Ricardo brings more than 25 years of international finance and leadership experience in both the private and public sectors. He leads Palladium's business in the Americas, with a focus on finance and investment, market systems, private sector engagement, and business transformation.

Prior to joining Palladium, Ricardo served as Managing Director of FHI Partners, a subsidiary of FHI 360, as well as Executive Vice President of AMEX International, Inc., an international development consulting firm. He was a presidential appointee in the Obama Administration to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where he was responsible for public-private partnerships and played a catalytic role in the launch of the U.S. Global Development Lab. He also directed the Office of Innovation and Development Alliances (IDEA) and served as Senior Advisor for economic growth and trade in the Africa Bureau.

Before serving with USAID, Ricardo spent several years structuring project finance transactions at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. He served as a Senior Trade and Investment Advisor for the U.S. African Development Foundation and was instrumental in establishing the foundation’s trade and investment initiative for small and medium enterprises. Ricardo has worked as an investment banker for J.P. Morgan Securities and began his career as a certified public accountant.