Elections in Ecuador

ELECTIONS IN ECUADOR

Following the Presidential Election on Sunday, 13th April, Canning House will bring together a panel of expert speakers to examine the potential outcomes. The discussion will assess what a continuation of Daniel Noboa’s leadership could mean for Ecuador, as well as the possible impact of Luisa González assuming the presidency. This event promises to offer valuable insights into Ecuador’s future direction and its significance for Latin America.  

Moderator

From 2010 to 2012, Jeremy served as Minister of State for Latin America in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Since leaving elected office, he 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. Jeremy became CEO of Canning House, the UK’s leading forum on Latin America, in 2022.

Speakers

 

Nathalie Cely is an economist with a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School and certifications from MIT in Entrepreneurship & Regional Innovation Development and Leadership for Digital Transformation. She has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, driving competitiveness, innovation, and sustainable development.

In the public sector, Nathalie served as Minister for Social Development Coordination and twice as Minister of Production, Employment, and Competitiveness, leading key regulations such as the Production Code and the Trade Agreement with Europe. As Ecuador’s Ambassador to the U.S., she strengthened bilateral trade and cultural exchange.

In the private sector, she founded Edúcate in 2002 to improve education in Ecuador and launched the Competitiveness & Innovation Center in 2017. She also promotes women’s inclusion in entrepreneurship and STEAM careers through the Mujer Digital programme.

Currently, she is a Senior Consultant at the Federation of Competitiveness Councils, Chair of Fundación Edúcate, and CEO of FinGreen, a company focused on sustainable financing for Ecuadorian businesses.

Andrea Espinoza Carvajal is a feminist researcher specialising in women’s rights in Latin America, with a focus on the Andean region. Her work explores how women engage with laws, policies, and institutions, using feminist and decolonial approaches. She employs ethnographic, archival, and arts-based methods in her research.

Andrea is currently an LSE Fellow in Human Rights, Politics, and Gender. She holds an MSc in Latin American Development and a PhD in Gender and Development from King’s College London. Before academia, she worked as a journalist in Ecuador.

In 2024, she received a Wellcome Trust grant for her project, Rewriting Latin America’s Healthcare History: Abortion Criminalisation and the Making of Contemporary Health Systems. Lessons from Ecuador. She has also published on gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic and structural violence in Ecuador’s legal system.

Otto Sonnenholzner is an economist and holds a Master’s in Public Administration. He has built a diverse career as a university lecturer, business leader, communicator, entrepreneur, and advocate for freedom of expression.

He served as Vice President of Ecuador (2018–2020), leading the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and implementing measures to stabilise and rebuild the economy.

Throughout his career, Otto has been involved in sectors such as media, construction, commerce, and agriculture, with a focus on sustainable development. He has participated as a speaker and panellist in numerous international forums.

Currently, he is engaged in private sector projects and remains committed to analysing and debating the key political and economic challenges facing the region.

Walter Spurrier is an economic analyst with a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is the Director of the political-economic report Weekly Analysis and President of the Spurrier Group. He is also a columnist for El Comercio and El Universo newspapers.

Walter provides advisory services, lectures, and consultancy on economic and political issues related to Ecuador. He currently serves as an Advisor to the Chamber of Industry and as a Regent of Casa Grande University. His expertise lies in analysing Ecuador’s economic and political landscape, offering insights through his publications and public engagements.

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