Arancha González Laya

Arancha González Laya is a Part-time Professor at the Florence School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute. Her career spans high-level roles in international organizations, including Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the International Trade Center (ITC) from 2013 to 2019. She served as Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation from 2020 to 2021 under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Prior to this, she worked at the World Trade Organization (WTO) as Chief of Staff to Director-General Pascal Lamy, contributing to the WTO’s Aid for Trade initiative and representing the G20. Her expertise includes international trade policy, development economics, and multilateral governance. She has also held positions at the European Commission, focusing on trade agreements and support for developing countries. González Laya is a prominent advocate for women’s empowerment, co-founding the SheTrades initiative. She lectures globally on trade and development at institutions such as the College of Europe and the World Trade Institute.