About the role – LATAC

Career and role as HMTC LATAC

I am His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean, based in our Consulate in São Paulo, Brazil.

Having trained as a lawyer and later a management accountant I joined the Civil Service in my twenties and enjoyed a varied career in the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, starting in Latin America and culminating in posts as Ambassador in Hungary and Poland. The themes running through my career being leading complex teams and supporting UK business. After those roles I was keen to find a fresh challenge and one which gave me the chance to make a real, personal contribution to the UK - and found exactly that in this Trade Commissioner job. One of the most challenging and rewarding roles I've had.

I love the range and combination of disciplines the role requires. Leading a big team across 18 countries, engaging with senior business people and government representatives, working in and with the media, developing policy and finding solutions to barriers to business. All this while the team grows our commercial relationships at a really impressive rate: they've doubled their delivery of exports and inward investment is just three years. And there's so much more to come.

Every day is different and stimulating . The job needs a fair bit of travel and distances are pretty big. But for me that's been part of the charm of the job - meeting ministers and business leaders in their own countries, communicating in their languages. Returning regularly to the UK to dock in with ministers and colleagues in government and to reach out to UK business and LATAC investors. Not an easy job, but a brilliant one. I thoroughly recommend it to you.

About the Role

The role of His Britannic Majesty’s Trade Commissioner (HMTC) for the Latin America and Caribbean (LATAC) region is to lead and coordinate work to grow the UK's trade with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.  You will be accountable to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and work with government and business to shape the UK's trade relationships with the Region, coordinating closely with Ambassadors and High Commissioners across the region and Departments in London. You will:

• Set priorities for and lead  the work of your regional team of circa 140 staff on export promotion and investment to the UK and  support work to remove market access barriers and open markets for UK business across the region.
• As CG São Paulo, you will lead a team of circa 100 in building the relationship for São Paulo State and City (responsible for 30% of the country’s GDP) help to set direction and support the HMG network across Brazil;
• Be a senior representative of His Majesty’s Government and be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with a wide range of stakeholders at the highest level across private and public sectors. This opportunity offers breadth and profile and  offers complexity, challenge, and the chance to shape the UK's future economic relationship with Latin America and the Caribbean.

It’s a big job, and one that will suit someone who wants to make a tangible difference in a fascinating context. If you are interested in increasing UK trade and investment with this vibrant part of the world I would warmly welcome an application from you.

Key Responsibilities

• In close cooperation with DBT HQ and Ambassadors and High Commissioners in the region, you will provide strategic direction to your teams in order to achieve maximum benefit for the UK economy;
• Lead regional policy initiatives to improve the environment in which business operates, whether tackling market access, regulatory or legislative challenges, as well as identifying strategies to unlock trade barriers in specific sectors;
• Cultivate impactful and powerful strategic relationships with major stakeholders from the UK and across the region, including: business leaders; LATAC ministers and government officials, investors; and UK Ministers and senior officials across all government departments;
• Ensure all commercial teams across the region forecast and deliver targeted export and investment programmes where there are high value opportunities maximizing leverage from UK Government;
• Take a cross-sector view to pursue direct investment into the UK, particularly in line with current HMG strategies
• Provide strategic insight, analysis and advice on pursuing an ambitious economic relationship with the LATAC region.
• Provide inspiring leadership to a team of circa 140 staff and build high performing, expert, engaged and inclusive teams;
• As a member of DBT’s leadership team, contribute to the strategic and operational direction of the department, as well as acting as a very senior representative of HMG in the region.
• HM Consul General to São Paulo, supporting delivery of the FCDO led Country Business plan; building political and commercial relationships; and undertaking representational duties to support other government departments operating on the platform.

Key Document

Click here to download the HMTC LATAC Candidate Pack.