Juan Carlos Varela is the current president of Panama.

He has served in many important political posts in his country over the past decade, including as Vice President (2009-2014) and Minister of Foreign Relations (2009-2011). He was president of the Panameñistas party from 2006 to 2016. Prior to entering politics, Varela was Director and Executive Vice President of Varela Hermanos, a family enterprise. He studied engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Varela was an event speaker at the Dialogue.