In the spirit of Black History Month, Gilbert K. Squires reflects on his Afro-Caribbean lineage, the legacy of Black migration and labor, and a career shaped by engineering, global energy leadership and international arbitration. 

1. Can you share your background, where you were born and the heritage that has shaped your identity and worldview?

I was born in Ciudad de Panamá, República de Panamá, on May 26, 1958, and I am a descendant of West Indian Afro-Caribbeans with roots in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Barbados, Jamaica, and both West and North Africa. I am the offspring of enslaved Africans who, over generations, mixed with Europeans, Indigenous peoples of the Americas and East Indians. Some were traders, all bound by courage, enterprise and faith.

I often say, “Soy panameño germinado, parido y criado.” My heritage has shaped my worldview and continues to inform how I move through the world.

2. Black History Month highlights resilience and cultural legacy. In what ways do you see your family’s journey across continents and disciplines as part of that larger story?

As I reflect on what Black History Month means for me, I decided to share part of my story. I see my journey as one expression of the broader story of the African diaspora. People uprooted and displaced, yet carrying forward resilience, faith and the determination to build.

From the Isthmus of Panama, I moved from engineering into international arbitration and mediation and, as a special magistrate, followed the natural arc of my life in petroleum and energy, from the wellhead to the boardroom to the tribunal. That arc reflects a belief instilled in me early on: that history is not something we escape, but something we honor and extend.

3. Your story references the Afro-Caribbean experience in Panama and the legacy of those who came during the construction of the Panama Canal. What does that history mean to you personally today?

They came to Panama seeking work during the great “Big Dig,” the Panama Canal, an undertaking that forever changed the world’s geography and our family’s destiny. That story of labor, sacrifice and pride is deeply personal to me.

Rubén Blades captured that journey in his moving song about the West Indian man, a melody of labor, resilience and dignity. My heritage, built upon the sweat and perseverance of those who helped build the Canal, continues to shape how I understand responsibility and opportunity.

4. Your career began in engineering and later expanded into business and law. What motivated those transitions, and what did each discipline add to your perspective?

In 1976, after working and attending Canal Zone College, I left for the United States to study engineering. I began in biomedical engineering but, through the wise guidance of my advisor, Dr. Love, shifted to mechanical engineering. A decision that would chart my future.

I completed my Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in May 1980 to join Exxon as an Offshore Drilling Engineer and later became a Registered Professional Engineer in Petroleum in Texas. While working full time, I attended business school at night to better understand the commercial logic behind the projects I was helping design and execute.

In 1988, I began law school at night while working at Conoco. I completed my Juris Doctor in 1993, which marked another reinvention, uniting my technical, business and legal understandings into one integrated calling.

5. In the early 1990s, you helped lead Conoco’s strategy work tied to NAFTA and its re-entry into Mexico, which ultimately led to your appointment as President of Conoco Mexico Ltd. What did that experience teach you about cross-border business, leadership and negotiation?

In 1993, anticipating U.S. Congressional ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Conoco undertook a corporate-wide strategy management analysis. I was named the Upstream team lead.

In 1994, we presented that analysis to Conoco’s C-suite. They decided to establish a presence in Mexico City and named me President of Conoco Mexico Ltd., where I served from 1994 to 1996. I was humbly honored.

That experience reinforced for me that international leadership requires not only strategy, but cultural fluency, patience and the ability to listen carefully across borders.

6. You’ve worked across energy, international business and complex commercial agreements. How did those experiences shape the types of disputes you’re best equipped to handle today as a neutral?

As my global business career developed, I moved increasingly into the international sphere. My engineering background allowed me to understand the technical realities behind drilling programs and production facilities. My business training helped me see the commercial logic of risk allocation and long-term investment. Law brought structure to it all.

Over time, I found myself at the intersection of geology, geopolitics and global commerce. This is an intersection where disputes often arise and where informed, thoughtful resolution is essential.

7. At what point did international arbitration and mediation emerge as the natural next chapter in your career, and what drew you to serving as a neutral?

International arbitration and mediation emerged as a natural continuation of that arc. Having lived the industry from the inside and negotiated its contracts, I became drawn to the neutral ground where complex energy and commercial disputes are resolved.

My work today is grounded in bridging disciplines, cultures and perspectives with clarity and respect.

8. How do your West African heritage, your family’s values and the words of Bob Marley and your grand-uncle Uon Roper shape your philosophy of life and your journey into international dispute resolution?

I speak of my West African lineage with great humility, pride and reverence. Just as the Hebrews experienced their exodus from Egypt, so too did the Africans brought to this continent in bondage find their paths to liberation, not only through physical freedom, but through spiritual and intellectual emancipation.

In Bob Marley’s challenging and timeless words: “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery; none but ourselves can free our minds. Have no fear for atomic energy, ’cause none of them can stop the time.” Those verses are more than lyrics for me; they are a philosophy of life.

My grand-uncle, Uon Roper, Jamaican, my mother’s uncle and the man who raised her, would tell me, “Always shoot for the stars, because even if you don’t catch them, you will land on the moon.” My family, steeped in both African and Jewish values, revered education as sacred. They taught me that what I learn can never be taken away.

Between Marley’s call to free the mind, my parents’ love and example and my uncle’s insistence on aiming high, I found both direction and courage. These principles guided my journey from engineering into international law and now into dispute resolution.

9. Black History Month is also a time to reflect on ancestry and remembrance. Was there a moment in your life when history became deeply personal for you, and how has that experience shaped the way you carry your past into your work today?

In 1997, I stood at Elmina Castle in Ghana and looked through what was then called the “Door of No Return,” later renamed the “Door of Return.” It is the portal to the Atlantic Ocean through which shackled human beings, my ancestors, were forced onto ships bound for the Americas.

That moment deepened my humility and reverence for my West African lineage. It reinforced for me that freedom begins in the mind and that dignity endures across generations. It continues to shape how I listen, how I decide and how I serve.

Editor’s Note: For Spanish-speaking audiences, Gilbert K. Squires discusses his journey in greater depth in the Ante Usted interview, “De Ingeniero a Abogado: La Inspiradora Historia de Gilbert K. Squires y su impacto en la Comunidad.” He will also share more of his story in an upcoming video and in a forthcoming book.