MEET THE
EXPERTS

Alejandro Romero Paniagua (Executive Board Director): Member of the Board of Directors (appointed 04/06/2021). CEO Americas. He has a degree in information sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid. Joined LLYC in Madrid in 1996. Since 1997 he has been in the Americas, leading the expansion of the firm, initiating operations in Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador. An expert in financial communication, crisis communication, marketing, and corporate communication, he has worked on some of the most significant crisis communication projects in the region, including those of Pacific Industrial Bank and Bavaria, and the shareholder dispute over the Backus & Johnston brewery. He has also advised economic groups such as the Santo Domingo Group in Colombia, the Romero Group in Peru, the Luksic Group in Chile, Empresas Polar in Venezuela, and Grupo Financiero Uno in Central America. He has led three of the 10 most important corporate transactions in Latam, exceeding 15 billion dollars, making him one of the leading M&A specialists in the region.

Dario is a communications professional with over 20 years of experience in a variety of industries and environments, from start-ups to multinational oil and gas companies to the Canadian federal government. Throughout his career, he has represented his employers in more than 25 countries around the world, allowing him to gain a global perspective with a local focus. Dario earned a master’s degree in communications from the University of Alberta. In addition, he holds a BA (Honors) in Political Science and a BA in History from the University of Calgary. He also studied law at the Universidad de Los Andes and has done Executive Training at MIT.

J.D. (Juan David) has a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Journalism from the University of Sabana as well as a Master’s in Commercial Management and Marketing, with 15 years of experience in strategic communication, marketing, crisis, social responsibility, reputation corporate, and organizational development. As a consultant, he has designed and executed communications strategies for different companies, including projects for the energy mining sector with a focus on gold, oil, and gas; the pharmaceutical industry, mass consumption, and technology. Some of the clients he has worked with include Hocol, Promigas, Bluestone Resources, a subsidiary of the Lundin group; GSK, Medtronic, Amgen, PepsiCo, Mondelez, Huawei, Discovery, Syngenta, Tetra Pak, Jerónimo Martins, DIRECTV, Prosegur, Smurfit Kappa, and Indra, among others. He currently leads the regional team focused on the mining sector.

Social Communicator from Pontifical Javeriana University. She began her professional career at Coca-Cola Femsa, an organization where she had the opportunity to accompany the change management process resulting from the transaction between Panamco and Femsa.

She was part of the Dattis Consultores team, during which time she reached the position of partner consultant at the firm and led advisory services for organizations in various sectors such as finance, port, airport, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, and legal advice, among others.

In July 2013, María assumed the General Direction of LLYC Colombia, and in 2017, she was named a partner in the firm. In June 2021, she took on the challenge of becoming the General Director of the Andean Region, after having held the position of Corporate Communication Director at CorpBanca (formerly Banco Santander), where she remained for two years and was responsible for conceiving and implementing the internal and external communications program that launched the CorpBanca brand to the market.

Based on her trajectory, María has specialized in protecting, defending, and consolidating reputation in the fields of Public Affairs, Crisis Management, and Financial Communication, with vast experience in regional strategic direction.

Juris Doctor with over 14 years of experience in the development of mining and energy businesses in the region. He is an expert in the exploration, evaluation, and acquisition of properties for extractive projects. He also works as a consultant in building and strengthening relationships with government and public entities, as well as with major industry companies with a presence in Latin America.

He holds a Master’s degree in Financial Sciences, as well as other postgraduate courses, with a specialization in mining project administration and management from the Universidad Central de Chile. He also holds a degree in Sustainability from MIT and a degree in Mining Conflicts and Social License from the Latin American Institute of Social Sciences in Peru.

He has served as the President of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Mining of Ecuador on two occasions, actively representing the sector in discussions with government authorities and stakeholders. He has also been a member of the board of the Latin American Mining Association in Chile, the Council of Chambers and Associations of Production in Ecuador, and the Ecuadorian Business Committee. Currently, he is the Vice President of Operations at the Canadian company Lucky Minerals.

Journalist from Universidad de Desarrollo, Chile, specialized in business and finance. He has more than 10 years of professional experience, starting in the main economic newspapers in Chile, first El Mercurio and Diario Financiero. Subsequently, he worked as a client executive at Nexos Comunicaciones, where he provided communications advice to national and international companies such as Empresas Carozzi, CCU and Fonterra. He currently works leading the management of international accounts in the financial sector, cybersecurity and private security. In the mining sector, she has worked supervising projects such as the drafting of SQM’s information portal to orient the population about lithium and its relevance.

He is the General Manager of LLYC Peru. With over 20 years of experience in the field of communication, he has served as the editorial director of RPP Noticias, the leading news radio station in Peru; editorial director of the sports newspaper Depor, part of the El Comercio Group, as well as the magazines published by the same Group and ContentLab, a content laboratory that creates creative and media solutions for companies and brands. Additionally, he has been the director of the international chronicles and reports magazine Etiqueta Negra. He is the author of 5 books of journalistic chronicles and biographical profiles, and he has contributed as a chronicler to various media outlets in Hispanic America and the United States.

De la Guardia has worked for several presidential campaigns, as well as multinational organizations such as the UN and WTO in Geneva, Switzerland.

