BIO
Ms. Arancha González Laya was Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in the Spanish government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez from 2020 to 2021.
Earlier in her career, Ms. González served as assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization from August 2013 until January 2020. During her tenure she launched the “She Trades” initiative aimed at connecting 3 million women entrepreneurs to market by 2021.
She was Chief of Staff to the WTO Director General between 2005 and 2013, serving as his representative (Sherpa) at the G20.Prior to working at the WTO, Ms. González heid several positions at the European Commission, conducting negotiations of trade agreements and assisting developing countries in trade-development efforts.
Ms. González began her career in the private sector as an associate in a German law firm advising companies on trade, competition and state-aid matters and holds a degree in law from the University of Navarra and a postgraduate degree in European Law from the University of Carlos III, Madrid. Besides her native Spanish, she speaks English, French, German and Italian.
