Anabel Gonzalez Campabadal

Anabel Gonzalez Campabadal

• WTO Deputy Director-General since June 2021
• Former director of the Agriculture and Commodities Division of the WTO, as well as held senior positions in international entities such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. She recently worked as an expert at the Peterson Institute in Washington.
•  Renowned global expert on trade, investment and economic development with a proven managerial track record in international organizations and the public sector.
• Minister of Foreign Trade for Costa Rica from 2010 – 2014

Anabel Gonzalez Campabadal has a diverse career behind her. Over 25 years of working experience has seen her promote job creation and economic growth. This she has done by means of international trade, foreign integration, international trade, and foreign investment. Her special interest is microeconomics.

Her position at the World Bank saw Annabel Gonzalez lead the institution’s global position and operations. Areas covered include entrepreneurship, innovation, and investment. Her time there saw her direct and design various projects in over 100 countries. These initiatives were not limited only to Latin America, but include Europe, Asia, and Africa as well.

Prior to this, Annabel Gonzales held the position of Minister of Foreign Trade for Costa Rica. This period saw her lead the country’s efforts with regards to joining the OECD. She negotiated and implemented six free trade agreements, managed to enhance the investment climate, and helped attract more than 140 direct foreign investment projects. This time also saw her act as President of the Export Promotion Board and take a leading role in the Competitiveness and Innovation Council.

Her time as Minister of Foreign Trade also saw her fill the roles of Ambassador and Chief Negotiator of e the Free Trade Agreement between Central America and the US, and Vice-minister and Director General of Trade Negotiations.

Other past positions filled by Annabel Gonzalez include:

• Director of the WTO Agricultural Division
• Senior Consultant on Trade and Integration at the Inter-American Development Bank
• Director-General of the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Board
• Senior AdvisorSenior Advisor Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Annabel Gonzalez is currently a member of the World Economic Forum Council on Trade and Foreign Investment. She is also a member of several boards, a regular article writer, blog contributor, and Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics

Anabel Gonzalez – Speaker

As a public speaker, Anabel Gonzalez has addressed global audiences in such diverse part of the globe as China, Brazil, Jamaica, Pakistan, Spain, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the USA, Vietnam, Switzerland, Rwanda, and France, to name but a few. She is bilingual, and presents in both English and Spanish, while she regards her French as at a conversational level. She brings to her audiences a unique combination of analytical thinking, political expertise, and hands-on experience in public policy development.

Speaking Topics

• WTO and international economic governance
• Trade policy, negotiations, and agreements
• Trade and inclusive growth and poverty
• e-commerce
• Regional integration
• Global value chains
• Non-tariff barriers
• Trade facilitation
• Trade and gender
• Agriculture trade
• Foreign direct investment
• Competitiveness
• Special economic zones
• Industrial policy
• Strengthening the multilateral trading system
• Economic recovery
• Sustainability challenges.