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LAVCA Appoints New Board Chair and Directors

Riverwood Capital, IGNIA, Patria Investments, Valor Capital Group and XP Asset Management Join LAVCA Board 

NEW YORK, 21 October 2025 – LAVCA, the Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America, announced today changes to its Board, including the appointment of a new Chair. Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Riverwood Capital, rejoins the LAVCA Board as Chair, succeeding Nicolás Szekasy, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of KASZEK.

“Nico has been an exceptional partner to LAVCA over the past six years. His commitment to advancing our mission and his thoughtful leadership on the Board have made a lasting impact on the organization. The LAVCA Board and team are excited to welcome longstanding supporter Francisco as Chair and look forward to his energetic leadership in order to strengthen the private capital industry in Latin America.” — Cate Ambrose, Group CEO, GPCA & Board Member, LAVCA

Also completing their terms are Mario Malta, Managing Director at Advent International, and Jose Sosa del Valle, Partner at Lexington Partners. The three retiring directors are being succeeded by Nicolas Berman, Partner at KASZEK, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology in Latin America; Brenno Raiko, Managing Director at Advent International, a leading private equity investor with a global footprint that includes Latin America; and Juan Savino, Managing Director focused on Latin America at Lexington Partners, a global manager of secondary and co-investment private equity funds.

Alvarez-Demalde is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at US-headquartered Riverwood Capital, one of the leading investment firms solely dedicated to technology growth and scalability globally, including Latin America.

“LAVCA has been a cornerstone for the development of private capital in Latin America, promoting growth, professionalism and partnership across the ecosystem. I’m honored to return to the Board as Chair and to support LAVCA’s work in expanding private capital investing across all different asset classes in the region, which drives economic growth, job creation and the development and consolidation of deeper capital markets across Latin America.” — Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, LAVCA Chair, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Riverwood Capital

Additional firms joining the Board include IGNIA, Patria Investments, Valor Capital Group and XP Asset Management, represented by:

• Christine Kenna, Partner at IGNIA, an early-stage venture capital firm, investing in Latin America
• Ricardo Scavazza, Managing Partner & Chief Executive Officer for Private Equity at Patria Investments, a global alternative asset management firm focused on the mid-market segment in Latin America
• Antoine Colaço, Managing Partner at Valor Capital Group, a cross-border venture fund, bridging the US, Latin American and global technology markets
• Priscila Rodrigues, Head of FoF Alternatives at XP Asset Management, a Brazilian asset management firm

LAVCA Board Members:

• Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Riverwood Capital
• Cate Ambrose, CEO, Global Private Capital Association
• Nicolas Berman, Partner, KASZEK
• Antoine Colaço, Managing Partner, Valor Capital Group
• Dirk Donath, Managing Partner, L Catterton
• Nicolas Escallon, Partner, Actis
• Gabriel Felzenszwalb, Co-Head of Private Equity, Vinci Compass
• Dieter Hauser, CEO, Farellones Capital
• Christine Kenna, Partner, IGNIA
• Ricardo Lerner Castro, Managing Director, CPP Investments
• Johanna Posada, Founder & Managing Partner, Elevar Equity
• Brenno Raiko, Managing Director, Advent International
• Priscila Rodrigues, Head of FoF Alternatives, XP Asset
• Juan Savino, Managing Director, Lexington Partners
• Ricardo Scavazza, Managing Partner & Chief Executive Officer for Private Equity, Patria Investments