Felipe Ortiz de Zevallos

Felipe Ortiz de Zevallos came to diplomacy through business, teaching, and public debate. He trained as an industrial engineer at Peru’s National University of Engineering, earned a master’s in administration and systems analysis at Rochester, and completed Harvard Business School’s Owner-President program. He founded APOYO in 1977 and later served as professor and rector of Universidad del Pacífico and president of the civic organization Transparencia. ^{1, 4}

As ambassador in Washington from 2006 to 2009, he helped organize the campaign for congressional approval of the United States–Peru trade agreement. Testimony to Peru’s congressional trade committee in January 2007 identifies him as coordinator of the Washington team, working with David Lemor and the trade ministry’s staff in Lima. Their planned work included meetings with the new American congressional leadership, coordination with the United States Trade Representative, and outreach to companies and Peruvian and other Latin American communities. ²

He requested resignation for personal reasons in January 2009. The decree reported that month ended his appointment but left the effective departure date to a separate ministerial resolution. He subsequently continued his business and intellectual work. APOYO Consultoría marked his departure from its chairmanship and partnership in 2023, after more than four decades associated with the firm. In June 2026, Foreign Minister Carlos Pareja awarded him the Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun, expressly recognizing his contribution to the trade agreement. ^{3, 4, 5}