Leo Ayala is a Vice President at American Global Strategies, where he advises clients on international trade, supply-chain resilience, and corporate diplomacy in an evolving geopolitical and regulatory environment. He brings over a decade of experience operating at the intersection of global commerce, government policy, and international markets.
Prior to joining American Global Strategies, Leo served at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA), where he led and supported U.S. government efforts to advance trade, investment, and supply-chain resilience in key markets, including China, Türkiye, Europe, and Eurasia. In this role, he worked closely with U.S. companies, foreign governments, and senior interagency stakeholders—including USTR, the Departments of State, the National Security Council, and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation—to align commercial outcomes with U.S. trade and investment policy priorities.
Leo has advised on and supported U.S. commercial transactions exceeding $50 billion in aggregate value, helping companies navigate market-access barriers, regulatory complexity, and geopolitical risk. His sector experience spans advanced manufacturing, digital trade, emerging technologies, infrastructure, and services, with a particular focus on translating policy and geopolitical developments into actionable commercial and market-access strategies.
Earlier in his career, Leo served in ITA’s Enforcement and Compliance division, where he worked on investigations into unfair trade practices and supported trade remedy cases, including Section 232–related trade policy initiatives. This dual background across trade enforcement and trade promotion provides him with an end-to-end perspective on how trade policy, regulatory tools, and geopolitical dynamics affect corporate operations and global supply chains in practice.
Leo began his career in the private sector in international trade logistics and port operations in Miami, Florida. He holds a Master’s degree in International Trade and Economic Diplomacy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and a Bachelor’s degree in International Business and Modern Languages. Fluent in six languages, he brings a globally informed, cross-regional perspective to advising clients on international trade strategy and supply-chain resilience.