Johannes Marinus Kelner

Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) and a Master’s Degree in Finance from Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez in Chile. He has approximately 20 years of experience in the fields of free trade zones, customs, and logistics. He has led significant projects for national logistics development, conducting global negotiations with technologies that enhance efficiency and connectivity. During his tenure at the General Directorate of Customs, he collaborated on the government’s plan to transform the Dominican Republic into a world-class logistics hub. He spearheaded the creation and development of the “24-Hour Dispatch” project, one of the most successful zero-bureaucracy programs of the current administration, which managed to process over 45,000 containers and impact thousands of businesses. He played a key role in the ExportaMás Project and worked to promote the National Logistics Centers. In his new role as Deputy Minister of Free Trade Zones and Special Regimes at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and MSMEs, he will continue to work towards fulfilling President Luis Abinader’s mandate to position and consolidate the Dominican Republic as a world-class investment destination. His efforts will focus on advancing the repositioning of free trade zones, leveraging the current wave of nearshoring impacting the global market.