Board Member
Mrs. Laury Melo de Alfaro is a Panamanian business leader with over 40 years of experience in the areas of human talent management, process optimization and strengthening of corporate governance and sustainability, with special emphasis on gender equality and equity issues.
She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer and Director of Human Resources and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of Grupo Melo’s Corporate Group. She is a member of Grupo Melo’s Board of Directors, and participates in the Executive Compensation and Human Resources Committee of the Board of Directors. Furthermore, she is a member of the Executive Committee, Credit Committee, CSR and Sustainability Committee, and Gender Equality Committee of Grupo Melo’s Corporate Group.
For over 20 years she has coordinated the negotiating team responsible for Grupo Melo’s collective bargaining agreements.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from Purdue University, Indiana, USA. She also holds an Executive MBA in People Management and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration with emphasis in Marketing from ADEN Business School and Francisco De Vitoria University.
In her corporate role, she has strengthened Grupo Melo’s sustainability strategy, integrating it into the business model, and, from an institutional perspective, she has led organizations and programs aimed at promoting CSR in Panama, acting as one of the founders and also a member of the Board of Directors of the United Nations Global Compact Network in Panama. Since 2009, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of SUMARSE.
She is a member of the National Association of Human Resources Professionals of Panama [Asociación Nacional de Profesionales de Recursos Humanos de Panamá (ANREH)] and its Advisory Board, as well as an associate member of the Panamanian Association of Women Directors [Asociación Directoras de Panamá (ADP)].
She is also a member of the Caravan of Social Assistance, Diplomatic and Panamanian Ladies [Caravana de Asistencia Social, Damas Diplomáticas y Panameñas] and has participated in its Board of Directors.
She took office as a member of the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal Authority on March 29, 2022.
