Book IWD Speaker: Luz Marina Torres Forero

LuzMa Torres is a Colombian-born technology and business leader based in Costa Rica, with more than 20 years of experience across Latin American and North American markets. Her career has taken her from an early internship at IBM to leadership roles at IBM, Oracle, Novacomp and Microsoft, building expertise across marketing, sales, customer success, cloud, AI and business transformation.

Yet the story LuzMa brings to the stage is about much more than technology.

Throughout her career, she has worked at the intersection of people, business and technology, often bringing a non-technical, deeply human perspective into increasingly technical environments. She believes some of the most important skills for the future are not only understanding technology, but knowing how to connect people, create trust, make others feel included and turn differences into strengths.

Her leadership philosophy has been shaped by both great opportunities and difficult lessons. Having worked with more than 20 managers throughout her career, LuzMa experienced many different definitions of leadership. Those experiences strengthened her commitment to lead with authenticity, curiosity and inclusion, and to be the kind of leader who creates space for others to grow.

She has championed women and inclusion initiatives throughout her career and is passionate about helping women recognize the value of their own experiences, voices and networks. She also embraces technology and AI as tools that can amplify human potential, particularly when people learn to use them not simply to do more, but to learn faster, build confidence and help others succeed.

Her personal story is equally important to her leadership journey. She is a mother of twins, wife of an Ironman athlete, Colombian by birth and Costa Rican by choice. She speaks openly about balancing ambition, family, reinvention and the inevitable mistakes that come with building a career across countries, cultures and industries.

At the heart of LuzMa’s message is a simple philosophy: she believes that success becomes more meaningful when knowledge, access, connections and opportunities are shared with others. For those who have overcome barriers or come from humble beginnings, she sees success not as a reason to create distance, but as an opportunity to open doors.

LuzMa’s speaking style combines real-life stories, humor, vulnerability and more than two decades of business experience. Rather than presenting a perfect career story, she shares the lessons behind the successes, the mistakes behind the learning and the moments of uncertainty behind resilience.

Her sessions invite audiences to turn challenges into opportunities, build meaningful human connections and recognize that inclusion is not something we simply advocate for.It is something we create through the way we lead, connect and make space for others.

LuzMa brings authenticity, resilience, business experience and a multicultural perspective to the stage, with one goal: to leave people not only inspired, but ready to act.

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