BIO
Ms. Ana Palacio is an international lawyer and founder of Palacio y Asociados (Madrid, Brussels and Washington DC). Between 1994 and 2002, Ms. Palacio was a Member of the European Parliament. In 2002, Ms. Palacio became the first woman to serve as Foreign Affairs Minister of Spain (2002-2004). She further served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the World Bank Group, as well as Secretary General of the ICSID-International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (2006-2008). Ms. Palacio was a member of the Consejo de Estado del Reino de España (2012-2018), as well as a member of the Executive Committee and Senior Vice-President for International Affairs of the nuclear energy leader AREVA (2008-2009), and subsequently held different positions within the EU.
Ms. Palacio currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Atlantic Council of the United States, and is a member of the governing bodies of several research centers and public institutions, including the MD Anderson Cancer Center.