Juan Verde is an internationally renowned strategist for both the public and private sectors, with a particular focus on sustainable economic development. His specialty is designing innovative strategies to attract investment, accelerate economic development, and support strategic alliances.
In the public sector, Mr. Verde served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia at the United States Department of Commerce under President Barack Obama. In this capacity, Mr. Verde led the Department’s efforts to solve trade policy and market-access issues faced by U.S. firms seeking to grow their business operations in Europe and Eurasia. Additionally, he was responsible for developing and recommending policies and programs to support U.S. economic and commercial relations with 52 countries in the region.
Mr. Verde previously served in the Department of Commerce during the Clinton Administration as an international trade analyst, coordinator, and consultant, working first in the Office of Latin America and later in the Minority Business Development Agency.
In the private sector, Juan Verde has served as a consultant for a variety of prestigious companies, such as Google, Cisco, SAS, American Express, and Banco Santander Investments US. He has also collaborated with institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank, Harvard University Kennedy School, and the World Bank. He founded and led the Canary Islands and Gibraltar chapters of the American Chamber of Commerce and is a current member of the Board of Directors of the American Sustainable Business Council, the leading business organization in the U.S. serving the public policy interests of sustainable responsible companies, their customers and other stakeholders.
His policy and private sector experiences have dovetailed in Mr. Verde’s efforts to promote sustainable global business practices and leadership development. He was a key advocate of Vice President Gore’s “The Climate Reality Project” and helped create its Spain and Argentina branches. More recently, he was selected as one of the “World’s 100 Most Influential Latinos in the fight against Climate Change” in 2019 and 2020, and was featured at the UN Climate Conference, COP25, in 2019.
He also currently presides over the Advanced Leadership Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that seeks to identify and develop the next generation of business, social, and political leaders from around the world.
Mr. Verde is a doctoral candidate in Economics at the Universidad Camilo José Cela in Madrid, Spain, where he is investigating green economy strategies for small island nations. He holds a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations from Boston University, and was elected to the Alumni Board of Directors at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. In addition, Mr. Verde has been decorated as a knight by the Sovereign Order of the Ecumenical Knights of Rhodes and Malta, and his work has been recognized by Pope Francis.
Within the political arena, Mr. Verde was a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Fellow during his early career and has worked with some of today’s most relevant political figures, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Al Gore, the late Senator Ted Kennedy, and former Secretary of State John Kerry. In the public sector, he has worked with the governments of Lithuania, Gibraltar, and the United States, as well as numerous governors and mayors in Latin America.
Currently, Mr. Verde lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico and travels to Spain and Washington, D.C.
