (BOLSA) and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.
In the UK Nick chairs the Financial Executives Networking Group (FENG) UK Chapter, an organisation dedicated to establishing links between senior financial executives across the globe and was most recently Head of a Wealth Management Firm in the City which was an independent wealth management platform catering to emerging market clients.
Canning House is governed by a Board of Trustees, hailing from a wide range of sectors and specialisms.
The CEO and Founder of global strategic advisory firm Brennan & Partners, Alexander has two decades’ experience of delivering growth for businesses, both as a principal and as an advisor. He is also Interim Chairman of remote monitoring company Big Technologies Plc, a Board Director at specialist engineering and construction firm Proyectos ONDDI S.A. and is a past Board Director at environmental technology developer Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc.
Prior to founding Brennan & Partners in 2016, he was the CEO of GoldenPeaks Capital Latin America, a global infrastructure investment business, with investors drawn from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. This role built upon five years of international sales and business development experience with De La Rue, working firstly in Europe and then the Americas. He began his career at Slaughter and May, where he practised as a corporate lawyer in London for several years. Alexander has a Master’s degree in History and a Law degree and speaks English, Spanish, French and Italian.
Lourdes Casanova is the Director of the Emerging Markets Institute and Senior Lecturer at Cornell University. A Fulbright Scholar with a Ph.D. from the University of Barcelona, she is recognised as one of the 50 most influential Iberoamerican intellectuals. Casanova has co-edited impactful works, including From Copycats to Leaders and The Era of Chinese Multinationals. Her extensive contributions extend to the Emerging Market Multinationals Report and Entrepreneurship and the Finance of Innovation in Emerging Markets. Notable publications also include The Political Economy of an Emerging Global Power and Global Latinas.
Casanova's influence spans academia and global forums; she is a former World Economic Forum member and served on the B20 Task Force at the G20 summit. Currently, she is on the board of the Boyce Tompson Institute and co-founder of the Ithaca Hub of Global Shapers. A thought leader, Casanova shares insights through op-eds in Latin Trade, CNN en Español, El País, and Voice of America.
Fiona has wide experience of Latin America, both as a diplomat and now through her work in the private sector. Fiona was the UK´s Ambassador to Chile from 2014 to 2018; and then Regional Ambassador, Latin America and Caribbean, COP26, from 2020 to 2022, driving diplomatic engagement, at the top of governments and business, for a Net Zero world. She is also a Distinguished Fellow of RUSI (Royal United Services Institute). She previously led the FCO (Foreign & Commonwealth Office, now FCDO) strategy on Latin America (the Canning Agenda). Fiona joined the FCO in 2001, from the Research Councils (now UKRI) to build and lead the global Science and Innovation Network (UKSIN). Now working in the private sector, including with The Ambassador Partnership, she continues to focus on Latin America, business links and government relations. Fiona is a Senior Advisor to Appian Capital Advisory, a leading investor in the metals, mining and infrastructure sector. She is also an Independent Director of the Chilean Cobalt Corporation. Fiona is particularly interested in the interface of mining, energy and environment issues and sees this as a major opportunity for the region. Fiona is also Chairman of the Anglo Chilean Society. She also has long standing interests in the history of Latin America, maritime links and Antarctica.
Marcial Echenique has spent over 30 years in industry as a consultant engineer. He has worked on many major infrastructure projects here in the United Kingdom, Latin America and South East Asia. Brought up in Cambridge, Marcial completed his first degree at the University of Bath in Engineering. At University he established the Latin American Society to promote and exchange cultural values. Marcial is a Chartered Engineer and has Masters in Business Administration.
Marcial has lived in Chile, Peru and Venezuela working on metro and other infrastructure projects. He has participated on numerous UK Government missions to many countries in Latin America. Marcial speaks fluent Spanish, and some Portuguese.
Carla served as UK Chief Executive Officer of Bradesco, a leading Latin American financial institution, where she led EMEA teams, collaborating closely with operations in Asia and the Americas. She advised global clients on award-winning transactions in infrastructure, metals & mining, oil & gas, power, renewables & energy transition. Carla has also held leadership roles in investment banking, private equity and at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. Contributing to global financing policy through platforms such as the World Economic Forum, her insights have been featured in Euromoney, LatinFinance, and Valor Econômico.
Her career in global markets has been shaped by her experience living and working in Brazil, the UK, Switzerland, and Turkey while leading deals and engaging with stakeholders across EMEA, the Americas, China and broader Asia. She is particularly interested in financial services innovation, including fintech, and the role of global financing in trade, development and energy transition. She is Vice Chair of the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain and a delegate to the United Nations Conference on the Status of Women. Carla holds an MBA from London Business School, certifications from Harvard Business School, and a BA from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV).
Jonathan Knott became Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean in February 2021. He became Her Majesty’s Consul General in São Paulo in August 2021 when he arrived in Brazil.
Jonathan joined the UK Diplomatic Service in 1989.
Rodolfo is the founder of Branding Latin America, an independent global PR agency positioning Latin America's destinations, products, investment opportunities and arts. Since 2008, the agency has worked with Presidents, Ministers of Tourism, Trade and Investment, and at forums such as Davos, G20, the IMF Spring Summit, Pacific Alliance Summit, United Nations Week, and more.
Prior to the establishment of Branding Latin America, Rodolfo served as Press Attaché at the Embassy of Argentina in London, and undertook an illustrious radio and television career in Argentina, including as an Executive Producer of A dos Voces, the “Newsnight of Argentina,” during which time he won numerous awards.
Born in Argentina, he has lived in London since 2002.
