Luis Alberto Moreno

{{Infobox ambassador

| name = Luis Moreno

| image = Luis A. Moreno on January 27, 2011.jpg

| caption = Moreno at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2011

| alt = Moreno in 2011

| office = President of the Inter-American Development Bank

| term_start = 1 October 2005

| term_end = 30 September 2020

| predecessor = Enrique V. Iglesias

| successor = Mauricio Claver-Carone

| ambassador_from2 = Colombia

| country2 = United States

| president2 = Andrés Pastrana Arango

| term_start2 = 27 October 1998

| term_end2 = 27 June 2005

| predecessor2 = Juan Carlos Esguerra Portocarrero

| successor2 = Andrés Pastrana Arango

| office3 = Minister of Economic Development

| president3 = César Gaviria

| term_start3 = 5 July 1992

| term_end3 = 17 January 1994

| predecessor3 = Jorge Ospina Sardi

| successor3 = Mauricio Cárdenas Santamaría

| birth_name = Luis Alberto Moreno Mejía

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|5|3}}

| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Conservative

| spouses = {{marriage|Adrianne Foglia|1982|1994|end=divorced}}
{{marriage|Gabriela Cordero|1995|2011|end=divorced}}}}
{{marriage|María Sigala|2016}}

| children = 2

| relatives = Bernie Moreno (brother)

| education = Florida Atlantic University {{small|(BBA)}}
Thunderbird School of Global Management {{small|(MBA)}}

| signature = Luís Alberto Moreno BID firma.jpg

| parents = Bernardo Moreno
Marta Mejía

}}

Luis Alberto Moreno Mejía (born 3 May 1953) is a Colombian businessman and former diplomat who served as President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) from 2005 to 2020.{{Cite web|title=ELECTION OF THE IDB PRESIDENT |publisher=Inter-American Development Bank|url=https://www.iadb.org/en/about-us/election-idb-president|access-date=2020-10-05|website=www.iadb.org}} He was also Colombia's Ambassador to the United States under President Andrés Pastrana Arango from 1998 to 2005, and is the former President of the Instituto de Fomento Industrial. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at the World Economic Forum (WEF) since 2011.

Early life and education

Moreno was born in Philadelphia to his Colombian father, Bernardo Moreno Mejía (1928–2013), who at the time was attending medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, and his mother, Marta Mejía Pradilla.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/17/us/public-lives-with-roses-an-ambassador-polishes-colombia-s-image.html|first=Philip|last=Shenon|title=Public Lives: With Roses, an Ambassador Polishes Colombia's Image|work=The New York Times|date=2000-01-17|accessdate=2013-04-08}} He was raised in Bogota, where he studied at Colegio San Carlos and returned to the United States to attend college. He obtained bachelor's degrees in Business Administration and Economics from Florida Atlantic University in 1975 and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management (now part of Arizona State University) in 1977.{{cite web |last1=Carlos |first1=Famoso |title=El Correo de Dioselina para Colombia : Luis Alberto Moreno |url=http://www.elcorreo.eu.org/El-Correo-de-Dioselina-para-Colombia-Luis-Alberto-Moreno |website=El Correo |language=Spanish |date=5 March 2004}}

Career

=Early career=

Moreno was Executive Producer of "TV Hoy", an award-winning news program, from January 1982 to September 1990. For his distinguished work in the field of journalism, he was awarded a Nieman Fellowship by Harvard University.

=Government=

During the administration of Colombian President César Gaviria, Moreno worked in several cabinet positions. Moreno was the President of the Instituto de Fomento Industrial (IFI) which was a holding company for many of the largest state-owned enterprises. While at IFI, he pushed for a large privatization plan in the country.{{cite web |title=Luis Alberto Moreno |url=https://lasillavacia.com/quienesquien/perfilquien/luis-alberto-moreno |website=La Si A Vacia |language=Spanish |date=13 July 2016}} He was later appointed Minister of Economic Development.{{cite web |title=Ambassador Pinzón Welcomes Re-election of IDB President Moreno to Third Term |url=http://www.colombiaemb.org/node/3370 |website=Embassy of Colombia |date=14 September 2015 |access-date=23 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423080957/http://www.colombiaemb.org/node/3370 |archive-date=23 April 2019 |url-status=dead }}

In 1998, Moreno was named Colombia's Ambassador to the United States by newly elected president Andrés Pastrana Arango. He was the ambassador for seven years and oversaw a dramatic improvement in Colombian-U.S. relations. He helped build bipartisan support in the United States Congress for passage of more than US$4 billion in U.S. assistance programs for Colombia. He also worked on a free trade accord between Colombia and the United States.

