The Speaker: Ana Palacio

Ana Palacio, an international lawyer by training, was the first female Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain. She has held a distinguished career in public service – from leading positions in European institutions to General Counsel of the World Bank Group – she specializes in energy matters. Currently, along with leading Palacio & Associates, the European Union consultancy, Ms. Palacio sits on the corporate boards of several publicly-traded, energy-focused companies and is a member of the International Advisory Board of OCP Group (leading Moroccan fertilizer company). She also serves on the Industry Advisory Committee of the International Energy Forum, along with the External Advisory Committee of Secretary Ernest Moniz’s Energy Futures Initiative. Ms. Palacio was previously a member of the Executive Committee and Senior VP for International Affairs of Areva, leader in nuclear power and renewable energy.

Ms. Palacio is also a member of the Board and the Strategy Committee of the Atlantic Council and was the first non-American member of its Executive Committee. She has recently been appointed as a member of the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies’ Academic Council. She is a regular speaker at international conferences and a contributor to different publications, including a monthly column for Project Syndicate, and a weekly column for El Mundo (Spain). She is a visiting professor at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.