New face at Foreign Investors Council in Latvia

Mārtiņš Panke, once press officer for former Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, will be assuming the role with FICIL board chairwoman Julia Sundberg saying: “We are delighted to have found a new Executive Director with a remarkable combination of experience and skills which are necessary to enable our organisation to reach progress towards achieving our common goals.”

The new FICIL Executive Director will coordinate a constructive dialogue with the government on issues of concern for foreign investors, such as combating economic and financial crime, improving quality of higher education, as well as the ensuring availability of workforce.

These topics will be discussed in more detail during the annual High Council meeting which will take place on 30th and 31st of May of this year, though FICIL holds several other consultations with government through the rest of the year, too.

“I am glad for this opportunity to become a part of FICIL’s team. During 20 years since its establishment, FICIL has become one of the most important partners for the government in terms of shaping economic policies. It is an organization, which is highly respected and whose opinion is sought after. Therefore, joining FICIL is a challenge for me. I will use my experience in the public sector and private sector to contribute towards reaching FICIL’s goals – a transparent, competitive and business-friendly economic environment in Latvia,” said Panke.

Panke worked as spokesperson for the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis from 2011 to 2014 and since then has been heading the external communications team at SEB bank. Since 2017 he has worked in the management board of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Latvia.

The previous Executive Director of FICIL, Marta Jaksona, started a new position as Deputy Head of Financial Intelligence Unit Latvia in February.