Infosys Topaz™ AI Conversations: Santiago Chapter

Alfonso Barraza San Martín is the CEO and founding partner of Acacio Procurement projects and Services. With over eighteen years of experience leading IT, technology, and business areas, Alfonso has a robust background in project management, procurement, and business intelligence. He holds an engineering degree in Computer Science from Universidad Diego Portales, a diploma in Data Management, and a Master’s in Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María. Alfonso is certified in PMO-CP® and CPSM®, with specializations in Business Intelligence, Project Management Offices (PMO), and Strategic Procurement Management.

Alfonso has played key roles in national and international companies across technology, construction, and mining sectors, including consulting for major mining firms such as CODELCO, Anglo American, BHP Billiton, Antofagasta Minerals, and Xstrata Cooper. He is also a university professor in information technology, strategic procurement, supply chain, and business analytics. Notably, Alfonso served as Past President of the Project Management Institute (PMI) Santiago Chile Chapter, and currently acts as Social Impact Coordinator for PMI International at the Santiago Chapter. His leadership and expertise have made significant contributions to the advancement of project management and procurement practices in Chile and beyond.

Kenneth Pugh Olavarría, Senator of the Republic of Chile. Retired Vice Admiral of the Chilean Navy. He has been part of the RN (National Renewal) senators’ caucus as an independent since March 2018. Member and Past President of the Senate’s National Defense Committee and the Security Committee. He has also served on the Senate’s Economy Committee and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Committee. He was the promoter of the Cybersecurity Month Law in October (Law 21,113) and of multiple pieces of legislation on Security, Defense, Digital Transformation, Personal Data Protection, and the new Cybersecurity Framework Law.

He is a Naval Electronic Engineer and holds a Master’s degree in Naval and Maritime Sciences with a specialization in Strategy.

Ph.D. in Modeling and Simulation, University of Central Florida, Orlando, USA; Master's in Science in Industrial Engineering; Polytechnic Engineer. He served as Head of the Research and Development Department of the Army, designed, and directed the Modeling and Simulation Center to support decision-making processes and system acquisition in the Army. Simultaneously, he has taught at universities and conducted private consulting in process simulation for optimization in transportation, agriculture, hospitals, among others.

In the government sector, he has developed research projects for the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Energy. Internationally, he has led technological projects carried out with the U.S. Army and Mercosur countries.

Nationally, he has developed FONDEF projects with the Pontifical Catholic University and the Catholic University of the North. During his teaching career, he has been recognized as the best professor in the Faculty of Engineering and as an excellent educator. He has supervised over fifty undergraduate theses and master's dissertations. His research areas include discrete process simulation, Simulation-Based Acquisition, graph theory, system dynamics, simulators for training and decision-making. Currently, he is the Director of the Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program and teaches at Universidad de los Andes in courses such as discrete process simulation, statistics, and decision theory. At the National Academy of Political and Strategic Studies (ANEPE), he directs the Diploma in Complex Decision-Making, conducting research in Simulation and Generative Artificial Intelligence.

Executive with more than 20 years of experience supporting business transformation and innovation through technological and digital initiatives in various industries, such as retail, mass consumption, real estate management and construction, agribusiness, utilities and education. Developing a wide range of roles in Strategic IT Management, Project Management, Innovation and leading high-performance IT teams, seeking that IT becomes an enabler or partner of the business. With a track record of recognized achievements in the field of business solutions, digital projects and initiatives related to financial management, in addition to a solid academic background. During 2013 I was awarded as "CIO of the Year" by CETIUC and 2024 I was included among the 50 leaders transforming technology in Chile.

Marco Salgado is a founding partner of the Corporate and M&A practice group at Salgado & O’Ryan Abogados.

He regularly advises local and multinational companies and investors on establishing their operations in Chile and on various corporate matters, particularly local and regional mergers and acquisitions. Marco has had an academic career spanning over twenty years. He is a professor of mergers and acquisitions in the LL.M. program at the Faculty of Law of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, as well as in several other local and international postgraduate programs.

