Twenty years after its founding, VIVA Trust, the productive-philanthropic organization founded by Stephan Schmidheiny, has left an indelible mark in the contribution to multidimensional sustainability in Latin America, being part of thousands of productive projects and social and environmental impact of relevance. Today VIVA Trust, through an official statement, announces a change in the governance of the organization that promises to maintain its positive impact oriented management.
On June 30, 2024, Roberto Artavia Loría will step down as president of VIVA Trust and Sean McKaughan, current president of Fundación Avina, will take over as president on July 1, 2024.
Roberto Artavia Loría has been a key figure in the governance of VIVA Trust since its founding, having served as the Foundation’s protector and then its president. Now, Roberto is stepping down after 16 years of exemplary leadership due to his retirement and to devote himself to personal projects. Sean McKaughan, with extensive experience at Fundación Avina, will take over as president, promising to continue and expand the legacy of innovation and sustainability of the VIVA Ecosystem, led by VIVA Trust.
The release also announced that on June 30, 2024, Roberto will simultaneously step down as president of Fundación MarViva, Fundación VIVA Idea and his position as Protector of Fundación AVINA, all organizations of the VIVA Ecosystem.
However, he will maintain his position as President of the Board of Directors of INCAE, and as Strategic Advisor at Universidad Privada Boliviana and Lead University, as well as on the Boards of Directors of some of the non-profit organizations in which he also serves today.
During his presidency, AVINA has continued to be the main philanthropic arm of VIVA Trust, with a remarkable impact on issues essential to the multidimensional sustainability of Latin America, In addition, during this period, three fundamental organizations of Schmidheiny’s legacy in the region were incorporated into the VIVA Ecosystem: FUNDES, an organization that promotes the full development of micro and small enterprises in the region since 1984; MarViva Foundation, which has been protecting the biodiversity and marine-coastal sustainability of Latin America’s Eastern Middle Pacific since 2003; and VIVA Idea Foundation, an organization founded in 2008 to document, preserve and distribute the knowledge created in these organizations and the thousands of projects they have supported throughout the region.
All of these organizations have generated important contributions in their areas of work. In addition, Grupo Nueva, the productive arm of VIVA Trust continues to manage its productive investments in MASISA, with a clear focus on triple-bottom-line management and focused on creating value for its customers and shareholders.
During his presidency, Roberto led important sustainability initiatives and left an indelible mark on the management of philanthropic and productive organizations through the VIVA Ecosystem. Sean’s addition is eagerly anticipated, as he is expected to bring his creativity and experience to strengthen the VIVA model and expand its impact in the region.
VIVA Trust is grateful for Roberto Artavia’s work and commitment for so many years of dedication and leadership of the conglomerate of organizations and warmly welcomes Sean to his new position in the Ecosystem.
Roberto Artavia’s impact in the region goes far beyond the VIVA Ecosystem and extends to multiple organizations, companies, groups, governments and institutions in numerous Latin American countries that have received his contributions of various kinds, always placing the sustainability of the region as a cross-cutting guide to generate an improvement in social progress.