Carolina Fuentes Castellanos
Carolina Fuentes Castellanos is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in sustainable development, climate policy and climate fi nance. She has been serving as the inaugural Director of the Santiago network secretariat since November 2024. Her career has spanned national and international levels, including a decade-long tenure at the Green Climate Fund (GCF), where she played a pivotal role in its establishment and in shaping its operations.
As Director of the Division of Country Programming, Carolina fostered strong relationships with developing countries and stakeholders, and oversaw the GCF's Readiness Program, the world's largest capacity-building initiative for climate action. She formerly served as Secretary to the Board and Head of Governance Affairs, where she supported the GCF's Board decision-making process, the engagement with other funds, and GCF responsiveness to the UNFCCC COP. Prior to this, Carolina held senior positions in the Mexican government, including Deputy Director General for International Cooperation and Director for Climate Change at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. In these capacities, she played a leading role in Mexico's multilateral climate policy and represented the country in climate change negotiations.
She is known for her empathetic leadership and her passionate advocacy for local climate action. Carolina holds a Master’s degree in Nature, Society, and Environmental Policy from the University of Oxford, and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She is married and the proud mother of three.
