We are pleased to announce that Dr. Jaana Remes has joined the Latin America Advisor’s board of advisors.

She is an economist and a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), McKinsey & Company’s business and economics research arm, based in San Francisco.

Since 2003, Remes has led MGI’s research on urbanization, productivity, competitiveness and growth. Her latest research maps the deployment of smart city solutions and sizes the potential benefits to urban citizens’ health, safety, commute times and other factors impacting quality of life.

Remes leads MGI’s Urban World research series that includes mapping of economic power of cities, identifying global consumer groups shaping global demand and mapping of the global company landscape, as well as the patterns of urban growth across the Americas. Her long-term research interests also include productivity prospects in the digital age, global growth prospects in an era of demographic decline, analyses of how different policies have contributed to industry competitiveness and growth; as well as in-depth assessments of the barriers to competitiveness and growth across a range of economies, including the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden and South Korea.

She has led MGI’s research on energy, with a focus on understanding the microeconomic underpinnings of global energy demand and the opportunity to reduce energy consumption through higher energy productivity. She advises global business and government leaders on related topics and frequently contributes to policy debates through articles and conference presentations.

Remes has a Ph.D. on applied economies from Stanford University and an MSc degree in economics and philosophy from the University of Helsinki, Finland. She is a nonresident senior fellow at the Strategic Foresight Initiative of the Atlantic Council. She also serves on the Board of directors of Girl Scouts Heart of Central California.

The Latin America Advisor features Q&A with leaders in politics, economics, and finance every business day. The publication is available to members of the Dialogue’s Corporate Program and others by subscription.