On July 26, 2021, President Iván Duque swore in Juan Carlos Pinzón as Ambassador of Colombia to the United States.
Pinzón previously served as Colombia’s Ambassador to Washington from 2015 to 2017. During his tenure, he oversaw the approval of “Peace Colombia or Plan Colombia II” ($450 million per year) that increased the U.S. funding package for security and development. Additionally, he helped establish the “CEO U.S.-Colombia Business Council” at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Atlantic Council’s “Colombia Task Force” with the report on the future of the U.S.-Colombia relationship. The accession of the avocado Hass to the U.S. market was an important highlight. While in office, the Colombian Embassy was recognized as the best diplomatic delegation in Washington by the World Affairs Council in Washington, DC.
Prior to that, Ambassador Pinzón served as Minister of Defense of Colombia for nearly four years. Under his leadership, the Colombian Armed Forces dealt the most severe blows in history to terrorist organizations – FARC and ELN – and Criminal Bands, highly degrading their logistics, structure and leadership. Pinzón also strengthened all capabilities of the Colombian armed forces and established Colombia as a regional cooperation leader. By the end of his period, he left the Armed Forces at its historical peak in manpower, capabilities, welfare, technology and budget.
Throughout his career, Pinzón has been a leader in both the public and private sectors. Between 2018 and 2021, Pinzón was appointed President of the Foundation for the Progress of the Capital Region – ProBogotá, a private non-profit for the promotion of common good, public policy and long-term strategic projects for the capital region of Colombia. He is currently a member of several corporate advisory boards and NGOs.
In July 2017, Ambassador Pinzón launched a bid for president with the support of the civic citizens’ movement “Colombia Above All.” In March 2018, he became vice presidential candidate.
Additional previous positions include Chief of Staff to the President of Colombia; Deputy Minister of Defense; Senior Advisor to the Executive Director at the Board of the World Bank; Vice President of the Colombian Banking Association; Assistant Vice President of Investment Banking at Citigroup; Private Secretary and Chief of Staff for the Finance and Public Credit Ministry; and Economist for Colombia at Citigroup.
Pinzón received an honorable mention for his outstanding academic performance while earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. He also holds three Master degrees. A Master of Science in Economics from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. A Master in Public Policy from Princeton University (scholarship awarded). And a Master’s degree (honoris causa) in Defense and National Security from Colombia’s National War College. Pinzón also completed advanced courses in international relations and strategic studies at Johns Hopkins University, in science and technology policy at Harvard University, and smart cities at Nanyang Technological University-Singapore.
Ambassador Pinzón was born in Bogotá on December 22, 1971. He is married to Pilar Lozano and has two children, Natalia and Juan Pablo.
January 25, 2022 at the The Hay-Adams Hotel