Director of Business Development and Product Innovation Anamaría Camacho talks about her career at Castalia

Discover Anamaria’s unique journey from Castalia intern to leading the firm’s business strategy and vision as the Director of Business Development and Product Innovation.

At what point in your career did you join Castalia?

I joined Castalia when I completed my master’s degree. I wanted a shift in my career, a career focused on public policy, and Castalia fits that career path.

What motivated you to join Castalia?

Initially, the type of work Castalia did motivated me to join. The type of work that focuses on public resource policy challenges globally. Starting from the interview process, it was clear that this was a place where I would be learning a lot and exposed to multiple projects in various sectors. It was the perfect place for me to think hard about how to solve problems that interest me using my economic expertise.

What has your career at Castalia looked like so far?

During my first stint in my Castalia career, I started as an intern; after that, I got a job offer for a senior analyst role and was promoted to manager. Along this path, I have been exposed to a variety of sectors, mostly the water sector and multiple projects all over the world, like Asia, Africa, and Latin America, to name a few. It has been a fast-paced and rewarding journey. After this journey, I moved into a government position for a couple of years and then arrived back at Castalia, now in a Director role. I have had the opportunity to engage with all sorts of clients: public sector clients, private financing institutions, and multilateral development banks. I have had the opportunity to work in my own country, which has been a highlight and very important to me and exactly what I wanted from my career.

What about working at Castalia is unique?

There is a couple of unique things about Castalia. One is that you get the opportunity to work with a great group of people who believe in what they are doing. Everyone is invested in solving the challenges that our clients present to us. We are so invested in what we do because we believe that the challenges we solve greatly impact the world. These problems are worth solving. Castalia has made it part of their process to be rigorous in how we solve problems which makes solving these problems challenging. Ultimately, we all are trying our best in everything we do. Coming from another country and working in different environments like the private and public sectors, I really appreciate that Castalia has a horizontal structure. The horizontal structure enables each team to work together, and they all put the same amount of effort into their work. There’s so much collaboration between teams at Castalia, which is unique.

Why did you decide to come back? 

I like solving public policy problems and identifying the best way for governments to provide better and more services to people. I was very privileged in a sense to be able to do that while working in government. I decided to step down from the government because I could still solve public policy problems at Castalia but with the added benefit of flexibility and lessening the toll on my personal life. So this is the place for me to do meaningful work still while being a mother and spending time with my family. Another part of my decision to return to Castalia is that I missed working collaboratively with colleagues and trusting them to solve problems together. I wanted a less hierarchical and competitive work environment. Castalia creates an environment where everyone is valued because of the efforts they produce and creates a fair workplace, which I appreciate.

What type of employee will excel at Castalia?

So I think the type of person who would succeed at Castalia would be passionate about our work. So someone passionate about helping governments and the private sector improve infrastructure services. Someone who would excel in Castalia is committed to learning a lot, is curious, and likes challenging problems. Someone who wants to use analytical tools to solve complex problems. Someone who is a team player as this is a place where people like to support one another. Someone who likes asking questions can rely on team members and get the correct answers.