{"id":1018,"date":"2025-09-23T02:17:44","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T02:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawealth-legal.com\/?page_id=1018"},"modified":"2025-09-29T19:21:29","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T19:21:29","slug":"francisco","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/lawealth-legal.com\/en\/francisco\/","title":{"rendered":"Francisco \u00c1lvarez De Soto"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SKILLS<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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  • Internationally networked at the highest social levels<\/li>\n
  • Quintessentially high caliber leader with exceptional gravitas<\/li>\n
  • Expert in the practical implication of international political economics and geopolitics<\/li>\n
  • Deep Latin American social, political and economic knowledge<\/li>\n
  • Vast legal and corporate leadership experience<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t
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    ACADEMIC BACKGROUND<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    While living in Madrid, Spain, he completed his Spanish Baccalaureate in Classic Studies (1987) and started his undergraduate studies at the College of International Studies (CIS), which he completed at Tulane University (1991) in New Orleans, U.S.A., obtaining a B.A. in Political Economy and Political Analysis. He remained in New Orleans for his graduate studies obtaining a Juris Doctor degree with a specialization in International Legal Studies at Loyola University College of Law in 1994.<\/p>\n

    In addition, he has completed several Executive Programs such as: Public Strategic Negotiations at Harvard University JFK School of Government (1999); Gesti\u00f3n Tributaria (Taxation Management) at Universidad Latina de Panam\u00e1 (2006); Portfolio Management (2015) International Financial Markets (2016) and Private Wealth Management (2022), at Instituto de Estudios Burs\u00e1tiles of the Universidad Complutense; Value Investing (2019), and Investment Strategies (2023) at Columbia University; Global Business (2023) at Harvard Business School;<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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    PROFESSIONAL CAREER<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    His professional career has evolved between the public and private sectors. In 1994, after completing his graduate studies, Francisco \u00c1lvarez De Soto started his legal practice in Panama as in-house counsel and junior associate at a local law firm.<\/p>\n

    In 1998, he joined the Foreign Trade Council of the Presidency of the Republic, as its EU trade lawyer-Negotiator.<\/p>\n

    In that position, he handled trade issues and disputes at the World Trade Organization (WTO), related to European agricultural policy for the banana market; the negotiations of the Investment Protection Agreement between the United States and Panama; and political aspects related to trade disputes.<\/p>\n

    From 1999 until early in 2003, he served in various official positions at the Ministry of Trade and Industries and at the Foreign Ministry: Special Trade Ambassador and Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade (1999-2001), drafting Panama\u2019s 2000-2004 Foreign Trade Strategy, coordinating Panama\u2019s WTO dispute challenging the EU\u00b4s common market on bananas; the negotiation of the US-Panama Investment Protection Agreement; political aspects of trade related disputes, and participating in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with El Salvador; Ambassador and Director General of International Economic Relations (2001-2002), coordinating the Central American Integration Agenda and the negotiations with the OECD Secretariat and at the OECD Tax Global Forum;<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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    Adjoint Presidential Commissioner for the Puebla-Panama Economic Development Plan (2002-2003), identifying and defending Panama\u2019s economic cooperation proposals in this Mesoamerican infrastructure project; Secretary General of Foreign Affairs (2003), coordinating the Economic and Cooperation agendas at the Foreign MInistry; and Member of the President\u2019s Foreign Affairs Council (2003-2004) providing political advice to the Foreign Minister in OECD and International Political Economy matters.<\/p>\n

    In 2003, that Francisco Alvarez De Soto resumed his private legal practice, after he resigned from public office, to accept an executive position as Legal and Regulatory Chief Officer (CLRO) and Alternate Board Member at Cable & Wireless Panama, S.A. (CWP)(2003-2009), the largest telecommunications provider in Central America, where he led the legal and regulatory transformation of the company, from a public entity in a monopolistic environment, to a private corporation providing multiple telecom related services in a competitive market in Panama as well as abroad.<\/p>\n

    In 2009 he was called back into public service, as Deputy Minister of International Trade Negotiations, at the Ministry of Trade (2009-2011). In that capacity, he led the Office of International Trade Negotiations, completing the negotiations of the FTA with Canada and the WTO Dispute Process against Colombia\u2019s illegal customs measures against Panamanian exports; the implementation negotiations of the Trade Promotion Agremeent (TPA) with the United States; the negotiations of the FTA with Peru, and of a Partial Scope Trade Agreement with Trinidad and Tobago; lobbied and set the basis for the negotiations of the FTA with the EFTA countries, South Korea and Israel; incorporated Panama to the negotiations for the trade pilar of the EU-Central America Association Agreement (AdA), completing them; set the strategy and launched the negotiations for the incorporation of Panama to the Central American Economic Integration System (SIECA), drafted the new WTO compatible export incentive legislation, and prepared the WTO case against Argentine\u2019s tax heaven list for its inconsistencies with the WTO agreements.<\/p>\n