File:Secretary Pompeo Meets With IADB President Moreno (49015057856).jpg Michael R. Pompeo at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., November 4, 2019.]]

=Inter-American Development Bank=

In 2005, Moreno was nominated for president of the IDB by the administration of President Álvaro Uribe. He took office in October that same year. He was re-elected in 2010 and again in 2015.{{cite web |last1=Mungcal |first1=Ivy |title=Luis Alberto Moreno Re-elected as IDB President |url=https://www.devex.com/news/luis-alberto-moreno-re-elected-as-idb-president-68310 |website=devex|date=7 July 2010 }}{{cite web |title=Observatory on Latin American Politics: Future Challenges with Luis Alberto Moreno |url=https://www.ie.edu/school-global-public-affairs/about/news/latin-americas-future-challenges-according-luis-alberto-moreno/ |website=ie School of Global and Public Affairs |date=22 May 2018}} Milestones during Moreno's tenure include: the approval in 2007 of $4.4 billion in debt relief for Bolivia, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua, the most heavily indebted member countries; the approval in 2010 of the Ninth General Capital Increase, the largest expansion of resources in the Bank’s history; the merging and expansion in 2016 of the Group’s private-sector operations under IDB Invest; the replenishment in 2017 of IDB Lab with historic contributions from Latin American and Caribbean countries; the launch in 2019 of a special grant facility to help countries integrate migrants into local communities and contribute to their development; and the institution-wide response in 2020 to the coronavirus pandemic.{{Cite web|title=15 Years of Improving Lives in Latin America & the Caribbean|url=https://www.iadb.org/en/interactive-timelines-idb-15years-development-improving-lives|access-date=2020-10-05|website=15 Years of Improving Lives in Latin America & the Caribbean|language=en}}

Later career

In early 2021, Moreno was appointed by the G20 to the High Level Independent Panel (HLIP) on financing the global commons for pandemic preparedness and response, co-chaired by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Lawrence Summers.[https://www.mef.gov.it/en/ufficio-stampa/comunicati/2021/The-G20-establishes-a-High-Level-Independent-Panel-on-financing-the-Global-Commons-for-Pandemic-Preparedness-and-Response-00001/ Ministry of Economy and FinanceThe G20 establishes a High Level Independent Panel on financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response] Ministry of Economy and Finance, press release of January 27, 2021.

Other activities

Center for Global Development (CGD), Member of the Board of Directors[https://www.cgdev.org/page/board-directors Board of Directors] Center for Global Development (CGD).
Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), Member of the Board of Directors[https://www.clintonhealthaccess.org/about-us/ Board of Directors] Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).
End Malaria Council, Member (since 2017)Kate Kelland (January 20, 2017), [https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1541CB Exclusive: Malaria champions see Trump uncertainty at crucial time] Reuters.[http://endmalariacouncil.org/ Members] End Malaria Council.
International Olympic Committee (IOC), Member (since 2015)[https://www.olympic.org/mr-luis-alberto-moreno Luis Alberto Moreno] International Olympic Committee (IOC).
World Economic Forum (WEF), Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2011)[https://www.weforum.org/press/2019/08/world-economic-forum-appoints-new-members-to-board-of-trustees/ World Economic Forum Appoints New Members to Board of Trustees] World Economic Forum (WEF), press release of August 20, 2019.

Recognition

In 2017, Moreno received the Distinguished Leadership Award for Social Equity from the Inter-American Dialogue.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedialogue.org/events/gala2017/|title=III Leadership for the Americas Awards Gala|website=The Dialogue|language=en|access-date=2019-11-20}}

Personal life

Moreno is married to María Gabriela Sigala, a Venezuelan philanthropist, ex-wife of Henrique Salas Feo. He has two children from his first marriage: Nicolas and Natalia.{{cite web| url=https://www.iadb.org/en/about-us/departments/biographies/luis-alberto-moreno |website=IADB |language=English|title=Election of the Idb President | Iadb }} His younger brother, Bernie Moreno, is an American politician who has served in U.S. Senate since 2025.{{Cite web |last=Smyth |first=Julia Carr |last2=Goodman |first2=Joshua |date=2024-07-28 |title=Senate candidate Bernie Moreno campaigns as an outsider. His wealthy family is politically connected |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/ap/ap-politics/ap-senate-candidate-bernie-moreno-campaigns-as-an-outsider-his-wealthy-family-is-politically-connected/ |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}