President Juan Manuel Santos is recognized as one of the most influential leaders in the world, heralded for ushering in a new era of prosperity, peace, equity, and education throughout Colombia, and internationally admired for his transformative leadership on security, trade, and foreign affairs. The winner of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for his “resolute efforts to bring his country’s more than 50-year-long civil war to an end,” Santos was twice-named to TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” and is a recipient of the World Economic Forum’s Global Statesman Award, among numerous other prestigious awards. Beyond his adept negotiations in securing peace, Santos’ tenure as President is marked by transforming Colombia’s economy into the region’s leader in economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction, his unwavering commitment to the environment, and his leadership on education.

Sought-out to speak everywhere from Harvard University to the World Economic Forum, Santos shares his reflections on the challenges of leadership, revealing what allowed him to change Colombia's history and make the impossible, possible. He delivers a message of unity and humanity that is inspiring, refreshing and necessary amid these turbulent political times. Santos also offers shrewd insights and analysis on issues such as the global economic outlook, global security and foreign affairs.
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Juan Manuel Santos' impressive career accomplishments include >>
Santos achieved a landslide victory when he ran for President in 2010, obtaining the highest number of votes in Colombia's history. 

During Santos' administration, Colombia became the region's leader in economic growth, job creation, reduction of poverty and extreme poverty, sustainable development and the enhancement of technology—earning Santos a 2012 TIME Cover entitled “The Colombian Comeback.”

A passionate advocate for the environment, Santos more than doubled Colombia's protected lands, earning him an award for "Unwavering Commitment to Conservation" by the National Geographic Society, and Kew's International Medal—making him the first head of state to ever be honored by the elite biodiversity institution.
As one of Santos' last acts in office, he announced the formalization of Colombia as NATO's first Latin American "global partner."

A renowned economist and journalist, before running for office, Santos served as director and an op-ed columnist for El Tiempo newspaper—Colombia’s highest circulating daily— during which time he received the King of Spain International Journalism Award and was President of the Commission of Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Press Association.  

Santos is the author of four books, including his signature work “La tercera via: una alternativa para Colombia,” which he co-wrote with Tony Blair and promotes the centrist Third Way political ideology in Latin America. He also wrote "Jaque al Terror" (Checkmate to Terror), in which he describes how he successfully fought the FARC. 

Santos is a contributor for Project Syndicate, where he has written about Colombia's peace process and international affairs. 
 
In 1991, Santos was appointed as Colombia’s first Minister of Foreign Trade, where he led the economic liberalization to modernize and enhance Colombia’s competitiveness in the world market and chaired the Eighth United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Santos also served as the Finance and Public Credit Minister—where he successfully handled the worst economic crisis in Colombia in the last 80 years—before rising to the world stage as Colombia’s Minister of National Defense (2006-2009). 
Juan Manuel Santos makes headlines: 
A sample of groups that have hosted Juan Manuel Santos:
A celebrated world leader who enabled his country to turn the page and work towards a better future, Juan Manuel Santos offers insightful, remarkable, and captivating lessons on leadership amid even the most challenging times, unity, the economy, security, and foreign affairs. With unparalleled experience as a politician, diplomat, economist, and journalist, Santos' diverse and accomplished background make his keynotes a perfect fit for any audience.