Ilona Szabó is an entrepreneur, strategist, and board member with over 25 years of experience. She is co-founder and president of the Igarapé Institute and the Green Bridge Facility. She serves on several boards, including the WEF Global Future Council on Natural Capital, the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits, the Social and Sustainable Development Council of Brazil’s Presidency, the Fernando Henrique Cardoso Foundation (FFHC), and re.green. She has an MA in International Studies from the University of Uppsala in Sweden, and is an affiliate scholar at the Princeton University Brazil Lab.
Carolina Graça
program director
Dr. Carolina Graça has over 20 years of expertise in sustainability, agribusiness, responsible supply chains, land governance, and conservation. She has previously held key roles at Bayer Crop Science, Earthworm Foundation, and Stora Enso, focusing on sustainable production, ecosystem conservation, and human rights. Dr. Graça has a BA in agronomy and PhD in business administration.
Lucas Castro
project manager
Lucas Castro has 10 years of experience leading strategic consultancies, industry-based projects, and startup initiatives across Brazil, Latin America, and North America. He holds an MA in International Management from FGV-EAESP / CEMS and a BA with honors in Business Administration from FGV-EAESP.
Maria Eduarda Assis
institutional relations and legal coordinator
Maria Eduarda Assis is a lawyer with expertise in strategic advocacy, public policy, and litigation, with a focus on sustainable development and the nexus of climate, nature, and finance. She holds an LLM from NYU School of Law (Arthur T. Vanderbilt Scholarship), an MA in Human Rights and Public Policy from UFRJ, and degrees in Criminal Advocacy and Law from UERJ.
Peter Smith
analyst
Peter Smith has experience in monitoring and evaluating public interest programs and advising nonprofits on cloud technologies to track impact and streamline operations. At the Igarapé Institute, he has contributed to projects and digital platforms related to Brazilian Amazon municipalities, the bioeconomy, strategic minerals, and more. He holds a BA in Sociology from Princeton University and an MA in Sociology from the USP.
Aline Lara
analyst
Aline Lara has experience in climate negotiations, actively participating in recent COPs. She is a chemical engineer with an MA in Science and Technology of Sustainability from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, where her thesis focused on model-driven solutions to achieve zero deforestation in the Amazon.
Robert Muggah
senior advisor
Dr. Robert Muggah has over 30 years experience in project management, monitoring and evaluation, product development, and strategic leadership. He has founded multiple think tanks and start-ups, including the Igarape Institute, SecDev, Bioverse and SuperNature. He has led large-scale diagnostics and evaluations across the Amazon region and has field-based experience in over 50 countries in the Americas, Africa and Asia. He is also a frequent TED and WEF speaker and advises multiple governments, companies, and international organizations. He has an MPhil from Sussex (IDS) and a DPhil from the University of Oxford.
Katherine Aguirre
analyst
Katherine Aguirre is a Colombian economist specializing in research on violence and development. She is a researcher at the Igarapé Institute and coordinates the Network of Women in Security and Defense in Latin America and the Caribbean (Amassuru). She holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the IHEID in Switzerland. Katherine has worked with leading think tanks in Colombia, such as CERAC and FIP, and in Switzerland with the Small Arms Survey. Her work focuses on the prevention and reduction of violence while integrating environmental and gender perspectives.
Brodie Ferguson
fellows
Brodie Ferguson has over 20 years of experience leading environmental technology and conservation initiatives. As founder of EcoLens and Director for Latin America at Nature Focus, he specializes in developing innovative solutions for biodiversity monitoring and sustainable forest management. He holds a PhD in Anthropology from Stanford University.
OUR TEAM
Ilona Szabó
founder and president
Ilona Szabó is an entrepreneur, strategist, and board member with over 25 years of experience. She is co-founder and president of the Igarapé Institute and the Green Bridge Facility. She serves on several boards, including the WEF Global Future Council on Natural Capital, the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits, the Social and Sustainable Development Council of Brazil’s Presidency, the Fernando Henrique Cardoso Foundation (FFHC), and re.green. She has an MA in International Studies from the University of Uppsala in Sweden, and is an affiliate scholar at the Princeton University Brazil Lab.
Carolina Graça
program director
Dr. Carolina Graça has over 20 years of expertise in sustainability, agribusiness, responsible supply chains, land governance, and conservation. She has previously held key roles at Bayer Crop Science, Earthworm Foundation, and Stora Enso, focusing on sustainable production, ecosystem conservation, and human rights. Dr. Graça has a BA in agronomy and PhD in business administration.
Lucas Castro
project manager
Lucas Castro has 10 years of experience leading strategic consultancies, industry-based projects, and startup initiatives across Brazil, Latin America, and North America. He holds an MA in International Management from FGV-EAESP / CEMS and a BA with honors in Business Administration from FGV-EAESP.
Maria Eduarda Assis
institutional relations and legal coordinator
Maria Eduarda Assis is a lawyer with expertise in strategic advocacy, public policy, and litigation, with a focus on sustainable development and the nexus of climate, nature, and finance. She holds an LLM from NYU School of Law (Arthur T. Vanderbilt Scholarship), an MA in Human Rights and Public Policy from UFRJ, and degrees in Criminal Advocacy and Law from UERJ.
Peter Smith
analyst
Peter Smith has experience in monitoring and evaluating public interest programs and advising nonprofits on cloud technologies to track impact and streamline operations. At the Igarapé Institute, he has contributed to projects and digital platforms related to Brazilian Amazon municipalities, the bioeconomy, strategic minerals, and more. He holds a BA in Sociology from Princeton University and an MA in Sociology from the USP.
Aline Lara
analyst
Aline Lara has experience in climate negotiations, actively participating in recent COPs. She is a chemical engineer with an MA in Science and Technology of Sustainability from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, where her thesis focused on model-driven solutions to achieve zero deforestation in the Amazon.
Robert Muggah
senior advisor
Dr. Robert Muggah has over 30 years experience in project management, monitoring and evaluation, product development, and strategic leadership. He has founded multiple think tanks and start-ups, including the Igarape Institute, SecDev, Bioverse and SuperNature. He has led large-scale diagnostics and evaluations across the Amazon region and has field-based experience in over 50 countries in the Americas, Africa and Asia. He is also a frequent TED and WEF speaker and advises multiple governments, companies, and international organizations. He has an MPhil from Sussex (IDS) and a DPhil from the University of Oxford.
Katherine Aguirre
analyst
Katherine Aguirre is a Colombian economist specializing in research on violence and development. She is a researcher at the Igarapé Institute and coordinates the Network of Women in Security and Defense in Latin America and the Caribbean (Amassuru). She holds a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the IHEID in Switzerland. Katherine has worked with leading think tanks in Colombia, such as CERAC and FIP, and in Switzerland with the Small Arms Survey. Her work focuses on the prevention and reduction of violence while integrating environmental and gender perspectives.
Brodie Ferguson
fellows
Brodie Ferguson has over 20 years of experience leading environmental technology and conservation initiatives. As founder of EcoLens and Director for Latin America at Nature Focus, he specializes in developing innovative solutions for biodiversity monitoring and sustainable forest management. He holds a PhD in Anthropology from Stanford University.
