Luciana Novaes has been involved with the Khyentse Foundation (KF) for over 20 years. She is the KF country representative for Brazil, serves on the KF Scholarships Committee, and advises the KF Investment Committee. In her capacity as KF's Major Grants Supervisor she has a long and productive relationship with BDRC prior to joining the BDRC Board of Directors in late 2025.

Luciana has spent most of her professional career working with global banks in corporate finance. She has also pioneered environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices as a researcher, teacher, and advisor, helping corporate clients to assess risks related to climate change, natural resource constraints, and broader ESG factors. She has an MSc in energy planning from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (COPPE- UFRJ) and in environmental technology from Imperial College of London. She also holds an MBA in international finance from Pace University, NY and a bachelor's degree in statistics from ENCE in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.