Her last position was as director of Strategic Communications for MIT Analytics LLC, a pioneer in big data and cybersecurity for crisis management and communication strategy development. At LLYC, de la Guardia has led various projects for major institutions such as the World Bank and National Energy Secretariat, among others. She has a degree in Law and Political Science, as well as a master’s in Political and Corporate Communication from the University of Navarra. She has completed several courses in neuromarketing, social influence, communication in times of turbulence, and political management from George Washington University, as well as one in marketing analytics from the Wharton School of Business.

A professional sociologist with more than 20 years of experience managing digital projects in Spain, Mexico, Peru, and other Latin American countries.

She has experience in various sectors including FMCG, Telecommunications, Energy, and Mining or Banking, among others, particularly in projects related to reputation and digital influence for companies and managers.

Carlos Llanos has over 20 years of experience in Communication Consulting. He has a degree in Information Sciences with a specialty in Journalism from the University of Piura and a master’s degree in Marketing and Business Management from the Universidad del Pacífico. Throughout his career, he has received four Saber Awards, thirteen Effie Awards, a Stevie Award, two Eikon Awards, an iNOVA Award, and two ANDA-Peru Awards, for his contribution to different projects.

At LLYC, he has developed a broad international career that includes assignments in Argentina, Panama, Peru, etc. For more than three years, he has been the General Manager of the Ecuadorean office. In the mining sector, he has led projects for Anglo American, BHP, Antamina, Barrick, Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde, Votorantim Metais-Cajamarquilla, Cía de Minas Buenaventura, Minsur, Petaquilla Minerals, CH2MHILL, the Panama Mining Chamber (CAMIPA), among others.

Krystel has a degree in Communications (Anahuac) and a diploma in Strategic Marketing and Advertising. She has comprehensive knowledge of Journalism and more than 12 years of experience in creating communication strategies for the industrial, pharmaceutical and financial sectors; highlighting the mining industry where she had the opportunity to lead the ​​media relations area, and several projects regarding the relationship with communities, environment, security, and sustainable development in general, for different countries (Mexico, USA, and Spain). Internally, she developed campaigns that generated a true sense of belonging that transcended into social networks. She also has experience in crisis management.

Juan Ignacio Di Meglio has a degree in Public Relations (UCALP) and a master’s degree in Political Communications (Austral). Before joining Llorente y Cuenca, he was the coordinator of Digital Government Communications at the Ministry of Modernization of the Nation. Previously, he was part of the Public Affairs team at Burson – Marsteller Argentina. Since joining LLYC in 2019, he has led projects with top companies in the mining and hydrocarbons sector.

He is the Director of Public Affairs and Natural Resources at LLYC Peru, with over 20 years of experience in public affairs linked to political relations and community engagement. In addition to specializing in Integrated Management for Modern Mining from ESAN, he has been invited to participate in events at the United Nations (Geneva) and in Canada (Vancouver) for discussion forums on mining. Likewise, he has played a role in facilitating dialogue between mining companies and communities regarding specific social conflicts and finding solutions to environmental issues. Prior to joining LLYC, he was the General Director of Policies and Regulatory Analysis at the Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Sanitation, as well as at the Ministry of Production. He has served as a consultant to 4 Prime Ministers and previously held the position of Technical Secretary in the Energy and Mines committees, as well as in the Environment and Indigenous Peoples committee of the Congress of the Republic of Peru.

Antonio is a corporate communications specialist with more than 17 years of experience. He has expertise in many areas including financial, corporate, crisis, and institutional affairs communication and has worked with over a hundred clients from various sectors. He is also a professor for the Master of Corporate and Institutional Communication at the Carlos III University of Madrid and at the National Institute of Public Administration (INAP).

Andrea has fourteen years of experience in Strategic Communication, Public Affairs, and Crisis Management. She has a master’s degree in Political and Corporate Communications from the Universidad de Navarra (Spain) and further studies in Issues Management, Advocacy, and Lobbying at The Graduate School of Political Management from George Washington University (USA). Her professional background includes accompaniment, communication advising, and management for companies in a variety of industries, such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola, and General Motors, to name a few. Since joining LLYC, she has been involved in the Public Affairs Management Team for Cervecería Nacional, Latam Airlines, Zurich, and Citibank. She also has experience in crisis management, advising clients in the Oil and Gas, Financial, and Pharmaceutical industries.

Professional with more than 8 years of experience in account management with an emphasis on corporate reputation, union communication, public affairs, conflict resolution, mergers and acquisitions, crisis management, and relations with stakeholders.  She has managed multidisciplinary teams for large national and international clients with a direction focused on strategy and fulfilling communicational and organizational objectives.

From her experience, Camila has been in the management of various communication strategies for clients in the public and private sectors such as Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (Conmebol), Colombian Committee of Steel Producers (ANDI), Bogota Government Secretariat, Office of the High Commissioner for Peace, ETB, TigoUne, Gasnov,a, Chilco, Doña Juana Waste Management Center, BNP Paribas, BTG Pactual, KraneShares, Scotiabank Colpatria, Corficolombiana, Citi, Smurfit Kappa, 3M, B. Braun, Odinsa, and among others.

At LLYC she is in charge of accompanying and organizing the work team for the execution of projects in the Corporate Communication and Crisis area.