Anabel Gonzalez

Anabel González is a Global Expert and Practitioner on Trade and Development. She was Senior Director of the World Bank Group’s Trade & Competitiveness Global Practice from July 2014-December 2017 where she led a team of 500 people to design and implement the World Bank Group's global and country agenda in the areas of trade, investment climate, competitiveness, innovation and entrepreneurship. Previously, she served as Costa Rica’s Minister of Foreign Trade (2010-14) during which time she led Costa Rica’s efforts to join the OECD, negotiated, approved, and implemented six major free trade agreements, and implemented investment climate enhancement policies that contributed to attracting over 140 new investment projects. She also had a lead role in Costa Rica’s Competitiveness and Innovation Council. During her more than 15 years of service with the Ministry of Foreign Trade, she held various positions including Director General for International Trade Negotiations (1990-97), Vice-Minister of Foreign Trade (1998-2001) and Ambassador-Chief Negotiator (2003-04). She also served as Director of Costa Rica's Investment Promotion Agency (2001-02), Director to the Agriculture and Commodities Division of the World Trade Organization (2006-09), and Senior International Consultant on Trade and Investment at the Inter-American Development Bank (2009-10). Anabel is a member of the World Economic Forum Future Council on Trade and Investment (2016-18), after serving as chair of the Global Agenda Council on Competitiveness (2014-16) and Chair of the Council on Trade and Foreign Direct Investment (2012-14). She is currently a member of the World Trade Symposium’s World Trade Board. Anabel has lectured in over 50 countries and written on many trade and competitiveness issues.