Watch the event recording on YouTube.
On June 24, a twin earthquake measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck northern Venezuela, killing more than 1,450 people, injuring over 3,300, and leaving an estimated $6.8 billion in reconstruction needs, according to CEPAL. Critical infrastructure across La Guaira, Caracas, Carabobo, and Aragua suffered severe damage, including Maiquetía International Airport.
The earthquake compounded an existing imperative. A country already facing $160 to $200 billion in reconstruction needs now confronts an additional $6.8 billion emergency, and every actor with capital, policy access, or operational presence must decide faster. When emergencies outpace institutional capacity, organized citizens, volunteer networks, and business chambers become the first line of response. Venezuela is no exception.
Since January 3, a bilateral reset between Washington and Caracas had opened a window that had not existed in decades. That window just grew shorter and more urgent. The decisions that will define how Venezuela rebuilds are being made over the next 60 to 90 days. The moment to lead this conversation is now.
Agenda
Panel l: Who Finances the Rebuild, and On Whose Terms?
The capital decisions that will define Venezuela’s reconstruction are being made right now. This panel brings together the financial institutions, sovereign advisors, and regional banks actively mapping their exposure and opportunity — and examines the terms, sequencing, and conditionality that will shape who benefits and who leads.
Moderator:
Alberto Blohm
Founder & Managing Partner, Solercia Capital; Vice President, CONAPRI
Panelists:
Angel Cárdenas
General Manager, Infrastructure for Development, CAF
Victoria Nogueroles
Director of International & Correspondent Banking, BNC
Alejandro Arreaza
Latin America Economist, Barclays
Panel ll: Beyond Relief: What Organized Private Sector Leadership Looks Like
Venezuela’s private sector did not wait for instructions after June 24. This panel examines how companies operating in constrained environments built the operational muscle to respond faster than institutions, and what that capacity means for how reconstruction gets executed on the ground.
Moderator:
Gabriela Gill
Director, Grupo Corimon
Panelists:
Lorena Somoza
Manager of International Finance, Empresas Purolomo
María Alejandra Trujillo
Senior Partner, Kingsley Gate
Agustin Alvarez
COO, Mundo Total
Panel lll: Filling the Gap: How Civic Networks and Organized Citizens Responded When It Mattered Most
This panel examines how Venezuela’s civic infrastructure, built over years of necessity, activated within hours of the June 24 earthquake, connecting communities, mobilizing professionals, and delivering on-the-ground coordination across borders. A constructive look at what organized civil society and the private sector can do, and what it tells us about the country’s reconstruction potential.
Moderator:
Tony Frangie Mawad
Director and Editor in Chief, Ecosistema
Panelists:
Lesly Simon
President, Venezuelan American Chamber of Commerce Foundation
Alberto Kabbabe
Emergency Response Coordinator, Alimenta La Solidaridad
Daniela Contreras
ING Industrial, Efecto Red
Sofia Saavedra
CEO, Covas, Hero & Samos
Watch the event recording:
