OUR TEAM

Meet the Team

A multidisciplinary team of climate finance, infrastructure, and ESG professionals with deep expertise in emerging markets.

Dr. José-Luis Bobes

Founder & CEO — Infrastructure & Climate Finance

Dr. José-Luis Bobes is the Founder and CEO of VerdAbility (formerly GreenMax Sustainability & Finance), a specialized climate infrastructure transaction advisory firm established in 2004. With over 30 years of experience in sustainable energy finance, industrial decarbonization, and project structuring, he has led successful engagements in more than 40 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Central Asia. His career spans senior leadership roles at Honeywell—where he served as Managing Director of the ESCO joint venture with IFC and EBRD in Central Europe—and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he managed the European Campus.

As a transaction advisor and team leader, Dr. Bobes has managed green finance facilities and climate investment programs exceeding EUR 500 million in aggregate value, including the EIB DESIREE Programme (EUR 200M across 10 countries), the EBRD/EIB/AFD Green Economy Financing Facility in Egypt (EUR 165M), the AFD SUNREF Namibia facility (EUR 45M), and the KfW RE/EE Facility for South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation (EUR 50M). He serves as a trusted advisor to ADB, the World Bank, IFC, EBRD, KfW, AFD, EIB, USAID, MCC, USTDA, UNDP, and UNIDO.

Dr. Bobes holds a Ph.D. in Development Finance from Stellenbosch University Business School, an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and an M.Sc. in Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. His doctoral research demonstrated that a 1% increase in sustainable energy and infrastructure investment allocation by institutional investors is associated with a 0.2% increase in GDP growth—equivalent to approximately US$2.37 billion—and the creation of over 108,000 jobs across the economies studied. He has contributed to advancing the academic understanding of how capital allocation policies can drive both economic growth and the clean energy transition.

Carlos Brunat

International Trade & Market Strategy Expert

Carlos Brunat brings deep expertise in business development, strategic planning, M&A, and infrastructure investment across Latin America, Europe, and Africa. As co-founder of Apolo Strategy he has structured renewable energy investments and led international expansion strategies in wind and solar markets. He also served as Head of M&A and Business Development at Enhance Group (formerly ATCO-Sabanci JV) and held strategy roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He holds an MBA from IESE Business School and a degree in Economics from the University of Buenos Aires.

America H. Calonge

Digital Solutions & Agile Operations

America H. Calonge leads VerdAbility’s digital solutions and agile operations practice, ensuring that technology-driven approaches are integrated into project delivery. She brings expertise in digital transformation, process optimization, and agile methodologies to support the efficient execution of climate finance and sustainable infrastructure programs across multiple geographies.

Ivonne Cameron

Blended Finance Funding Expert & Business Development Officer

Ivonne is a mission-driven strategist with 17 years turning bold ideas into scalable impact. She serves as a Senior Consultant at VerdAbility (AI & data center, health), and Instructor with the College of Southern Maryland. Ivonne has secured $991M+ in funding, launched 18 ventures, and designed programs across three continents. She stands ready to assist with scalable operations, while leading with AI and innovation.

Yana Fleming

Chief Communications Officer — Strategic Communications & AI Integration

Yana Fleming is a strategic communications advisor with 20+ years of experience across 45+ countries, specializing in climate finance and sustainable infrastructure in emerging markets. At VerdAbility, she develops communications strategies translating complex technical frameworks for diverse stakeholder groups, with particular focus on Indo-Pacific and Small Island Developing States contexts. She has designed communications strategies for the World Bank and DFAT-funded programs, structured monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks for bilateral funders, and created behavior change campaigns for energy efficiency initiatives. She specializes in responsible AI deployment for communications in resource-constrained environments and designing solutions adapted to local media landscapes. Yana is multilingual and holds an MA in Integrated Marketing Communications and a BFA in Photography.

Miguel Franco

Chief Sustainable Technologies Officer — Energy & Climate Change

Miguel A. Franco brings more than 30 years of international experience at the nexus of energy, climate change, and environmental management. At RTI International, he served as Director of Energy and Climate Change and led the US$54 million USAID Power Africa Off-grid Project, where a team of 45 professionals across 26 countries mobilized over US$1 billion in investment and achieved more than 7 million household connections. He has worked in over 50 countries implementing programs spanning renewable energy, energy efficiency, methane capture, and environmental management for USAID, FCDO, the World Bank, IDB, USEPA, and UNDP. He holds an M.S.E. in Environmental Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.

Douglas Hinrichs

Chief Decarbonization & Innovation Officer — Senior Climate Finance Advisor

Douglas Hinrichs brings over 25 years of experience in energy transition strategy, industrial decarbonization, and low-carbon infrastructure development. He has mobilized more than US$400 million in IFI and private investment for clean energy programs, including restructuring a US$13 million FCDO program in Nepal that catalyzed over US$400 million in renewable investment. He also served as a Power Africa Transaction Advisor at Deloitte Consulting and as Global Practice Leader for Urban Climate Change at Mott MacDonald, where he directed the World Bank’s Global Study on Climate Resilient Infrastructure. He holds a Master’s in Environmental Studies from the University of Illinois and certifications in GHG Protocol and Emissions Trading Systems.

Marcela Huertas Figueroa

Climate Infrastructure Investment Advisor — ESG & Investment Structuring

Marcela Huertas Figueroa is an origination and project structuring specialist with over 30 years of experience in investment management, ESG integration, and capital raising for green and high-impact projects. She served as Fund Manager at the Inter-American Development Bank managing a US$300 million financing program, and as CEO of Infivalle and Propacífico, advancing SDG-aligned investments including solar-powered neighborhoods in Colombia. Earlier, she held senior positions at the World Bank Group, including Chief of Staff to President James D. Wolfensohn and Head of Strategy for IFC’s Latin American Region. She holds degrees from ESADE, New York University, and Los Andes University, and co-authored Subnational Capital Markets in Developing Countries (Oxford University Press, 2004).

Sitha Mvumvu

Finance & Operations Manager

Sitha Mvumvu is a results-driven Finance and Operations professional with extensive experience in donor-funded programmes across South Africa. He specializes in financial management, grants administration, compliance, and operational systems development. Sitha has a strong track record supporting USAID-funded projects, strengthening accountability, and improving efficiency. He brings strong analytical, coordination, and stakeholder engagement skills to support effective programme delivery and organizational growth.

 

William Porter

Financial Modeling & Climate-Aligned Investment Strategist

William Porter is a transaction advisory and climate finance professional with over 10 years of experience in financial structuring, sustainable infrastructure investment, and capital mobilization. He has served SMB and high-net-worth clients across 10+ U.S. states, integrating ESG-aligned portfolio construction and alternative asset strategies into comprehensive financial planning frameworks. He has managed $100M+ in client assets, developed advanced financial models for a $1B+ project pipeline—achieving an 18% improvement in forecasting accuracy—and reduced portfolio risk by 15% through systematic ESG-informed rebalancing. He holds a Global Executive MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, an M.S. in Resource Economics from Tuskegee University, and is completing the Private Equity Certificate at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

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VerdAbility’s network includes over 50 expert consultants specialized in sustainable infrastructure finance and climate-resilient development.

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