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The Embassy of Panamá in London |
Contact
Address
40 Hertford Street, London, W1J 7SH
Phone Number
020 7493 4646
E-Mail
eopuk_web@mire.gob.pa
The Ambassador
H.E. Mr. Guido J. Martinelli M
H.E. Mr. Guido J. Martinelli M. is an exceptionally dynamic financial strategist, corporate executive, and senior diplomat who represents Panama’s highly sophisticated, business-driven approach to global economic statecraft.
Ambassador Martinelli boasts an elite educational foundation in economics and global management. He graduated from Texas Christian University in the United States with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Finance, before reading international corporate architecture at the prestigious IE Business School in Madrid, Spain, where he earned his International MBA. He subsequently completed rigorous, advanced executive management programs at both the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and INCAE Business School.
Before his supreme diplomatic assignment to the Court of St James's, Ambassador Martinelli built a formidable private sector track record at the highest levels of the Latin American financial services industry. He served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of PanaCredit, S.A. (formerly Corporación de Finanzas del País), a powerhouse Panamanian financial institution. In this vital corporate role, he spearheaded sweeping technological innovations and cross-border structural growth, notably guiding the enterprise to secure a highly sought-after third investment-grade rating from Fitch Ratings—making it the only financial institution of its class in Panama to achieve such a distinction.
Recognized by the presidency for his sharp entrepreneurial acumen and deep familiarity with macroeconomic systems, he was strategically commissioned to lead the embassy in the United Kingdom. He officially took office in London and presented his formal Letters of Credence to His Majesty King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on April 3, 2025.His leadership brings a deeply technocratic, private-sector mentality to Whitehall, prioritizing financial transparency, technological innovation, and sustainable investments
History
Bilateral ties between Panama and the United Kingdom are historic, collaborative, and expanding rapidly. The UK was one of the earliest European powers to formally recognize Panamanian sovereignty following its independence in 1903. The embassy commands a highly strategic independent chancery building located at 40 Hertford Street in the exclusive diplomatic and financial district of Mayfair.
The Embassy of Panama in London serves as a principal command center for executing maritime statecraft, supply-chain logistics integration, and advanced economic nearshoring diplomacy between Panama City and Whitehall. Under Ambassador Martinelli’s specialized financial direction, a paramount structural mandate of the mission is operationalizing the "UK-Panama Business Guide" trade frameworks. The embassy works tirelessly alongside City of London financial syndicates and British logistics entities to highlight Panama’s unique position as the "Bridge of the World"—leveraging the Panama Canal’s strategic maritime infrastructure to attract international corporate hubs.
Commercially, the mission interfaces directly with the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) to drive heavy British institutional capital into Panama’s surging semiconductor ecosystem, clean energy grids, and advanced manufacturing economic zones.
Furthermore, the embassy maintains high-stakes maritime coordination with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to safeguard global shipping lanes, while its dedicated consular division provides digitized passport processing, specialized registry certifications, and active protection frameworks for the extensive Panamanian academic, maritime, and corporate diaspora community thriving across the British Isles.
