While collaboration is essential, it’s also complex. It pushes us to think differently about how change happens. We’re not just designing technical solutions; we’re creating new frameworks for organizations to work together effectively—whether that’s creating shared measurement systems to track collective impact or establishing governance structures that balance multiple stakeholders’ needs.”

Fabiola Salman is a Partner and the leader of Dalberg’s Latin America practice, based in Mexico City. Her work focuses on the intersection of equity and inclusion, climate change, and economic development. She provides advice to a wide range of institutions on strategies to scale their impact. Recent projects include supporting the global expansion of regenerative agriculture, designing a financial facility to promote sustainable landscapes, developing a public–private action plan for the circular economy in Mexico City, and creating financing models to accelerate the transition to electric mobility.

Before joining Dalberg, Fabiola was a Principal at Kearney, where she advised clients on their growth, market entry, and innovation strategies. In addition to her work at Dalberg, Fabiola serves as an independent board member and on the investment committee of an impact investment fund. Fabiola holds an MBA from Yale School of Management and a Bachelor’s in Industrial Design from Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey. She has also undertaken studies in International Development at New York University.

In this interview, Fabiola Salman shares her insights on addressing systemic challenges in food systems, advancing gender equity in Latin America, leveraging technology for social impact, and fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders to drive sustainable change.

1. You have done a lot of work in regenerative agriculture. How do you approach food systems as a lever for addressing interconnected global challenges?

An important part of my work at Dalberg has centered on food systems. I see them as this critical intersection of our biggest global challenges—climate change, public health, and economic inequality. Food systems serve as a unique lever where targeted interventions can unlock change across multiple systems simultaneously—improving public health through better nutrition, enhancing climate resilience through sustainable agricultural practices, and driving economic development through stronger rural livelihoods.

For instance, we’re partnering with a global food and beverage company to refine its strategy for improving livelihoods throughout its agricultural value chain. This includes addressing the overall income of farmers and farm workers, with a specific focus on empowering women. By combining economic empowerment with sustainable practices, we’re developing solutions that not only benefit the environment but also uplift the communities at the core of these systems.

I’m particularly focused on bringing the farmer livelihood perspective to discussions about regenerative agriculture. While discussions often focus on carbon sequestration and soil health, my experience has shown that achieving zero-emissions agriculture requires us to simultaneously enable zero-poverty agriculture.

2. How does Dalberg facilitate collaboration among diverse stakeholders to address systemic challenges in food systems, and what are the key considerations for ensuring these partnerships succeed?

Food systems perfectly demonstrate why today’s challenges demand more than single-organization efforts.  I’ve seen this firsthand in our work with sugarcane workers in Mexico, where we’re supporting a collective action initiative that brings together multiple brands collaborating in a pre-competitive way along with processors and technical advisors.

While collaboration is essential, it’s also complex. It pushes us to think differently about how change happens. We’re not just designing technical solutions; we’re creating new frameworks for organizations to work together effectively—whether that’s developing data-sharing protocols that protect competitive interests or establishing governance structures that balance multiple stakeholders’ needs.

3. Beyond your work with corporates, how have you supported the private philanthropy ecosystem to respond to complex challenges?

The philanthropic sector in Mexico is undergoing a significant transformation. We’re seeing local organizations really challenge traditional approaches as they recognize that addressing complex social challenges requires new ways of working.

We’ve been fortunate to partner with several Mexican foundations that are actively rethinking everything from their investment models to how they share decision-making power with communities. In a recent engagement, we collaborated with a leading philanthropic organization in Latin America to transition their efforts toward a more systemic approach. The organization reorganized around causes rather than funding mechanisms, integrated their previously separate grant and investment activities, and strengthened their impact measurement and learning practices. This transformation enables them to achieve more sustainable outcomes for their target communities. The ecosystem needs a diversity of players and strategies. Some organizations are exploring impact investing, others are focused on participatory grantmaking, and still others are building collective impact initiatives. We help each organization find their unique role based on their strengths, risk appetite, and organizational culture.

4. As the leader of Dalberg’s Latin America practice, what changes have you observed towards gender equity in the region?

The gender equality landscape in Latin America reflects a complex paradox. While we’ve seen significant advances in human rights and legal frameworks, persistent economic and social gaps remind us that formal equality does not automatically translate into substantive equality.

I’ve had the opportunity to work on some truly transformative initiatives that tackle these structural barriers. One example that stands out is the SIDICU program in Bogotá (Sistema Distrital de Cuidado), which has redefined how cities can approach gender inequality. SIDICU redefined the urban care infrastructure by establishing comprehensive care centers that reduce the unpaid care burden disproportionately carried by women. These centers not only alleviate caregiving responsibilities but also provide women with access to education, job training, and economic opportunities. To date, the program has reached over 1.5 million women, demonstrating how targeted infrastructure investments can drive economic empowerment and social equity.

Projects like SIDICU illustrate how addressing local needs—such as the burden of unpaid care work—can also catalyze broader systemic change. By integrating services and focusing on empowering women, this initiative shows how urban development can directly contribute to reducing inequality while providing scalable models for other cities.

5. Innovation is central to Dalberg’s work. How are you currently leveraging new technologies or innovative approaches in your projects to maximize social impact in sectors like health, education, and employment?

At Dalberg, we’ve been actively exploring how to leverage the rapid advances in AI for social change; while ensuring it’s deployed in an equitable, ethical, and inclusive way. This mindset is critical as we witness two parallel stories unfolding in Latin America—one where AI could dramatically improve access to quality education and healthcare in rural areas, and another where existing inequalities are being reinforced by infrastructure gaps, unequal access, and digital illiteracy.

What I find most critical in my work is ensuring we’re intentional about which version of the future we’re building toward. This means being proactive about three key factors: who’s developing the technology, who can access it, and how it’s being deployed. At Dalberg, we’re particularly focused on broadening the conversation around technological development to include more diverse voices and perspectives, especially from communities that are typically underrepresented but will be significantly impacted by these changes. The reality is that technological change feels inevitable, but its direction isn’t—and that direction depends on the decisions we make as a society today. This is why our work at Dalberg prioritizes inclusive innovation to shape a better future for all.

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