Marcela Salazar is a Partner at Munita & Olavarría and a lawyer from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. She holds a Master of Laws in Labour Law and Relations from the University of Sydney, Australia and a Postgraduate Diploma in Labour and Employment Law, from Universidad de Los Andes, in Santiago, Chile.

With over twenty years of professional experience, her practice focuses on corporate labor and immigration matters. In Labor Law, she advises domestic and international clients on benefits policies and working conditions, hiring and termination, subcontracting and outsourcing, sexual and labor harassment investigations, workplace safety, labor audits, social security, administrative submissions to labor authorities, and visas and work permits for foreign personnel. Her areas of expertise include corporate consulting for national and international clients and immigration matters

Dr. Ricardo Crespo is an Associate Professor, Department of Geospatial and Environmental Engineering (DIGEA), USACH. He is the Subdirector of Research and Development. He has been honored PhD in Geocomputation – National University of Ireland with Master’s in Agronegocios Internacionales – University of Göttingen, Germany and Ingeniero Civil Industrial & Ingeniería Química – Universidad de Chile. He has done his research in Spatial Econometrics, Urban and Territorial Planning, Geodemography, Real Estate Risk Analysis and AI Modeling for Urban and Health Applications with key project in NEUREN: AI-powered SaaS platform for reducing risk in residential real estate investments, Funded by ANID under Startup Ciencia 2023

Nitin is a founding member of Infosys Chile, bringing over two decades of global experience across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Before leading operations in Chile, he spent ten transformative years in Brazil, driving strategic initiatives and delivering value to LATAM clients.

As the Country Head of Infosys Chile, Nitin is on a mission to deliver world-class IT services that empower Chilean businesses to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. His vision is rooted in innovation, excellence, and customer-centricity.

A certified AI strategist from Cornell University, Nitin is passionate about positioning Infosys Chile as a key enabler of AI-powered solutions—helping organizations harness the power of artificial intelligence to unlock new possibilities and drive sustainable growth.

As the Head for Metals & Mining, Nishant helps navigate the digital future for some leading Fortune 500 and Global 2000 upstream commodity enterprises. He is focused on shaping transformation strategies and bringing them to life with highly driven teams of consultants, technologists, and experience makers.

Drawing from over 20 years of diverse roles and responsibilities across India, Australia, Singapore, Middle-East, LATAM, and USA, Nishant amalgamates his varied skills into straddling delivery, operational, and financial excellence for his industry group. In addition to accelerating revenue momentum, he is also focused on institutionalizing innovation and the future of work within the mining businesses globally.

Nishant believes the more varied a perspective, the broader one’s vision can be. His interest areas range from leveraging autonomy and data science for worker safety and unit cost leadership, to creating a hyper-productive workforce and digitizing the value chain for the industry. This broad-spectrum focus helps him arrive at differentiated viewpoints, which he presents at various industry forums.

Nishant is an alumnus of the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, India with an MBA from Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, India. An avid reader, Nishant is based in Houston, TX, USA where he enjoys road biking and networking.

Vivek Sinha is the Global Head of AI and Automation (Topaz) at Infosys Limited, leading transformative initiatives that establish Infosys as a global leader in responsible AI adoption. With over 23 years of industry experience, Vivek has played a pivotal role in developing cutting-edge AI-driven solutions, platforms, and partnerships, including spearheading the launch of Infosys' Topaz brand.

An alumnus of IIT Guwahati, Vivek is a visionary leader dedicated to leveraging the power of AI to drive innovation, efficiency, and differentiation for Infosys and its clients worldwide. He actively collaborates with think tanks, academia, and industry leaders to champion the adoption of ethical AI practices, ensuring impactful and sustainable transformations across diverse sectors.

Vivek's unwavering commitment to innovation and thought leadership continues to redefine the future of AI and automation, empowering organizations to thrive in the digital era.