Empowering Leaders.
Shaping Nations.
ABOUT VARYAG
With a team of seasoned professionals who have extensive experience in government affairs, and international relations, we are uniquely positioned to guide our clients through the intricacies of today's complex global landscape.
MEET OUR TEAM
John Ladd
Managing Partner
John Ladd has a 33-year history of working across Legislative and Executive branches of the U.S. Government, including the Departments of Treasury and State, as well as International Financial Institutions, to provide insight and experience with respect to policy development and implementation.
As an accomplished attorney and advocate, John represents strategic and consequential clients across a range of industries, including the largest bank across Central America and the Caribbean Basin. He also spearheaded the successful Capitol Hill efforts for SoftBank's groundbreaking $21.6 billion acquisition of Sprint, the then-largest foreign investment into the United States, which revolutionized the wireless network and enhanced Sprint's competitiveness.
John’s track record also includes a strong focus on large transactions, particularly in his support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Most recently, Ladd secured $1.65 billion in loan relief for 45 HBCUs facing financial paralysis during the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling these institutions to continue their vital educational missions.
John is married with three adult sons. He resides in Virginia.
Luis Rivas
Senior Partner
Luis Rivas has more than 30 years of experience in the financial sector. He has held top management positions in international banks operating in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. He led multitask teams to design, plan, and execute business strategies, establish policies and procedures, and maintain and foster relationships with stakeholders.
Prior to his career in banking, Luis worked in central banking and treasury in his home country. He led high-level policy teams in designing and negotiating the structural reforms necessary to obtain debt forgiveness with multilateral, bilateral and private creditors.
At the beginning of his career, after obtaining his Ph.D. in Economics from Cornell University, Luis taught at Vanderbilt University. His research work is published in peer-reviewed journals and books.
Luis participates in several boards and collaborates in different forums. Currently, he is part of the Advisory Board of the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Latin American Program and is a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue.
Luis is married and has 5 children. He resides with his family in Virginia.
Juan Sebastián Chamorro
Partner
Juan Sebastián Chamorro has more than 25 years of experience in public policy, economic management, institutional leadership, and strategic advisory work in Latin America and the United States. He has held senior positions in government, the private sector, and leading policy institutions.
In the public sector, Juan served as Minister of Planning and Vice Minister of Finance of Nicaragua during the administration of President Enrique Bolaños. He also served as General Director of the Millennium Challenge Account–Nicaragua, where he oversaw the administration and execution of a US$175 million compact funded by the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation, focused on infrastructure, property rights, and rural development.
In the private sector, Juan was Chief Executive Officer of MACESA, one of the largest meat processing and exporting companies in Central America. He also served as Executive Director of FUNIDES, Nicaragua’s leading economic think tank, specializing in public policy, institutional reform, and development strategy.
Throughout his career, Juan has served on boards of directors of financial regulatory bodies, financial institutions, and private companies. He was a Hewlett Visiting Fellow for Public Policy at the University of Notre Dame and a Visiting Professor and Greenleaf Distinguished Chair in Latin American Studies at Tulane University. Juan holds a Master of Arts in Economics from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
He resides in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife, Victoria Cárdenas, and their daughter, Victoria Isabel.
MEET OUR ADVISORY BOARD
Arturo J. Cruz Sequeira
Professor Emeritus, INCAE Business School
Don Francis
Tech Lead