    In September, 2011, he was appointed Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister (2011-2013). In that capacity, Francisco \u00c1lvarez De Soto coordinated the Foreign Service, the Ministry\u2019s departments and administration.<\/p>\n

    Under his leadership, Panama developed important bilateral initiatives with the United Kingdom, Japan, Russia, The Kingdom of the Netherlands, Spain, Israel or South Africa; Chaired the Ministerial Council at the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), transforming this regional forum; advanced the legal structuring of the future International Cooperation Agency of Panama; prepared the 2013 Iberoamerican Summit, and the 2015 Summit of the Americas in Panama City, and promoted Panama\u2019s international cultural agenda, and the Ministry\u2019s first social responsibility program, among other initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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    Francisco \u00c1lvarez De Soto resigned in March of 2013 to resume, again, his private practice as Managing Partner at his Law Firm, launching two subsidiary operations: consulting firm, ALVES & Co. CONSULTORIA, S.A. (2013-2015) in Panama City, serving as its Chairman of the Board, to provide services in the areas of Political Economy and Political Analysis, Legislative and Government Affairs, Trade, Commerce and Economy. In 2013, he was appointed by Panama to serve as an expert at the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since then. Also in 2013, Francisco \u00c1lvarez De Soto was appointed Member of the Board of Directors of the Superintendency of Insurance and Reinsurance (2013-2014) and Member of the Board of Directors of the Superintendency of the Securities Market of Panama (2013-214). Early in 2014, Francisco \u00c1lvarez De Soto was called to Cabinet as Foreign Affairs Minister of Panama, serving as such till the end of the administration\u00b4s constitutional period (2014). As Foreign Minister, he dealt with critical international crisis for Panama such as the diplomatic implications of the Panama Canal Authority-Sacyr disputes, and the breaking of diplomatic relations with the Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro.<\/p>\n

    Panama City. He has also served, or continues to serve, in various non-executive Board positions such as: Independent Board Member of the Board at PKB BANCA PRIVADA (PANAMA), S.A. (2015-2022), and, since 2022, at PKB WEALTH MANAGEMENT (PANAMA), S.A.), a Swiss\n\n\nprivate banking services advisory firm based in Panama City and with its corporate headquartes in Lugano, Switzerland; member of the International Advisory Board of the Spanish communication agency LLORENTE & CUENCA (LLYC) (2016-2022), member of the Advisory Board at King\u2019s College British School of Panama (2016-2020), and member of the Board of Directors of Marine Protection Alliance (2022-2024).<\/p>\n

    An international environmental non-governmental organization (NGO) committed to fight illegal unregulated unsupervised fishing activities in the Pacific, successfully completing a Cooperation MoU with the Government of Panama to provide logistical support to Panama\u2019s coastguard, as well as Ambassador-at-Large (ad honorem) and member of the Foreign Relations Council of Panama\u2019s Foreign Ministry (2019-2023). He has also been selected to be in the UN Secretary General\u2019s Special Envoys Candidates Pool (2021).<\/p>\n

    Throughout his career, Francisco \u00c1lvarez De Soto has been awarded and recognized with the title of Knight Commander of the Orden de Isabel La Cat\u00f3lica, by the King of Spain (2013); the Great Cross of the Panamanian Orden Nacional Vasco Nu\u00f1ez de Balboa, Orden Nacional Manuel Amador Guerrero, Orden Nacional Belisario Porras, Orden Nacional Omar Torrijos Herrera, Orden Nacional Arnulfo Arias Madrid and Orden Nacional General Jose de Fabrega (2014), respectively; and the Order of the Central American Integration System (SICA). In addition, Cable & Wireless International recognized him with the \u201cLegal and Regulatory Excellency Award\u201d (2007).<\/p>\n

    Francisco \u00c1lvarez De Soto is fluent in English and has an intermediate knowledge of French and Italian.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1018","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawealth-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawealth-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawealth-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawealth-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawealth-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1018"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/lawealth-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1018\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1151,"href":"https:\/\/lawealth-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1018\/revisions\/1151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawealth-legal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}