Lea Giménez

Lea Giménez (born 1981) is a Paraguayan economist and the former finance minister of Paraguay. She was the first woman to hold the position and the youngest person to ever hold the position of finance minister in Latin America. She currently serves as Executive Advisor to the President of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF). She has an outstanding professional career in both the public and private sectors. She has served as Secretary General and Chief of the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic of Paraguay, and Deputy Minister of Economy, being also the first woman to hold these positions.
Giménez led the preparation of President Santiago Peña's government plan for the 2023-2028 period and was the Head of the Transition Team for President-elect Santiago Peña. As Chief of the Civil Cabinet of the Presidency of the Republic of Paraguay, she was responsible for coordinating, managing, and overseeing policy development, operations, and Cabinet-related decisions for the President. Additionally, she was in charge of structuring and leading the Presidency’s Management Unit, which oversees the government’s strategic and flagship projects and programs. These initiatives include the development and implementation of the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, strategic infrastructure projects, the Che Roga Pora housing program, the digitalization of the public health sector with the support of the Republic of China Taiwan, and the design and execution of key projects such as SUMAR and Zero Hunger in Schools.
As Minister of Finance, she chaired the National Economic Team and established and chaired the Technical Tax Commission of Paraguay. She also led the signing of the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, positioning Paraguay as the 119th jurisdiction to adopt this instrument aimed at improving transparency and combating cross-border tax evasion. Giménez also spearheaded the development of Paraguay’s first comprehensive tax reform package, which was approved in 2019. The reform modernized the tax system, addressed tax evasion, promoted financial transparency, and generated funds for key sectors such as health, education, and infrastructure without increasing tax rates. She also led the Excellence Fund for Education in Paraguay and the National Financial Inclusion Strategy Commission.
She also played a strategic role as a member of the Board of Directors of the Itaipú Binational Entity during a period when Paraguay achieved an important and beneficial tariff agreement for a period of three years. Internationally, she was Division Chief of the Institutions for Development Sector at the Inter-American Development Bank, leading the agendas of Citizen Security and Justice, Public Management, State Digital Transformation, and Transparency and Integrity. In addition, she worked as an economist in the Global Poverty and Macro-Fiscal Practices at the World Bank in countries across Latin America, the Caribbean, and South Asia. She was an honorary member of the Board of Directors of the Open Contracting Partnership and an Adjunct Professor at Lehigh University.
Giménez holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Lehigh University (Pennsylvania). Her doctoral thesis ("Shocks and the Opportunities of Children") received the Elizabeth Stout Dissertation Award, given to doctoral theses considered to make unusually significant and original contributions to their field. She also has executive training from Harvard University and Columbia University. In 2022, she was included in the list of inspiring women by the World Commerce and Contracting.