Facilitator

Parallel Session 1.2: Through Inclusive Governance

Maria Eugenia Pérez Zea is the Chair of the International Cooperative Alliance’s Gender Equality Committee and Vice President of the Regional Committee on Gender Equality (CREG).  She is the Executive Director of the Colombian Association of Cooperatives (ASCOOP).  Ms. Pérez Zea was formerly the Chairperson of the Board of Directors at COOMEVA, a business cooperative group working across the finance, health, and insurance sectors.  She has been a cooperative leader in COOMEVA for 18 years, including serving as President of the Oversight Board. Likewise, she has been a member of the Advisory Commission on the Code of Good Corporate Governance, the National Human Management Committee, the Corporate Audit Committee, and Coordinator of the National Financial Committee.  Ms. Pérez Zea is a lawyer from the University of Medellín with a specialization in Administrative Law.  Her expertise includes Cooperative Law, Socio-economic Evaluation of Projects, and Gender Equity Analyses. She fosters exchange and debate at the global and regional level on issues related to specific policies and actions around gender equality and cooperative development.