Rodrigo Garcia is a highly analytical and detail-focused C-level finance executive with proven leadership ability in financial services including corporate finance, institutional asset management and sustainable/impact investing. This includes 20+ years of progressive leadership experience directing investment stewardship, new product development, full lifecycle project management, and banking, payments and financial operations.
Industry leaders turn to Garcia to lead organizations with complex business activities and/or in need of transformational change, financial and investment expertise, technology innovation and new product development, corporate strategy & venture capital, and ESG. Garcia is an insightful lifelong learner and authentic leader with high emotional intelligence building meaningful relationships bringing teams together with diverse views and skills driving organizational growth, profitability, and sustainability within fast-paced environments.
Garcia is the global chief financial officer and U.S. president for Talipot*Holdings, a global investment enterprise and multinational conglomerate holding company with dozens of controlling and non-controlling investments across various sectors and industries. Executive leadership of investment, banking and financial operations including P&L leadership, corporate strategy, and various enterprise systems/processes. Executive, Finance and Investment committees.
Garcia is the former deputy state treasurer and chief investment officer for the 5th largest economy in the U.S., the State of Illinois. Serving in that role from 2015 to 2021, Garcia directed the Illinois treasury’s combined $52 billion investment portfolios, $275 billion in related banking operations and payment services, and a $3.2 billion agency budget and financial reporting unit.
He also held roles for BeDoWin360 Capital, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc., the United States Marine Corps and has served as the Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs and as a member of the Illinois Cabinet.
Garcia is an Adjunct Professor in Public Finance at Northwestern University and is a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP®), an Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®), and holds SASB’s ESG credential. He is a frequent contributor to financial innovation, corporate governance, executive leadership, and the capital markets.
Garcia holds an undergraduate degree with a major in finance from Northeastern Illinois University, two post-graduate degrees, one with a focus in finance from the University of Illinois and one with a focus in public policy from Northwestern University and has also completed a senior executive program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Garcia sits as an independent director on the corporate board of Latino Media Network, Inc, and as an affiliated director on the corporate boards of Canela Media, Inc. and Neurocytonix, Inc. He also chairs the investment committee at Angeles Investors, chairs the investment committee for the endowment at Northeastern Illinois University, and serves on the investment committee for the endowment at Leadership Greater Chicago. He previously served as the treasurer on the board of directors for the Thirty Percent Investor Coalition, on the investment committee for the endowment at Youth Guidance/Becoming a Man and is the chairman emeritus of Student Veterans of America.
Garcia is a member of the Latino Corporate Directors Association, Private Directors Association, the Milken Institute Global Capital Markets Group, and the Aspen Institute’s Global Finance Leaders.