Howard M. Glicken
Howard M. Glicken is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of the Company, a consulting/merchant-banking firm focused solely on Latin America, Mexico and the Caribbean. He has over 35 years of business and political experience in Latin America. During this time, Mr. Glicken was a co-founder and Vice-Chairman of Spectrum Telecommunications Corporation, a telephone service provider in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Peru, which was sold in August 2000 to Terremark Worldwide, Inc., a publicly traded company. Mr. Glicken was Chairman of The Commonwealth Group from 1992-1996, a Washington, D.C. based public policy and consulting firm with extensive business and political activities in Latin America. Among its activities the firm assisted U.S. Companies develop and execute their Latin American market entry strategies. This part of the practice evolved into The Americas Group.
Mr. Glicken was Chairman and CEO of Jillian’s Entertainment Corporation from 1983-1992, a diversified NASDAQ listed public company which began as a nonferrous metals trading company, started by Mr. Glicken. It was one of the largest United States purchasers of gold ore from Latin America. From 1981-1983 he was a shareholder, Vice President and Director of Precious Metals of a large independent Miami Bank.
During the years 1972-1981, while Latin America was "industrializing", Mr. Glicken was President, then Chairman and CEO of MGI Industries, which controlled the pioneer firm in the design and manufacture of extrusion tools and dies for the aluminum and copper industries. The firm also specialized in turnkey solutions for aluminum extrusion, smelting and fabrication facilities throughout Latin America, and its clients included virtually every aluminum extrusion plant in Latin America, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Throughout his career, Mr. Glicken has played a significant private sector role as a good will ambassador to Latin America. He has lectured and written extensively on issues affecting the region. In recent years he has served as a private sector advisor to the Clinton Administration on Latin American affairs and as a member of the private sector advisory group to the Inter-American Development Bank. He is also an advisor to several Latin American governments. He was a member of the Steering Committee and Co-chair of the Finance Committee of the 1994 historic Summit of the Americas in Miami. Mr. Glicken was President Clinton’s official private sector delegate to the Inaugurations of Presidents Menem (Argentina), Fujimori (Peru), Sanguinetti (Uruguay), and Bucaram (Ecuador). He helped prepare and was a member of a Presidential Trade Mission to Latin America with Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown. Mr. Glicken has testified before Congress in 1993 on the Free Trade Area of the Americas and has been a participant in numerous trade conferences and delegations relating to Latin American trade. More recently he was an official guest to the Inauguration of President Fernandez (Dominican Republic). Mr. Glicken advised the Clinton Foundation on Latin American participation in the Clinton Global Initiative and accompanied President Clinton in 2005 on a visit to Sao Paulo, Brazil. He continues to be a Latin American advisor to the Clinton Foundation. He is a member of the U.S./Brazil Business Development Council, Inter-American Dialogue and Council of the Americas. He is recognized as one of the most knowledgeable business and political advisors in Latin America and has been an early promoter in bringing U.S. business and investments to the region.
Mr. Glicken is very active with the Democratic National Party and has served in many capacities over the years. In 1997, he was required to pay a fine due in connection with an election law violation. Mr. Glicken has been National Vice Chairman of Finance of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Finance Board of Directors and a Managing Trustee of the Party. He was also Chairman of the Board of the College Democrats of America, a post he held for ten years, a member of the Chairman’s Council of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, a Trustee of the Florida Democratic Party, State Finance Chair for Al Gore for President 1988, State Finance Chair for Senator Bob Kerrey for President in 1992, State Co-Finance Chair for President Clinton and a Trustee of the Vice President’s Residence Foundation.
He is on the Executive Board of The Miami Coalition for a Drug Free Community, a Board member of the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the Chairman Elect of the Coral Gables Community Foundation. He is also a member of numerous other corporate, charity and civic organizations and boards. He attended the University of Florida, the American Banking Institute, and the Harvard University Advanced Institute on Negotiation. He is fluent in Spanish and has a working knowledge of Portuguese.
