BIOPHILIA was founded by Marco Vernaschi, Guadalupe Aguirre, Eduardo Arzani and Julieta Zucchini.
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Marco Vernaschi
President and Founder
Marco Vernaschi has an Academic Degree in Communication Sciences from the European Institute of Design (IED Turin, Italy) and a solid background in international economy and marketing strategies. He developed a successful career as a communication specialist and consultant, working for over 15 years in South America, Africa and Asia as a journalist and photographer. He contributes to several mainstream media outlets such as the National Geographic Magazine, TIME, GEO and The Sunday Times Magazine, among others, having his work awarded by prestigious organizations such as the Word Press Photo (2010). Marco is a contributor for the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting (Washington D.C., USA) for which he developed an awareness campaign on Maternal Health in West Africa (2009), an investigation on Narcoterrorism in Guinea-Bissau (2009) and exposed Organs Trade in Uganda (2010). In 2012 he was enlisted among the Ambassadors of Italian Excellence, after participating to the 54th Venice Biennale. Since 2005 Marco moved from Italy to Argentina, where he started the BIOPHILIA Foundation (2014) of which he’s the permanent President and Executive Director.
Guadalupe Aguirre
Secretary General and Co-founder
Guadalupe has an Academic Degree in Political Science from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and Master Degree in Local Development (University of San Martin/Universidad Autónoma of Madrid) with extended experience in sustainable project design and management. She previously worked with the Fundación Compromiso, focusing on local development programs and institutional projects, and currently specializes in the evaluation and management of social projects. Guadalupe´s expertise and consolidated experience within private and public institutions, such as the National Ministry of Agriculture, are essential to the BIOPHILIA Foundation of which she is the co-founder and Secretary General and where she works as a Projects Director.
Eduardo Arzani
Treasurer and Co-founder
Eduardo has an Academic Degree in International Commerce (UADE, Argentina) and an Expertise in Logistics (Houston, USA). He’s the Director of OICEX (Observatorio Iberoamericano de Comercio Exterior) and has a wide experience as a Member of the Inter-American Chamber of Commerce (Houston, USA). He worked as a Deputy Secretary of Logistics and International Commerce in the Province of Chubut (2007), and in 2009 he devoted himself to the administration of the Province of Chubut as Minister of International Commerce and Tourism (2009-11), and subsequently as Minister of Production (2012-13). Shortly after resigning as a General Director of the House of Chubut in Buenos Aires (2013-14), Eduardo Arzani joined the BIOPHILIA Foundation as co-founder and Treasurer. He currently contributes to our projects as Director of Institutional Relations.
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BOARD of SPECIALISTS
Maria Marta Facchinelli
Fashion Specialist
Maria Marta Facchinelli is a brilliant Argentine fashion designer with an academic degree in Fashion Business from Parsons, the New School for Design ( New York , USA ). Before developing her own label and having her collections featured in Vogue, ELLE, WWD and Bazaar Japan, Maria worked for some of the most prestigious brands of Argentina. Her activity and vision led her to effectively develop sustainable practices in fashion production and design, often researching within Latin America’s multifaceted culture. Since 2012, Maria started to work with a few groups of women in Argentina and Peru, on the creation of handmade collections in support of the communities. Maria contributes to BIOPHILIA’s textile projects as a Fashion Specialist.
Ana Paula Caruso
Export & Logistics Specialist
Ana has an Academic Degree in International Relations from UNICEN (Tandil, Argentina) and is pursuing a Master Degree in Development and International Relations. She started her career by developing the export process for an agribusiness firm in Argentina. Since then she has gained valuable experience in foreign commerce and agribusiness working for different companies in Europe and the USA. With a passion for the non for profit sector, Ana has complemented her professional career working for a diverse range of organizations in fields of immigration (International Rescue Committee) and sustainable agriculture (Semilla Nueva). Ana is currently living in the US and she’s based in Boise, Idaho. She contributes to BIOPHILIA as Export and Logistics Specialist for the US market.
Catalina Arzani
Cultural Events Manager
Catalina is a bright History and Business of Art student of the University of Salvador (USAL). She previously worked in major Art and Design fairs such as arteBA, Expotrastiendas and Puro Diseño, and has a promising future in Arts Management, in the related areas of contemporary visual arts. Catalina has worked with the Argentinian Curator and Art Consultant Laura Batkis, and volunteers in the Young Members Committee at the Museum of Modern Art of Buenos Aires (MAMBA) and in the Argentinian Federation of Friends of Museums (FADAM). She’s currently delving into a series of independent curatorial projects, and joined BIOPHILIA as Cultural Events Manager.
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BIOPHILIA CONSORTIA - REGIONAL DIRECTORS
Normán Hugo OSEDO
Regional Director – Northwestern Consortium
Hugo has a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the European Business School (Escuela Europea de Negocios – Madrid, España) and an Academic Degree in Business Management from the Catholic University of Córdoba (UCC – Cordoba, Argentina) among other academic degrees. Through the past years, he developed a wide experience as a Chief Project Officer coordinating and supervising a variety of programs in the Northwestern region where he’s currently based and where he works as a General Coordinator of the Asociación Warmi Sayajsunqo, also known as Warmi, the internationally renowned Argentine NGO founded by Rosario Quispe in 1995. Beside coordinating the aboriginal communities of the Andean Altiplano affiliated to Warmi, Hugo developed a set of projects fostering social equity and the sustainable development of rural economies throughout the whole Northwestern region, where he also teaches Socio-Economy and Local Development at the University of Salta and Jujuy . Hugo joined the BIOPHILIA Foundation as the Regional Director of the Northwestern Consortium.