Ballard Partners Opens Caracas Office, Names Scott Wagner Managing Partner
WASHINGTON, D.C. and CARACAS, Venezuela — Ballard Partners, one of the nation’s leading government relations firms, today announced the opening of a new office in Caracas, Venezuela, and the appointment of firm Partner Scott Wagner as its Managing Partner. Wagner will lead the Caracas office while remaining a Partner in the Washington office, servicing clients in both national capitals and connecting decision-makers in Washington with the emerging opportunities of a reopening Venezuelan market.
“Opening an office in Caracas is the natural next step in our firm’s Western Hemisphere strategy and a reflection of the extraordinary moment now unfolding in Venezuela,” said Brian Ballard, President and Founder of Ballard Partners. “As Venezuela focuses on growing its economy and its renewed engagement with the United States, our clients need advisors on the ground who understand both the Venezuelan market and the corridors of power in Washington. There is no one better positioned to lead that effort than Scott, and no firm better prepared to guide clients through this frontier.”
Wagner brings decades of experience in cross-border transactions across Latin America to his new role. He has strategically advised on tens of billions of dollars’ worth of public and private infrastructure projects involving maritime ports, airports, water management, environmental restoration, and energy pipelines, and as an attorney he has assisted multinational entities with matters in Panama, Cuba, Colombia, and Venezuela. A member of the firm’s Western Hemisphere Affairs Practice and its Venezuela Working Group, he has helped guide Ballard Partners’ expansion into Latin American markets.
“Venezuela stands at the threshold of one of the most significant economic openings in the hemisphere in a generation,” Wagner said. “I am honored to lead Ballard Partners’ presence in Caracas. By having a presence in both Washington and Venezuela, I’ll guide our clients on this transition from both sides, bringing them the insights and judgment they need to move with confidence in a market that is being rebuilt in real time.”
The Caracas office extends Ballard Partners’ Western Hemisphere Affairs Practice and Venezuela Working Group, which the firm launched in January 2026 to help clients navigate the complex regulatory, diplomatic, and commercial landscape of the United States’ evolving engagement with Venezuela. As the country enters a historic period of political transition and economic reconstruction, its energy, infrastructure, and critical minerals sectors will draw significant international investment and renewed U.S. commercial interest. Through its Caracas presence, the firm aims to position clients at the forefront of that opening, pairing on-the-ground insight with the bipartisan institutional knowledge and Washington access for which Ballard Partners is known.
From Washington to Caracas, Ballard Partners is building the bridge its clients will cross into one of the defining markets of the decade.
