Karol Fernández is a Costa Rican economist with a distinguished track record in the field of social security and pension systems. Since May 2024, she has served as Executive Vice President of the International Federation of Pension Fund Administrators (FIAP).

Mrs. Fernández has a strong academic background: she holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Oxford and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Essex. Additionally, she earned a Master’s in Applied Macroeconomics from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Costa Rica.

Throughout her career, she has held key roles in the pension sector. She served as Director of Studies at the Chilean Undersecretariat of Social Security, was a research advisor for FIAP, and has worked as a consultant on pension-related issues for the private sector, public policymakers, and international organizations such as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).