Maria Cavalcanti

Maria Cavalcanti is President and CEO of Pro Mujer. She holds over 25 years of professional experience advancing women and working with a wide range of business and non-profit organizations across Latin America, the United States, Western Europe, and India.

Maria leads Pro Mujer in sustainable growth, developing an extended, large-scale service and products platform to empower women in Latin America.

Before joining Pro Mujer, Maria co-founded and became managing partner of FIRST Impact Investing, a private equity fund in Brazil. Prior to FIRST, she served as Chief Strategy Officer for Fundación Avina, where she spearheaded strategy and operational initiatives across the organization, spanning 15 countries. Earlier in her career, Maria worked at Dell Inc. and as a management consultant with A. T. Kearney and TPI.

Maria is recognized as a leading speaker on impact investing and financial inclusion in Latin America. She has authored multiple trade and academic articles and has served on international boards, including the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, PYME Capital Fund, and FUNDES. In 2017, she was appointed Co-chair of Partnership for Responsible Financial Inclusion (formerly MCWG).

Maria holds an MBA from the University of Texas in Austin and an MS in Information Science from Columbia University in New York.