Gina Maldonado

Gina Maldonado is a social impact leader with over 15 years of experience in project management, social entrepreneurship, and public policy across the Americas. She designs and manages international initiatives in economic development and women’s entrepreneurship, with a focus on people-centered ocean governance, blue economy, and community development. Her international experience spans Peru, Mexico, El Salvador, Ecuador, Canada, Guatemala, Chile, Panama, Spain, the USA, and the Caribbean.

She is the Founder and Managing Director of Bluence, a UN Ocean Decade-endorsed initiative and nominee for the Peace Boat Ocean Literacy Award, advancing a blue economy rooted in communities and women’s leadership. Through Bluence Ventures, a profit-for-purpose social enterprise consultancy, and Bluence Sostenible, a nonprofit, Bluence works at the intersection of sustainability, storytelling, ocean governance, and citizen engagement, partnering with organizations across 7+ countries and 3 continents. Through Bluence, she serves as an ocean literacy partner to the UNESCO Blue Schools Global Network and participated in the Calypso Expedition, combining field-based ocean experience with educational coordination across the Caribbean.

Previously, as Chief Operating Officer at Escala Initiative, Gina led the design, delivery, and growth of an eight-month capacity-building program for women entrepreneurs from low-income communities in Peru and Mexico. Since 2019, more than 3,000 entrepreneurs have received scholarships through Escala Business School, which combines training, market access, and seed capital. During her tenure, the initiative expanded operations across 8 Latin American countries, was awarded a grant by the U.S. State Department’s Empower Innovation Challenge (2023), and reduced scholarship cost per student by 50% while maintaining quality. She also managed finances in both countries and supervised a multicultural team of 35+ staff, trainers, and facilitators.

Her career spans multilateral organizations, the private sector, and government, where she has managed over US$4 million in program budgets and led initiatives supporting more than 17,000 entrepreneurs and individuals throughout Latin America. She has worked with the UN World Food Programme, IDB, USAID, and APEC, as well as initiatives supported by the U.S. Department of State, Goldman Sachs Foundation, Walmart Foundation, Cisco, Mastercard, and the German Red Cross. In the public sector, she played a key role at the Ministry of Production of Peru, where she led the nationwide launch of the country’s first business development services platform for entrepreneurs. She has also designed digital transformation projects in Latin America and developed a digital roadmap for financial inclusion in microfinance institutions.

Gina holds a Master of Public Policy from McGill University, where she was awarded the Peruvian Presidential Scholarship for Academic and Career Excellence and the Max Bell Entrance Scholarship. Her academic journey spans Peru, Spain, Argentina, Austria, and Canada, complementing her BA in Business Management with a Social Management major from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and diplomas in Project Management and Smart Cities.

She serves on the Steering Committee of U.S. Early Career Ocean Professionals and is a member of Catalyst Now, Global Entrepreneurship Network, OceanExpert, Women in Ocean Science, Women’s Aquatic Network, Women4Oceans, Ocean Culture Life, BlueInvest Community, Whale Guardians, Caribbean Cetacean Society, and the International Public Policy Association. She has also held leadership roles at McGill’s Public Policy Graduate Association, McGill Women in Leadership, PUCP’s Alumni network, and the Innovation and Impact Network.