| Speaker Profile: Erik Bethel is a seasoned global finance professional with extensive experience across both the private and public sectors. He is currently the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Mare Liberum Capital, a strategic investment firm focused on the intersection of technology, maritime security, and national defense. Previously, Mr. Bethel was nominated by the President and unanimously confirmed by the Senate to serve as the U.S. Executive Director at the World Bank, where he participated in the analysis and deployment of more than $100 billion in financing, including grants, loans, equity investments, and other instruments supporting global development. In 2020, he was also nominated to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Panama. Before entering public service, Mr. Bethel spent over two decades in investment banking and private equity. He began his career at Morgan Stanley in New York, later joining J.P. Morgan’s private equity group, and went on to co-found SinoLatin Capital in Shanghai, which was acquired by Franklin Templeton Investments, where he subsequently served as a managing director. Mr. Bethel earned a BS in Economics and Political Science from the United States Naval Academy and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin. He also serves on the Board of the U.S. Naval War College Foundation, is a Senior Advisor at CSIS, and sits on the International Advisory Council of Oxford Analytica. |
