Ruben Morales Monroy holds a degree in Law and Social Sciences from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala –USAC– and is an expert in economic development. He has over 20 years of professional experience advising and working with governments, businesses and international organizations in Central America.
His areas of expertise include trade liberalization, free trade agreements, regional integration, investment regimes and investment promotion, export promotion and the development of the services sector. He served as a negotiator for Free Trade Agreements such as CAFTA-DR (United States, Central America and the Dominican Republic), Colombia, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Panama, Chile, Belize and Cuba. He was also chief negotiator for the Association Agreement with the European Union and the Central American integration process.
Ruben Morales also served as Executive Director of the National Competitiveness Program -Pronacom-, as Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Minister of Economy. During his tenure, he promoted an agenda for economic development that integrates local production in the international market.
Additionally, he was director of the Services Sector Division of the Guatemalan Exporters Association, AGEXPORT, supporting the internationalization of small and medium enterprises that are members.
From March 2014 until December 2015, he was Coordinator of the Institute of Social Progress -IPS-, a counterpart entity of the Social Progress Imperative and Center for Knowledge Exchange (CIC, in Spanish).
Since January 14, 2016, Ruben Morales is the Minister of Economy of Guatemala.