Danny Lopez (businessman) explained

Office:Her Majesty's Consul-General in New York
Minister:William Hague (until 2014)
Philip Hammond (from 2014)
Predecessor:Sir Alan Collins
Primeminister:David Cameron
Successor:Antonia Romeo
Termend:July 2016
Termstart:July 2011
1Blankname:Ambassador
1Namedata:Sir Nigel Sheinwald (until 2012),
Sir Peter Westmacott (2012–2016),
Sir Kim Darroch (from 2016)

Danny Lopez (born 1974) is the CEO of cybersecurity firm Glasswall and a board member of Innovate Finance and Aquis Stock Exchange. Between 2011 and 2016 Lopez was the British Consul-General to New York and Director-General of the Department for Business and Trade in the United States and Canada.

Career

Lopez started his career at Barclays in 1996 and over the next ten years he held a number of international banking roles in London, Miami, New York and Mumbai.[1]

In 2006, Lopez joined the executive team at the Department for Business and Trade (formerly UK Trade & Investment), the UK government's foreign commercial arm.[2] From 2009 to 2011 Lopez worked for Boris Johnson, then Mayor of London, and led the establishment of business and tourism agency London & Partners, becoming its inaugural CEO.

In 2011, the role of British Consul-General to New York was opened up to applicants outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Lopez was confirmed as the successful candidate, becoming the youngest-ever holder of the position. As the senior British diplomat to New York for five years, he was responsible for promoting the UK's economic profile, foreign policy and national security priorities. In addition, Lopez led the Department for Business and Trade's presence across North America. During his tenure, Lopez hosted the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their visit to New York in December 2014.[3] [4] Lopez also actively promoted the expansion of high-tech US start-ups into the UK[5] and facilitated collaboration between the tech industries of both countries.

In 2016, Lopez left his diplomatic position and returned to the private sector.[6] He became the COO at technology company Blippar,[7] a role he held for two years before stepping down in July 2018.[8] In 2016, Lopez was appointed a special advisor to New York-based venture capital firm FinTech Collective and in 2017 he joined the board of Innovate Finance, the industry body that champions the UK's global fintech community.[9] In 2019, Lopez was appointed CEO of award-winning cybersecurity firm Glasswall.[10] In 2020, Lopez was appointed a Council Member and Trustee at the University of Essex, his alma mater, and served for two years.[11] In 2021, Lopez joined the board of Aquis Stock Exchange and in 2022 he was appointed to the Private Sector Council of the UK government's GREAT Campaign.

Danny speaks regularly on platforms across the world on trends in cybersecurity; geopolitics and the intersection of market disrupting technologies and government policy; building a cybersecurity culture; and how boards and executive teams should manage cyber risk.

In May 2022 Lopez received the Freedom of the City of London at a ceremony held at Guildhall, the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London.

Personal life

Born in England to José Antonio and Elizabeth, and brought up in Spain, Lopez was educated at the Marists School of Zaragoza. Fluent in both English and Spanish, he holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in economics and a master's degree in international economics and finance from the University of Essex. In 2012 he married his Australian fiancée, Susan Grieve. They have three children: Lucy, Stella and Alexander.[12] [13]

External links

Board of Directors: http://britweek.org/2012/about_board.html

Notes and References

  1. http://www.easthamptonstar.com/?q=News/2011818/British-Consul-General LeRoy, Bridget. "British Consul General: The Star Talks to Danny Lopez"
  2. http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/other-locations/ny/our-consul-general/biography British Consulate-General, New York
  3. http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222_20880531,00.html "Actor Matthew Rhys Finds Himself Tongue-Tied over Princess Kate"
  4. https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/inside-prince-william-duchess-kates-1st-day-us/story?id=27399143 "Prince William and Duchess Kate: 9 Things That Have Happened Since They Arrived in the US"
  5. http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/British-Wants-Philly-Tech-Companies-to-Expand-267806581.html "British Want Philly Tech Companies to Expand to U.K."
  6. Web site: Change of Her Majesty's Consul General in New York - News stories - GOV.UK. www.gov.uk. 2016-07-09.
  7. News: Tech upstart poaches top British diplomat in New York. 2016-05-25. The Independent. 2017-07-22. en-GB.
  8. News: Blippar Appoints Seasoned Technology Executive and Digital Agency Veteran Libby Penn to Chief Operating Officer. CNBC. 2018-06-25. CNBC. 2018-07-08.
  9. News: Innovate Finance Appoints New Non Executive Directors. Innovate Finance – The Voice of Global FinTech. 2017-10-03. en-GB.
  10. Web site: Glasswall Solutions Appoints Danny Lopez as Chief Executive Officer. 2019-06-06. www.businesswire.com. en. 2019-07-07.
  11. Web site: University of Essex - Welcoming our new members of University Council « Essex Daily. 2020-06-21. en-gb.
  12. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/fashion/weddings/susan-grieve-danny-lopez-weddings.html?_r=0 "'Susan Grieve, Danny Lopez"
  13. http://www.bafta.org/newyork/news/new-british-consul-general-in-new-york,1998,BA.html "New British Consul General in New York"