Susana Guerra

Susana Cordeiro Guerra is the Vice President for the Latin America and the Caribbean region at World Bank. In this role, she manages the Bank’s engagement with 31 countries across the region and oversees a portfolio of US$41.5 billion in ongoing operations. Under her leadership, the World Bank partners with governments and stakeholders to advance strategic priorities to deliver measurable results, jobs-driven development and stronger public–private collaboration across the region. Prior to joining the World Bank, Cordeiro Guerra, led senior leadership positions at the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), including as Principal in the Office of Strategic Planning and Development Effectiveness, and as Manager of the Department of Institutions for Development (IFD), where she led strategy on fiscal and economic programs, advanced data-driven decision-making and promoted financial innovation. Previous to her multilateral roles, Cordeiro Guerra led Brazil’s National Statistics Office (IBGE), overseeing 12,000 staff and spearheading the modernization of the country’s official statistics and national population census. Earlier in her career, she worked at the World Bank across multiple departments and regions on decentralization and subnational development. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a Master’s in Public Administration and International Development from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies from Harvard College. Her publications span innovation by front-line managers in the public sector, higher education and labor market outcomes, and decentralization and regional disparities.