Paula Moreno brings more than 20 years of experience in academia, public service, international cooperation, and philanthropy. She is a Colombian industrial engineer with a Master's degree in Management Studies from the University of Cambridge, as well as studies in urban planning and leadership at MIT and Yale University. Her leadership has marked a milestone in Colombia's history: she was the youngest person and the first Black woman to hold a ministerial position in the country, serving as Minister of Culture. At the international level, she was also the youngest person and the first Afro-Latina to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Ford Foundation.  

Fifteen years ago, Paula founded Corporación Manos Visibles, a leading nonprofit organization promoting racial and territorial equity across the Americas. Under her leadership, the organization has reached more than 30,000 people, strengthened over 600 community-based organizations, and expanded its work to 11 countries. Her career has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Order of San Carlos (Colombia), the Order of the Aztec Eagle (Mexico), the Fulbright Excellence Award, the Global Fairness Award, the UK Black Excellence Award, the Unita Blackwell Award, as well as recognitions from the World Economic Forum and MIPAD – United Nations, among others. She is the author of The Power of the Invisible and Dreaming the Impossible (Penguin Random House); the latter went beyond the publishing world and was adapted into the series Defining Destiny / María La Caprichosa, co-produced by Netflix and Caracol. She is also a long-standing columnist for El Tiempo, an executive producer of music albums and films, and one of the most influential voices advocating for social justice, inclusion, and transformative leadership.