My 10-year journey at PROECUADOR

They say your life’s journey is about the ride and not the destination itself, so having spent already a decade in the service of your country makes you take a moment to savor and appreciate your voyage and think about the path that lies ahead. Looking back, it’s amazing—and scary sometimes—how time just flies away, and how in the past ten years my career has taken me to serve in the United States, Sweden, Russia, and Canada in the blink of an eye.

I vividly remember the first day on the job, which for me started even before I reached my new office in Chicago, while awaiting for my flight. Sitting in the lounge in the Quito airport, I stared with awe at my new black diplomatic passport. I still could not believe that at age 25, I was taking on my first diplomatic posting to the Trade Office of Ecuador in Chicago. But there I was, ready to embark on a new journey to serve my country.

At the time there was still doubts if I had made the right decision, leaving home for a second time without knowing when I will be back. The first time was when I left for college at age 17 to St. Louis, MO. Six years later I returned to my hometown of Quito, after finishing both my master’s degree and bachelor's degree, while living in the US, China, and Switzerland. But this time, I was embarking on a professional path abroad after quitting my job as Adviser to the Minister of Production, the job that gave me the opportunity to truly know my country and its productive strength, and above all, the hardworking Ecuadorians that I was about to serve. I will always be grateful to my bosses at the Ministry of Trade, who took a chance on a 23-year-old kid who had just returned to his country after graduation and showed me what it truly means to be a leader and a public servant. My years at the Ministry formed me on how to be quick on my feet and to find creative solutions with the information at hand and the limited resources from the public sector. Sometimes I felt like a magician, making something incredible out of thin air.

Chicago was great for so many reasons, but especially because it brought me back to the Midwest, a place that was, and still is, a second home to me. The heartland of the US will always be its powerhouse, and the businesses and people that inhabit it taught me a lot. It makes me happy that I still maintain many of those strong friendships to this day. I learned so much during our field trips across the Midwest, whether it was to the Caterpillar headquarters in Peoria, IL, Enterprise Rent-a-Car in my beloved St. Louis, MO, the Hallmark greeting cards headquarters in Kansas City, or remote places like the ADM facilities in North Dakota. Particularly learning about how these once small businesses became behemoths, not just in the US, but worldwide. They showed me that at the core of what we do, is to interact with people. At the end of the day, it's not countries or companies that do business, it's its people.

A key part of our job at PROECUADOR is to attract new investments for our country, so our economy can grow, and above all, generate quality employment for the 17 million Ecuadorians we serve. So, how was this 26-year-old kid on his first diplomatic post going to help his country bring new investments to his country? With a phone call to a good pal from college. I ringed my friend Amelia, who had just landed a job at Enterprise Holdings, the biggest privately-owned rental car company in the world, which happens to be headquartered in St. Louis, the town of our alma mater. I told her over the phone casually that Enterprise didn’t have a foothold in Ecuador and if she could point me in the right direction, maybe we could make some magic happen and help Enterprise expand to Ecuador.

Fast-forward several phone calls, trips to St. Louis, meetings with our government officials, a reliable partner in Ecuador, and three years of hard work, and there they were, inaugurating their first Enterprise location in the new Quito airport. So the personal relationships that I have built since colleague are the real value I provide for my country in the end. That's why every time I walk by that counter, it reminds me of how everything in business and life starts at the personal level and how a phone call and hard work can change countless lives for the better.

Reflecting on the past decade with PROECUADOR, I am reminded of the multi-continent investment deals that have profoundly impacted my country, and that I’ve had the honor to help facilitate. From small projects like a USD 2.5 million investment in a new processing facility for a Swedish company that specialized in balsa wood products, to the acquisition of a major shrimp-feed producer from a Danish multinational for USD 120 million. Just two months ago, during the visit of the Ecuadorian President and the Minister of Production to the PDAC Mining Conference in Toronto, our Ministry signed six investment contracts over USD 4.8 billion with mining companies for projects in Ecuador. But there is still a lot of work to do, and now more than ever, our country needs companies like the ones I’ve mentioned to help create new jobs for our citizens.

My sincere hope is that our government leaders continue to invest in the biggest asset PROECUADOR has, which is the people who work for them. These are my colleagues worlwide whom I’ve come to admire and respect because of their sacrifice and hard work for our country. Fellow magicians like me, who with almost no resources and funding, continue to marvel our country with what we create for them: new export opportunities and much-needed foreign investments.

During my journeys serving in the Midwest, the Nordic and Baltic Countries, Russia, the Eurasian Economic Union countries, and now Canada, I’ve encountered countless businessmen and businesswomen who, with time, also became good friends. I’ve learned so much from their business culture, how they have flourished at times of peril, the lessons learned from their mistakes, and how they prepare for a future that is quite volatile for many of the sectors they operate in.

