Jose Fernandez
Jose Fernandez on the Connection Between Economic Policy and Foreign Policy
Jose Fernandez
Keynote Speaker
Former Undersecretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment (2021-2025); Award-winning International Lawyer; Public Company Director; Dartmouth College Trustee
Few recent government officials can claim to have been closer to the nexus of economic security and national security than Jose W. Fernandez. An accomplished international lawyer who became America’s top economic diplomat under the Biden administration and previously served under President Obama, he brings an insider’s perspective to the vulnerabilities and opportunities arising from China’s dominance of semiconductor and critical minerals supply chains, trade and investment relations with Europe, Latin America, and the global south, the need to strengthen our alliances, and the benefits of creating partnerships between governments and the private sector.
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As a Cuban refugee who rose to the highest levels of U.S. foreign policy circles, public company boardrooms, institutions of higher education, and the legal profession, Jose W. Fernandez offers a unique perspective on the role of government, the private sector, and civil society in the global economy today. Working in nearly every corner of the world, he has gained deep expertise in the energy, mining, technology, telecommunications, and infrastructure industries. As America’s top economic diplomat during the Biden administration, Fernandez originated and chaired the Minerals Security Partnership (“MSP”) to address the world’s need for critical minerals, spearheaded the international rollout of the CHIPs Act, helped Lithuania, the Philippines, and a dozen other countries withstand China’s economic coercion, worked to support Ukraine’s economy against Russia’s invasion, and led economic engagement with Latin America, the European Union, Japan, and Korea.
Fernandez’s government service was built on three decades of experience in the private sector as an acclaimed international attorney advising investors in developing countries and garnering several “Deal of the Year” awards. He served on the Board of Directors of Iberdrola, S.A., a Spanish company that is one of the largest renewable energy companies in the world, and on its NYSE-listed U.S. subsidiary. He was also a trustee of Dartmouth College, which awarded him an honorary degree.
With Jose W. Fernandez, Your Audience Will Gain:
- Insider Analysis of Current Global Issues: (i) As the architect and first Chair of the MSP, Fernandez engaged the leaders of Ukraine, Greenland, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and several other nations looking to attract rare earth and critical minerals investments; (ii) As the State Department’s working lead in the Trade and Technology Council, Fernandez was at the forefront of discussions with the European Union on tariffs, supply chains, sanctions, and investment disputes; and (iii) Fernandez provided support to many Latin American countries, including Mexico, Brazil, and the ADD (Costa Rice, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Panama) group, as they looked to attract U.S. investment and near-shore production closer to the U.S.
- Expertise in Working Through Trade Issues and Disputes: As the State Department lead in economic dialogues with the European Union, Mexico, Korea, Taiwan, the UAE, and Japan, Fernandez worked to resolve irritants that were hampering closer economic relations with these countries.
- Lessons From a Lifetime of Working in the Global South: Through his work assisting companies and private investors in developing nations, Fernandez has first-hand knowledge of operating in countries with unstable governments and challenging legal and investment regimes, and making critical decisions based on often-incomplete information.
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Jose Fernandez’s Speech Topics
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Winning the Race for Critical Minerals
The world will need exponentially more critical minerals and rare earths to power the industries of the future – by some accounts, 42 times the amount of lithium and 25 times the amount of cobalt and manganese we use today by 2050, to cite a few examples. But China controls the vast majority of these materials and has begun to use its market power to achieve geopolitical goals and respond to President Trump’s tariff threats. How should the West take on the challenge that has been called its Achilles heel? What will the Trump Administration’s approach be? Where are the opportunities for the private sector and civil society?
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Doing Business in Latin America in the Absence of the United States
U.S.-Latin American relations have often suffered from a disconnect. While the U.S. stresses security issues, the region’s leaders speak of poverty reduction and trade. And yet, no region is culturally and historically closer to the United States than Latin America, despite recently becoming a battleground for great power competition on trade and investment. Drawing on a lifetime of working in the region as a lawyer and diplomat, Jose W. Fernandez will discuss economic relations between the U.S. and Latin America, assess the successes and failures of the Biden Administration, and analyze how the economic relationship will change under Trump. This speech will help the audience anticipate and adapt to the shifting business dynamics and opportunities in the region and identify pitfalls to avoid.
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Economic Security as National Security
The Biden administration embraced the notion that economic security was national security. Taking office amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Biden went about strengthening our economic security by focusing on alliances and incentivizing the private sector. Donald Trump also says that economic security is national security, but his methods could not be more different from Biden’s. Gone is the reliance on alliances, and tariff threats have replaced economic carrots. This session will discuss the geopolitical consequences of Trump’s approach to economic security, relations with the Global South, and how the private sector and civil society should navigate the new international landscape.
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