Mission
To strengthen the capacities of Latin America and the Caribbean to help define the transition of shipping, integrating regional realities and priorities with decarbonization, competitiveness and development.
Proteus is a regional platform for knowledge, public policy and capacity building, dedicated to integrating maritime decarbonization with competitiveness, energy, trade and development in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Latin America and the Caribbean has strategic ports and energy potential, but needs to strengthen its capacity to influence the rules of global shipping.
Latin America and the Caribbean is highly exposed to maritime trade and has strategic ports and clean energy resources, but its technical capacities are fragmented. The IMO is moving forward with new rules, and much of the analysis the region relies on comes from the Global North. Proteus was created to change that: an independent, technically rigorous regional platform, from and for the region, connected with international actors.
The region in numbers
80%
Of world trade in goods, by volume, is carried by sea.
UNCTAD, cited in ECLAC, FAL Bulletin 414 · 2025
13%
Of global maritime cargo is loaded in Latin America and the Caribbean.
UNCTAD, Review of Maritime Transport · 2022
USD 55 bn
In public and private investment needed in the region's ports by 2040.
CAF · 2018
Vision
By 2035, Latin America and the Caribbean actively helps define the transition of global shipping, with its own recognized voice in the international debate, and turns the opportunities of decarbonization into capabilities, solutions and value for the region.
Values
Regional identity
The region, its diversity and its interests are at the heart of Proteus's work.
Technical integrity
Our work is grounded in evidence, analytical rigor, transparency and intellectual integrity.
Independence
Proteus protects its freedom to generate knowledge and exercise judgment without undue outside influence.
Principles that guide us
- Commitment to decarbonization and technological openness
- Evidence-based climate ambition
- Transparency and explicit uncertainty
- Analytical independence
- Environmental integrity
- Participation and fair distribution of impacts
- Regional diversity and realities
- Strengthening regional capacities
Every project is carried out with local partners, so that analytical capacity stays in the region.
Governance
Proteus has a Board of Directors that brings together regional balance, cross-sector participation and strategic influence. Its members serve in a personal capacity; their institutional affiliations are listed for reference only.
Three advisory councils — private sector, technical-academic and civil society — bring rigor and diverse perspectives, and help connect analysis with market conditions and project implementation. The technical-academic council is made up mainly of researchers and institutions from the region.
Team and board
Leonardo BeltránShow bio
Founding Director
Leonardo Beltrán is a Mexican expert in energy, transition and public policy with more than 20 years of experience. He served as Mexico's Deputy Secretary for Energy Planning and Transition and has held international leadership positions. He specializes in decarbonization, competitiveness and regional cooperation, and is currently the Founding Director of Proteus.
LinkedInCamilo PericoShow bio
Director of Research, Development and Implementation
LinkedInTania MirandaShow bio
Board Chair
ClimateWorks Foundation
Tania Miranda is Senior Manager for Shipping at ClimateWorks Foundation, where she drives port decarbonization and grows the portfolio in emerging economies. She previously led the Environment and Climate Change program at the Institute of the Americas, where she launched its sustainable shipping initiative, after six years in Mexico's federal government.
LinkedInJorge DuránShow bio
Board Member
OAS, Inter-American Committee on Ports
Jorge Durán has been Secretary of the OAS Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP) since 2013. He has worked at the OAS since 2003, where he was Head of the Office of Science, Technology and Innovation. For almost 40 years he has worked with governments and the private sector on development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.
LinkedInNelson MojarroShow bio
Board Member
International Chamber of Shipping (ICS)
Nelson Mojarro is an international executive in energy transition and innovation with 25 years of global experience across government, industry and multilateral organizations. He currently leads Energy and Innovation Strategy at the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and coordinates CEM-Hubs, specializing in decarbonization, alternative fuels and climate finance.
LinkedInAykut I. OlcerShow bio
Board Member
LinkedInAndrés RebolledoShow bio
Board Member
OLACDE
Andrés Rebolledo Smitmans is Executive Secretary of the Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE), re-elected for the 2026–2029 term. With more than 30 years of experience, he has held senior positions in the energy sector, international economic relations and multilateral organizations. He is an economist from the University of Chile.
LinkedInJorge Rivera StaffShow bio
Board Member
KilowattiA
Jorge Rivera Staff was Panama's National Secretary of Energy and Minister of Commerce and Industries. He is CEO and partner of KilowattiA, an AI-driven energy efficiency startup. With more than 25 years of experience, he has been a consultant to the World Bank and a Senior Fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue. He holds a Doctorate in Law from the Complutense University of Madrid.
LinkedIn