?Most of these connections I have forged, believe it or not, outside the office walls. Most of the countless dollars in exports I have helped secure for our exporters have come from business contacts I’ve met during a trade show, a dinner party, over a poker game in my apartment, at brunch, at a nightclub, or in a polo match. At the end of the day, governments, organizations, and companies are comprised of people, and they are always more open and willing to have an honest conversation with you in an environment they truly enjoy. Usually that environment is not their office conference room or their place of work. That is where my love for hosting and cooking comes in real handy.

My talent to host comes from my maternal grandparents, I guess. I always remember the magnificent parties they used to throw in their home: how their guests always laughed at the dinner table, how cocktails were prepared at the bar with a shaker, how people danced in the hall to the rhythm of Latin music, and how everybody loved a good dessert. My grandfather taught me how to prepare a dry Martini at age 15, and I still follow his instructions to this day. My favorite place was his wine cellar, where besides wine, he kept boxes of whiskey, brandy, cognac, rum, tequila, and countless other drinks that would be the envy of any bar. From my grandmother, I learned the art of entertaining: how to set a formal dinner table, how invitations should be addressed, and what to serve for different meals. My first conversations with foreign diplomats, politicians, and industry leaders were during their parties, so that’s where I learned the importance of being a gracious host. Therefore, the countless dinner parties I’ve hosted for government officials, cabinet ministers, ambassadors, CEOs, and industry leaders during my time as a diplomat are thanks to their example and love.

A memorable dinner party back in 2019 reminds me of how being a good host makes a difference. During an evening in Stockholm, an Ecuadorian chocolate exporter and me cooked together for a restaurant owner of a brand-new Latin restaurant in the city, and the head buyer of one of the main food service suppliers in Sweden. We had previously met with them, but they were still hesitant to work with a new chocolate couverture brand they hadn’t heard of before. So that Friday evening, I put on my black apron with the “Exquisite Ecuador” logo (our brand for gastronomic events worldwide) and started preparing dinner for our important guests. I still remember how nervous I was because this was the first time I was cooking for a restaurant owner and a buyer who had previously been a chef at a prestigious restaurant in Stockholm. But there was no turning back. We prepared an Ecuadorian shrimp ceviche to start—one that I have mastered thanks to the teachings of Ecuadorian Chef, Carlos Gallardo, during a master class we organized in Chicago back in 2015— a cocoa-nib crust tuna for main dish and a dark-chocolate mousse for dessert.

The dinner proved to be a success in the end, as the chocolate coverture was incorporated into the product catalog of the food service company and now competes side-by-side with giants like Valrhona and Barry Callebaut. Also, it is used in the delectable desserts at Canta Lola, the best Latin American restaurant in Stockholm, owned by my dear friend Erika. Nothing quite connects people like food, especially when they represent the flavors of your homeland.

An Ecuadorian ceviche remains to this day my signature dish to prepare at home. Just last month, I served it during a dinner party I hosted in my Ottawa apartment for the deputy head negotiator of Canada and his wife, as we are amid negotiations of a free trade agreement between our two countries. What a better way to promote our amazing shrimp than by showcasing it in the best possible way I know.

For me the Ecuador-Canada FTA is the second trade agreement I’ve had the honor to contribute to. The first one was the EFTA trade agreement, signed in 2018 when I served as Trade Commissioner of Ecuador to Sweden, as I overseed Iceland and Norway as well. I still recall the 4-hour drive from Reykjavik to small town in the northern part of Iceland, where the trade agreement between Ecuador and the EFTA members was signed. And talking about dinners, that evening during the Ministerial dinner, they served smoked puffin as the first dish. I still remember it because after the first bite, I could not eat it. That's been the only time I haven't finished a plate during a formal reception, so I hope I didn't offend my Icelandic hosts. Sorry about it. ?

There are countless stories and anecdotes I wish I had the time to share, as they have made each post I've served a memorable part of my life. These stories have also created many of the business opportunities I’ve been able to deliver to my country, and at the heart of those stories are its people. What I love about this momentary job is my ability to serve my country and its citizens, and what truly drives my desire to continue serving is the impact on their daily lives. It’s heartening when the people I serve share with me their success stories about how they just sold their first shipment to their new client, or how they just launched a new product based on what they learned about the market, or how the business partner they met during their trade mission decided to invest in their company.

For now, all I can say is how grateful I am for this journey, and to all the wonderful people and friends who have been part of it. A special thanks to my dear parents, without whom this story would not be possible. It is thanks to their constant support, counsel, hugs and tears that I’ve been able to embark on these told voyages.

The end of this decade also marks the end of my post in Canada, as I now embark on a new journey to serve as Trade Commissioner of Ecuador to the United Kingdom. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I will continue to serve my country with the same heart and passion I have always have, especially when it needs it the most.