Keith Rockwell

The Rodolfo Rivas Project

Season 4 Episode 04 – Keith Rockwell, Director, Information and External Relations Division and spokesperson at World Trade Organization from 1996 until 2022. Keith is a legend at the WTO and, I think, the longest-serving Division Director. So if it happened at the WTO, he saw it, and he can probably tell you about it; in fact, that was his job, or that is his job at least for a few more days before he retires. My conversation with him was informative but also great fun. He talked about how his father was influential in his worldview and some of the personalities he met growing up, including Desmond Tutu. This eventually led him to study History and Political Science at Tufts University, which brought him to Europe, where he would return later after getting into journalism. Bernstein and Woodward inspired him, and he scooped a couple of stories during the Reagan years. Listen on if you want to find out more about this. He is a passionate Boston Red Sox fan, so we talk about that and how they broke the Curse of the Bambino. We also talk about the WTO, how it has changed, and some inside baseball stories about trade. It was a delight talking to Keith, and I hope to speak to him again since he will be around. In the meantime, you can listen and enjoy the conversation. I hope you enjoy it! Take a listen! Please let us know by liking, subscribing, and/or reviewing if you enjoyed this conversation. I know I keep saying it, but it helps! The Rodolfo Rivas Project is available on all major platforms or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here belong to the individuals sharing them and do not necessarily represent the views of their employers. Featuring: Keith Rockwell https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-rockwell-7bba88/ Host: Rodolfo Rivas (Twitter: @rivasrod) About The Rodolfo Rivas Project: Conversations with talented individuals (lawyers, diplomats, entrepreneurs, academics, filmmakers, etc.) in International Geneva and beyond. Currently in season 4, and going strong! Ranked in the top 10% of podcasts in the world. Some of our guests include: Dr. Willy Mutunga (former Chief Justice Kenya), Dr. Chang-fa Lo (former Constitutional Court Justice), Dr. Grethel Aguilar (Acting DG of IUCN), Dr. Peter Van den Bossche (fmr. Chairman of the Appellate Body WTO), Jesus Seade (Undersecretary for North America Mexico's MFA), Amb. Angel Villalobos (Mexico to the WTO), Petros Mavoridis (Columbia Law School & CAS Arbitrator), Edward Kwakwa (Assistant DG at WIPO), Howard Stupp (two-time Pan American gold medalist & fmr. Director of Legal Affairs at IOC), David Zonana (filmmaker), Luke Lorentzen (filmmaker) and Andreas Koefoed (filmmaker). Available at: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, SoundCloud, Google Podcasts, Pandora, Facebook podcasts, Deezer, Stitcher etc. Follow Us: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/therodolforivasproject/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/rodolforivasproject