Panama: An Attractive Destination for Canadian Business.

Guest Speakers

Juan Carlos Sosa, Vice Minister of Foreign Trade, Republic of Panama

Vice Minister Sosa graduated from Colegio Javier in 1992 and continued his studies at The University of Texas at Austin, where he received a Bachelor's degree in Advertising in 1996. In 2005, he obtained a Master's degree in International Business from the Royal Holloway University of London . He also holds a Diploma in Innovation Management from the University of California Berkeley and in Advanced Marketing from Northwestern University. She has also participated in various international courses and seminars on marketing, technology, brands and international business.

He has more than 22 years of experience in the areas of international business, marketing, business administration and franchising. He has worked in senior positions in local companies such as Importadora Maduro, S.A. and Super 99, in addition to holding regional positions at Samsung Electronics Latin America and Dell Latin America and the Caribbean where he has managed business units for all of Latin America. He has served as partner and CEO of world-renowned international restaurant franchise and distribution companies.

Mr. Sosa has also been Director of International Advisory Councils for international franchises and Director of various national boards of directors.

Jeannette Diaz Granados, Multinational Headquarters Director, Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Republic of Panama

Ms. Granados has a Bachelor's Degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Santa María La Antigua University of Panama and a diploma in Senior Management and Leadership. She worked for 15 years at the Rodman Naval Base where she was in charge of the Department of Transportation for the United States Navy, Navy and Coast Guard where she was responsible for the logistics of transportation of armed troops throughout Central America and the Caribbean.

She was Commercial Manager of Delta Air Lines in Panama, a company in which she has worked for more than 22 years. Among her responsibilities, she was in charge of opening the commercial operations of Delta Air Lines in Nicaragua and then managing it for 7 years. Like her, she led several projects for the company in El Salvador and the Dominican Republic in the development of corporate strategies.

She was part of the Board of Directors of the Association of Airlines of Panama and Board of Directors of the Visit USA Committee sponsored by the Commercial Section of the United States Embassy. She was Chair of the Tourism Committee of AmCham Panama in 2018, she organized three trade missions to the United States to the cities of Atlanta, New York and Philadelphia and in 2019 she was elected president of the American Chamber of Commerce, AmCham Panama .

She is currently Multinational Headquarters Director of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries of the Republic of Panama.