Erik Bethel

Erik Bethel is a global finance professional with experience in the private and public sectors. In 2020 he was nominated to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Panama. Previously, he was nominated by the president and confirmed unanimously by the Senate to represent the United States at the World Bank. At the World Bank, Mr. Bethel participated in the analysis and deployment of over $100 billion of capital in the developing world through grants, loans, equity investments, and other financial products. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bethel worked as an investment banker and private equity professional focused on emerging markets. He was a managing director at Franklin Templeton Investments, where he executed private equity transactions in Latin America. Prior to this, he was based in Shanghai, China, as managing partner of SinoLatin Capital and managing director of ChinaVest. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bethel held a variety of emerging markets-focused private equity and investment banking positions at J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley in both New York and Mexico City. Mr. Bethel earned a BS in economics and political science from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis and an MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin.