Carlos Alvarado Quesada

travels from Costa Rica, USA

Carlos Alvarado Quesada, a former President of Costa Rica, is a popular speaker booked for corporate events, conferences, tradeshows, private parties, fundraisers, and endorsement projects, among others.

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About Carlos

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Carlos was the 48th President of Costa Rica, having served from May 2018 to May 2022. One thing that highlights his success is that he assumed the most powerful office on the land when he was just 38. That's a low age for a president to be honest, but it seems Carlos' fate had been sealed before he was born. After completing his presidential term, he became a professor of diplomacy at Tufts University, among other positions. His keynote speeches revolve around such themes as leadership, climate change, and human rights.

Why you should book Carlos Alvarado Quesada for your next event

Carlos Alvarado was the 48th president of Costa Rica. There could be no better way to describe his profile as a speaker.
As a leader occupying the highest seat in Costa Rica, Carlos has worked with all types of people at various levels of leadership. The fact that he has seen it all makes him an experienced speaker with the right content.
He is well-educated and a good communicator. A testament to this is his bachelor’s degree in journalism and two master’s in development studies and political science.

Carlos has been at the forefront when it comes to advocating for ocean protection. His commitment to the same earned him the Planetary Leadership Award in 2022. This award is exclusively for honouring world leaders who are outstanding in establishing protected areas like marine reserves, wilderness, and national parks. On behalf of Costa Rica, Carlos was also awarded the Champion of the Earth, the UN’s highest environmental honour, in 2019.

During Carlos’ tenure as president, Costa Rica’s contribution to fighting global climate change became noticeable. He also pushed for multilateralism, democracy, and human rights with passion. During the Covid- 19 pandemic, for instance, he was part of the C-TAP initiative that facilitated the distribution of health products to numerous nations.

Before he became president, Carlos served his country in various capacities, including:

Minister for Labor & Social Security
Minister of Human Development & Social Inclusion

Carlos Alvarado was born in 1980 in San Jose and went to the University of Costa Rica to study journalism. He earned a bachelor’s degree before later proceeding to obtain a master’s in political science. He also holds a master’s degree in development studies from the famed Sussex University.

See keynotes with Carlos Alvarado Quesada

Keynote by Carlos Alvarado Quesada

Sustainability - How smaller nation-states and organizations can punch above their weight to meet our environmental challenges

How can global sustainability become important among the population? How to turn a dream into a country goal that got the whole world talking about? How to convey hope in the most difficult hours of a pandemic, thinking long-term and based on the necessary evolution of how the planet is viewed and treated? Carlos Alvarado, President of Costa Rica (2018-2022) proposed a challenge for a small country and for the world: Make Costa Rica a decarbonized nation in the year 2050. A speech that leads to introspection, and to the own analysis of what and how it is contributing to the planet, to take action: What to do, How to do it, and When.

Keynote by Carlos Alvarado Quesada

Global Challenges for Today’s Youth

At the age of 38, took on the most complex task in the recent history of Costa Rica: Getting the country out of the fiscal, social and health crisis. How to confront it? What tools to use to lead the country into an unprecedented transformation process? The lessons for the young leaders of the world, from the voice of the youngest President Costa Rica has had in 100 years: Carlos Alvarado Quesada.

Keynote by Carlos Alvarado Quesada

Ecotourism - The Costa Rican model

Costa Rica leads the world in ecotourism with its vast natural beauty.

Keynote by Carlos Alvarado Quesada

Economic Leadership in a time of crisis

In 2018 Carlos Alvarado assumed the Presidency of Costa Rica with one of the largest fiscal deficits of all time: 7% and rising; two years later it faced the worst health crisis for humanity in a century. From his position, making unpopular decisions and measures, he managed to put Costa Rica on the path to having a primary surplus, at the end of his administration, and reduce the fiscal deficit to a decreasing 5.83%. Likewise, it achieved that at least 85% of the country’s population had some type of vaccine and left the country with a growth of its economy of 7.6%. How did Alvarado manage to move from the financial and health abyss to financial stability and confidence in overcoming the pandemic among the population? A speech to redefine the purpose of life, make the difficult decisions, and be true to personal principles.

Watch Carlos Alvarado Quesada in action