Blair Lapres is an economic strategy consultant with more than 15 years of experience working at the intersection of public policy and market strategy. His work focuses on advising senior policymakers and business leaders on investment strategies and economic competitiveness in both advanced and emerging markets.  

Previously, Blair served as an economist at the World Bank, where he helped design public policies and investment programs for governments across Europe, Asia, and Africa. He also worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he contributed to policy initiatives aimed at strengthening the resilience of pharmaceutical and medical supply chains. Across these roles, he has supported governments in developing industrial and innovation policies that enhance productivity, strengthen competitiveness, and lead to sustained economic growth.

Blair’s work focuses on understanding how shifting market dynamics reshape industry structures—and how governments and firms can harness these changes to build durable competitive advantages. He has a strong track record of building coalitions among public and private stakeholders while leading high-performing analytical teams to inform critical strategic decisions. Through his professional network, he also collaborates with a range of specialist advisors and draws on institutional partnerships that expand the firm’s ability to deliver deep sector expertise and evidence-based insights.

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Innovation is where strategy can meet public health demands, said Blair Lapres, a public health economist with Tunnell Government Services who previously worked for the World Bank. Lapres shared his experience with the World Bank in Croatia addressing the challenges of the 'nutraceuticals' industry, including those pushing products on to the market with unfounded health claims.  

“If you regulate smartly, you will be able to develop an industry that has proven some of the claims they make about their product and help push that to delivery of nutrition and health outcomes for populations,” he said.  What’s the next frontier of the food industry? Lapres said personalized nutrition that address health conditions through a person’s microbiome. The leaders in the field have regulatory scrutiny and provide consumers with a better outcome. 

“I do see it as a game changer, a way of managing the complexity of the microbiome and of the patient in order to get a product to market that will solve your needs,” he said. “There’s a lot of promise there.”