Square, the mobile commerce company, has hired former Deputy United States Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis to help lead its international government, regulatory and policy work. In this role, Marantis will be responsible for helping Square navigate through the bureaucratic waters as it seeks to expand its service beyond the US and Canada.
With the hiring, Marantis also becomes the third in a string of notable employments (such as Francoise Brougher and Alex Petrov) Square has been making in the past couple of months, indicating that the company has become quite aggressive in its growth. If Canada is any indication, more countries are eager to get a hold of Square — in just the first six months, Canada’s gross payment volume was 90 percent higher per capital than the US at “the equivalent point in time.”
But, while the two recent hires were focused on merchants and partnerships, Marantis will be taking on the political angle to make sure Square doesn’t run afoul of other countries’ governments.
Company co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey said in a statement, “Square is already having a meaningful impact on local economies in the US and Canada. Demetrios’ invaluable experience will help Square provide powerful business tools to local entrepreneurs around the world.”
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Previously, Marantis served the US government as a Deputy Trade Representative where he helped negotiate trade agreements and enforcement in Asia and Africa. Before serving in March 2013, he also was the Chief International Trade Counsel for the US Senate Finance Committee.
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