The World Energy Council (WEC) has appointed Dr Nicolás M. Depetris Chauvin as its new Regional Manager for the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. Dr Chauvin will be supporting the WEC in strengthening its network in the LAC region. He has been tasked to promote the participation of WEC members from the region with the WEC's high-level global network, to build new national Member Committees, and to reinforce the WEC's engagement with regional energy organizations and development banks. Dr Depetris Chauvin will support the WEC's work programs and studies by providing cross-sectoral strategic insights for the global energy sector. He will also be speaking at conferences and events on behalf of the WEC. José Antonio Vargas Lleras, WEC Vice-Chair for Latin America and the Caribbean and who comes from Colombia, said: "Latin America has a wealth of energy resources but also faces multiple challenges: adapting to the impacts of climate change, increasing energy access, minimizing fossil fuel subsidies, and promoting regional integration. Our mandate is to help the region tackle these challenges and set it on a sustainable growth path. I welcome Nicolás and look forward to the contribution he will make." Dr Christoph Frei, WEC Secretary General, added: "Latin America is an important region for the World Energy Council. The global energy transformation bears great opportunities and also challenges for Latin America, and we will look to advance the regional energy agenda drawing on our global flagship studies, our sharing of best practices, and our energy leaders' network. I look forward to working on this with the leadership of José Antonio Vargas Lleras and the support of Nicolás Depetris Chauvin." Dr Depetris Chauvin (38), from Argentina, is a senior economist with experience in development, resource economics, and international trade covering not only Latin America but also Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Dr. Chauvin said: "I am excited to have joined the most important organization dealing with the whole energy spectrum and doing so from a region that has such potential in the energy sector. I look forward to contributing to our work in Latin America by collaborating with our national committees, governments, and businesses." Prior to joining WEC, Dr Depetris Chauvin was a Senior Adviser at the African Center for Economic Transformation, a research and policy think-tank in Ghana, where he advised on the organization's strategy and analytical content of its work programs. His previous posts also include strategic advisory and research positions at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, the Oxford Center for the Analysis of Resource-Rich Economies, and the Ministry of Economics of Argentina. The WEC's member committees in the LAC region currently includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay. Mexico is also a WEC national member, as part of its North American network. World Energy Council
