November 4, 2019 – William Robson, President and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute, announces the appointment of Beatriz Leycegui Gardoqui as an International Fellow.
“Beatriz is one of North America’s foremost trade experts,” said Robson. “We are thrilled that she will be bringing her unique insights on trade law and negotiations to the Institute.”
“The world is in vigorous search of the right economic, trade and public policies to address inclusive growth," said Leycegui Gardoqui. "Thus, the work on an independent and intellectually rigorous organization such as the C.D. Howe Institute gains even more relevance today, not only within Canada, but beyond its borders. It’s a great honor to be invited to be an International Fellow of the Institute.”
Beatriz Leycegui Gardoqui has over 25 years of experience in international trade matters in the private, public and academic sectors.
Leycegui is a partner at SAI Law & Economics, an economics, legal and investment banking consulting firm, which she rejoined in 2013 as Head of SAI’s International Trade Law Practice Group. Position she previously held in the firm from 1999 to 2006. Leycegui's work focuses on advising on World Trade Organization obligations and dispute settlement, free trade agreements, investment, customs and trade remedy cases, regulatory and public policy issues; to domestic and international companies, as well as federal, state and foreign governments.
Leycegui served as Undersecretary for Foreign Trade at the Ministry of Economy of Mexico between 2006 and 2011. In that capacity, she was in charge Mexico’s international trading relationships, international trade negotiations and litigation and Mexico´s representation before economic and trade international forums and organizations (WTO, APEC, OECD and ALADI).
Her public sector experience also includes serving as the Director of Legal Analysis for the office tasked with negotiating NAFTA at the Ministry of Economy between 1990 and 1992, and several positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1990) and the Ministry of the Interior (1983-1988).
Leycegui has also worked as a professor and researcher at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) between 2011-2012 and 1993-1999, where she published the book Reflections on Mexico’s International Trade Policy - 2006-2012. During her first tenure at the ITAM, she directed the training programs for NAFTA panelists, was the Academic Director of the North American Committee and coordinated and coauthored Natural Partners? - Five Years of NAFTA and with the C.D. Howe Institute, Trading Punches: Trade Remedy Law and Disputes under NAFTA. In addition, she has published several articles and research papers.
Leycegui graduated as a lawyer from the Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico City and holds a master’s degree in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at the University of Columbia in New York.
Leycegui is part of the World Trade Organization’s indicative list of panelists and serves as panelist and arbitrator. She is founding member and part of the Governing Board of the Mexican Council on Foreign Affairs.
For more information please contact: C.D. Howe Institute at 416-865-1904; email: media@cdhowe.org.
The C.D. Howe Institute is an independent not-for-profit research institute whose mission is to raise living standards by fostering economically sound public policies. Widely considered to be Canada's most influential think tank, the Institute is a trusted source of essential policy intelligence, distinguished by research that is nonpartisan, evidence-based and subject to definitive expert review.