Judges named Rafael Matas Trillo, head of the Andean region and energy expert at IDB Invest as Outstanding Individual.

“Rafa has a reputation for being a strong IDB executive with a very commercial approach. His achievements are many and notable,” said one judge.

Trillo has over the past 2 decades left his footprint in the Latin American region, generating significant impact and replicable precedents in the most innovative sustainable structures in infrastructure energy and transport.

He began to build his reputation in the Caribbean where he was instrumental in closing 2 pathfinder deals for the region more than 10 years ago. Trillo then moved on to have a big role in the energy sector in Uruguay, establishing market practice in relation to a new generation of PPAs which led to several wind and solar projects (Valentines, Colonia Arias, Casablanca, Giacote), and designing the first PPPs for transmission in the country (Melo-Tacuarembó and Tacuarembó-Salto).

Trillo also led the development of the first Green Transmission Line Certificate in the world, developed by IDB.

He then went on to take part in the development of renewable energy in Argentina, structuring the first large scale wind deal in the country (YPF Manantiales), and the first deals of the Renovar Programme (El Corti and La Castellana), which paved the way for many other projects.

Brazil marked also an important milestone in which he embarked in the development of water and sanitation PPPs (such as BRK Ambiental) and designed an innovative product to develop the debentures market such as the first IDB Total Credit Guaranty for the Atlantic project.

Trillo has explored the development of the IDB Invest anchoring of bond issuances, which proved to be a very useful and flexible product in the development of capital markets in the Colombia toll-road programme (Rumichaca-Pasto and Pamplona-Cucuta). The role performed there by Rafael as head of the Andean region in the development of the 4G programme was instrumental.

One of the key transactions which deserve special recognition is the work he performed in making Puerto Antioquia a reality.

Judges said of Trillo: “He has a great track record,” and “Rafa has been a driving force for a lot of IDBI's success over the years. He has pushed forward complex and innovative financing structures and should be acknowledged for this great work!”