Economist Roberto Fendt will be the new head of the Special Secretariat for Foreign Trade and International Affairs, of the Ministry of Economy, the Brazilian Government has announced. Until now, Fendt has served as executive secretary of the Brazil-China Council.
Fendt will take over from Marcos Troyjo, who will head the New Development Bank (commonly known as “BRICS Bank”), that has as shareholders Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa.
The Foreign Trade Secretariat is the former Ministry of Development and Foreign Trade, which became a secretariat under Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Fendt has master’s and doctorate from the University of Chicago (USA) and previously led the Foundation Center for Foreign Trade Studies (Funcex) and the Brazilian Center for International Relations (Cebri). He was also deputy director of the Brazilian Institute of Economics (Ibre) at Fundação Getúlio Vargas.