Vitoria is the head of the Immigration team at Vitoria Nabas and the International team, part of the Gunnercooke group. Her work covers immigration for both businesses and international corporations in several jurisdictions who seek advice on how to move abroad, and once moved, work lawfully and effectively in the UK, EU and Americas. She is qualified in Brazil, Portugal and England & Wales. She has more than 25 years of experience working in law firms and financial institutions in Brazil, New York and London. Vitoria has an impressive network which keeps her at the forefront of international commerce. She is a director of Law in Britain, a co-founder and treasurer of Lex Anglo-Brasil, the Coordinator of the UK Brazilian Citizen Council, Counsellor of the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in London and the President of the Legal Committee of the British Colombian Chamber of Commerce.
Vitoria is also involved in voluntary work including being Student Supervisor at Queen Mary University - Legal Advice Centre (having been honoured with a fellowship for this work) and helping vulnerable people in diverse communities in the UK in Casa do Brasil. Her aim in life is very simple: to help people daily.
Cristobal has over two decades of experience in infrastructure development, PPP/PFI projects, and the InfraTech and sustainability sectors, with a recent focus on the intersection of infrastructure digital transformation and environmental solutions.
He has contributed to impactful projects across Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe, addressing complex challenges in energy, infrastructure, and decarbonization. Cristobal has also advised Middle Eastern governments, multinational corporations, UNECE, and Latin American governments on PPP/PFI structures and capacity building.
He is currently leading technology-driven infrastructure platforms and advancing clean energy solutions.
Raised in Chile, Cristobal holds a degree in Construction Engineering, as well as a Master’s degree in business & management (Finance) and Digital Economy, providing a robust technical and strategic foundation for his work.
Cristobal is fluent in Spanish, German, and English and is passionate about leveraging technology to address global challenges.
Ed Poulton is a partner of Baker McKenzie, the world’s most international law firm. He is a member of the firm’s Dispute Resolution team, based in London. A key name in the arbitration community, Ed acts as counsel and sits as an arbitrator in arbitrations under the rules of all the major institutions. He has represented both investors and states in public international law cases, and is the consulting editor of a seminal text on the arbitration of M&A disputes. Ed sits on the steering committee of Baker McKenzie’s Global International Arbitration Practice Group.
Ed has had a long-standing interest in the Hispanic and Lusophone worlds and has travelled to, and worked on matters involving, Spain and many countries in Latin America.
Gui is an investor and banker with 20-year experience in corporate finance, capital markets, and technology acquired in leading investment banks and fintechs, working in Europe, Asia and Latin America. He was Global Head of Capital Markets at Diginex and Head of Blockchain Research Group at the University of Oxford’s CTGA. Previously, Gui was Head of Global Markets and Treasurer for HSBC in Spain and Thailand.
From 2010 to 2012, Jeremy Browne served as Minister of State for Latin America in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with responsibility for deepening the UK’s political, economic, diplomatic and cultural connections with the region. During this period, Jeremy also took the lead on the UK-Asia relationship, and was subsequently a Minister of State in the British Home Office. In Parliament, he represented as MP for Taunton Deane for ten years.
Since leaving elected office, Jeremy has served as the City of London Corporation’s Special Representative to the EU, worked as an International Business Ambassador for Aberdeen Standard Investments (abrdn), and advised the environmental investment firm Renewity. He has also served as an Honorary Vice-President of Canning House for several years.
Jeremy studied at the University of Nottingham, and now lives with his family in London. He enjoys travel, politics, 20th century art and cricket. He supports Queens Park Rangers and has been enthralled by the drama of football ever since the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.
He became CEO of Canning House in 2022.
Canning House counts on a small, close-knit team for the delivery of its high-quality programme of events and publications.
COO and Deputy CEO
Head of Policy and Public Affairs
Head of Corporate Affairs
COO and Deputy CEO
Ian joined Canning House in 2015, and became the COO and Deputy CEO in January 2023. He has an MSc in Latin American Politics from UCL’s Institute of the Americas, and has a broad knowledge of Latin America having worked and travelled throughout the region. He previously worked at the foreign affairs think-tank Chatham House where he managed - and helped establish - the Centre on Global Health Security. Outside of Canning House he volunteered for the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy group until 2022 where he was the Director of Programming.
finance@canninghouse.orgHead of Policy and Public Affairs
Susana joined Canning House in 2023. She holds a doctorate in Government and an MSc in Public Administration and Public Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She has been lecturer in Mexico and London, as well as visiting fellow at LSE and Georgetown University. Susana joined the Latin American Centre at the University of Oxford as Academic Visitor in 2022. She has published extensively on rule of law, judicial politics, democratisation, security and electoral institutions in Latin America.
Head of Corporate Affairs
Juan joined Canning House in 2022. He is an international trade specialist with professional experience in Ecuador, Panama, the UK, Switzerland and Germany. Juan previously worked for PRO ECUADOR where he was formerly Trade Commissioner of Ecuador in Germany.
corporate@canninghouse.orgPress and Communications Manager
Events Manager
Events and Administration Assistant
Corporate Affairs Manager
Press and Communications Manager
Freddy joined Canning House in 2019, and became Press & Communications Manager in 2022. He has recently completed an MSc in Globalisation and Latin American Development at the UCL Institute of the Americas.
LinkedIn - Freddy Nevison-Andrews
communications@canninghouse.orgEvents Manager
events@canninghouse.orgEvents and Administration Assistant
events@canninghouse.orgCorporate Affairs Manager
Clorrie joined Canning House in 2023. She graduated with an MPhil in Latin American Studies from the University of Oxford in 2022. Clorrie previously worked as a Research Assistant at the Oxford Department of International Development and interned at LatinNews, where she conducted political and security analysis on Central America and the Southern Cone.
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