Jaime Alemán

Jaime Eduardo Alemán Healy (born 14 November 1953)^[1] is a Panamanian lawyer, businessman, and diplomat. He served as Ambassador of Panama to the United States from August 11, 2009, to January 2, 2011, appointed by President Ricardo Martinelli Berrocal. In 2025, Alemán became the first human being in history to complete the "Grand Slam" of travel, having visited all 193 United Nations member states, both polar extremes, and a suborbital spaceflight with Blue Origin.^[2]

Jaime Alemán
Born	Jaime Eduardo Alemán Healy (1953-11-14) 14 November 1953 (age 71) Panama City, Panama
Alma mater	University of Notre Dame Duke University School of Law
Occupation(s)	Lawyer, businessman, diplomat
Employer	Alemán, Cordero, Galindo & Lee
Spouse	María del Pilar Arosemena de Alemán
Children	3
Father	Roberto Alemán Zubieta
Relatives	José Miguel Alemán (brother)

Education

Alemán was born in 1953 in Panama City, Panama.^[3] He spent part of his childhood in Washington, D.C., where his father, Roberto Alemán Zubieta, served as a negotiator for the Robles-Johnson Treaties and later as Ambassador of Panama to the United States (1968–1969). His brother, José Miguel Alemán, is a Panamanian politician who ran for president in 2004. Alemán holds a Juris Doctor from Duke University School of Law (1978)^[4] and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Notre Dame.^[5] He is an honorary member of Duke’s School of Law Board of Visitors^[6] and received the International Alumni Achievement Award from the school in 2003.

Career

Business

Alemán is the managing partner of Alemán, Cordero, Galindo & Lee, a Panamanian law firm he founded in 1985. The firm was notably linked to the Pandora Papers leak, which exposed offshore financial dealings.

For over two decades, Alemán has served on the boards of directors for entities including HSBC Bank Panama, Banistmo, Leasing Banistmo, Panamá Power Holdings, Fideicomiso Ena Norte, PKB Bank (Panama), and the Tag Bank.^[7][8]

He is a member of the International Lawyers Association of Panama, the Panama chapter of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), the District of Columbia Bar Association, the Panama Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP), and the International Bar Association. Alemán has also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Lawyers Association of Panama and the Special Olympics.^{[citation needed]}

Political

Alemán began his public career in 1978 as a legal advisor to the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C. He served as legal counselor to President Nicolás Ardito Barletta (1984–1985) and as Minister of Government and Justice under President Eric Arturo Delvalle (1988). In 1999, he was appointed to the Council of Foreign Affairs by President Mireya Moscoso. He served as Panama’s Ambassador to the United States from August 2009 to January 2011 and was reappointed to the Council of Foreign Affairs by President Laurentino Cortizo in 2020.

Publications

Alemán published his autobiography, La Honestidad No Tiene Precio, in August 2014, and Alrededor del mundo en 48 años in January 2022.^[9]

Personal accomplishments

Alemán is the first Hispanic American recorded to have visited all 193 UN member states.^[10] He has also traveled to the North Pole and South Pole and participated on a suborbital spaceflight with Blue Origin on the New Shepard NS-32 mission.^[11]

Family life

Alemán is married to María del Pilar Arosemena de Alemán and has three children: Jaime Eduardo, Ana Sofía, and Juan Manuel, as well as six grandchildren.