Sergio Amaral is the former Brazilian ambassador to the United States, the United Kingdom and France. Currently, he is a counselor at Felsberg Advogados and a member of the strategic council of the Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo (FIESP). Amaral chaired the Brazil-China Business Council and was a member of the board of WWF Brazil, as well as of French companies Total and Plastic Omnium, and several Brazilian companies. He was also an assistant professor of international relations at the University of Brasília. Throughout his career, Amaral has served as a negotiator of Brazil's foreign debt and has held high positions in the federal government, including as executive secretary of the Ministry of the Environment and secretary of communications and spokesperson for former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. He was also the minister of industry and trade and chairman of the boards of the Câmara do Comércio Exterior (CAMEX) and the Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES). Amaral received a law degree from the University of São Paulo and completed his postgraduate studies in political science at Paris-Sorbonne University.