Juan Verde is an internationally renowned strategist for both the private and public sectors designing innovative strategies to attract investments, accelerate economic development, and establish strategic alliances. He also specializes in economic sustainable development.
Within the corporate sector, Mr. Verde serves and/or has served as a consultant for a variety of prestigious companies such as Google, Cisco, SAS, American Express, and Banco Santander US. He has also collaborated with institutions such as the Inter Americans Development Bank, Harvard University, and the World Bank. Within the political arena, Mr. Verde has worked with some of today’s most relevant political figures such as 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.
Mr. Verde was appointed by President Barack Obama as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia at the US Department of Commerce, where he led the department’s efforts to solve trade policy and market access issues faced by US firms seeking to grow their business operations in Europe and Eurasia. Additionally, he was responsible for developing and recommending policies and programs regarding US economic and commercial relations with 52 countries in both Europe and Eurasia.
Other milestones and noteworthy achievements in Mr. Verde’s career include his role in founding and presiding over the American Chamber of Commerce in the Canary Islands, as well as his time served as International Trade Advisor for the Department of Commerce during President Bill Clinton’s second term.
As a driver of social initiatives and a leader in the political world, Mr. Verde was a key advocate of Vice President Al Gore’s “The Climate Reality Project” and helped create its Spain and Argentina branches. Mr. Verde currently presides over the Advanced Leadership Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. which seeks to identify and develop the next generation of business, social, and political leaders from around the world.
Mr. Verde holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts from Boston University. Mr. Verde was elected to the Alumni Board of Directors at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and was a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Fellow during his early career. 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. More recently, he was selected as one of the “World’s 100 Most Influential Latinos in the fight against Climate Change”, and was featured at the UN Climate Conference, COP25, in 2019.
Currently, Mr. Verde and his family split their time between the United States and Spain. In his free time, Mr. Verde enjoys outdoor activities such as horseback riding, hiking, and is also an avid marathon runner.
