Mariela Machado Fantacchiotti

Focus Areas: Technology, Innovation, and Social Impact

Mariela Machado is an experienced executive with more than two decades of leadership at the intersection of technology, social innovation, sustainability, and public policy. Throughout her career, she has worked across the private, public, nonprofit, and academic sectors, leading global initiatives that leverage technology to address complex societal and environmental challenges while driving measurable impact.

Mariela holds a dual degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB) in Caracas, Venezuela, and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) in Barcelona, Spain. She also earned a Master’s in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) from UPC and a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) in Development Practice from Columbia University.

Currently, Mariela serves as the Senior Director of Technology for Social Impact & Sustainability at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). In this role, she leads global programs that harness the power of technology for social and environmental impact across the 190 countries where IEEE operates. She also supports IEEE’s global network of over 500,000 engineers and technologists, helping to design best practices and frameworks that guide the application of technology for social good to achieve positive impact. 

Before joining IEEE, Mariela served as Director of Programs at Newlab, a Brooklyn-based innovation hub focused on advancing emerging technologies through public-private partnerships. She led Newlab’s Ethical AI portfolio designing and leading collaborative programs that connected cutting-edge research and technology startups with corporations, governments, and public-sector stakeholders to develop responsible, scalable, and socially impactful solutions in the responsible AI space. She also played a key role in shaping and executing the organization’s Latin America expansion strategy where she established and launched Newlab’s Uruguay hub and supported the development of strategic initiatives across the region, including partnerships and programs in Colombia and other Latin American markets. Newlab’s ecosystem included partnerships with leading organizations such as Verizon, Globant, Mercado Libre, Ford, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation, among others. 

Mariela also held a senior leadership role at ASME & Engineering for Change, where she supported global technology-for-development initiatives in Africa, India, and Latin America. She built and scaled research programs, managing over 138 engineers, designers, and architects to deliver 72 research reports for 80 clients worldwide. These reports provided critical insights that shaped technology for social good and sustainability strategies for organizations such as the EPA, World Bank, Norwegian Refugee Council, National Renewable Energy Lab, Autodesk, UNHCR, Habitat for Humanity, and Save the Children, among others. 

Earlier in her career, Mariela spent nearly a decade in the telecommunications industry, leading the deployment of hardware, software, and AI infrastructure. Her experience includes managing connectivity and data infrastructure projects, large-scale IoT deployments, and SMS and satellite TV expansions, giving her a comprehensive understanding of corporate technology operations and high-level program management. 

In addition to her professional roles, Mariela is a faculty member at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where she teaches the course "Emerging Digital Tech for Impact." She also advises capstone projects that explore the intersection of digital technology and policy, guiding students in collaboration with international organizations on projects in countries such as Malawi, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. The latest capstones have included digital transformation in Kosovo for UNDP, AI for climate change for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and GenAI for cities for UNDP. 

Mariela’s expertise has been featured in prominent publications and media outlets. She co-authored a report with Jeffrey Sachs on the role of ICTs in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), presented at the World Economic Forum in Africa. Her research on Cuban internet access was highlighted in Foreign Affairs and CNN en Español. 

Fluent in five languages—Spanish, English, French, Swedish, and Italian—Mariela brings a truly global perspective to her work, continuously striving to bridge the gap between technology and sustainable development for a better future.

Education

• MPA in Development Practice, Columbia University
• MSc in Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC)
• Telecommunications Engineer, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya and Universidad Catolica Andres Bello.