Carlos Vargas Mas is Director of the Subnational Public Finance Management Strengthening Programme in Peru. The Programme seeks to enhance the capacity of public authorities in 11 regions and municipalities to plan, implement and execute budgets and to increase standards of integrity and transparency in doing so. Signed in 2015 by the Peruvian and Swiss governments, the programme is funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Before joining the Basel Institute, Carlos Vargas Mas served in Peru's Comptroller General's Office as Prevention and Detection Manager and, before that, as Strategic Development Manager and Performance Audit Manager. His professional experience includes working at Peruvian public institutions including the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture.

He has been a researcher and coordinator of the Observatory on Relations with Latin America (ORLA) at Pompeu Fabra University. He also teaches topics including results-based management, budgeting for results, design and evaluation of public policies, internal control and risk management.

Carlos holds a degree in Economics from the Pontificia Universidad Católica in Peru and a master's degree in Applied Economic Analysis from the Universidad Pompeu Fabra in Spain.