Investor Sworn In as U.S. Ambassador to EU

Rockwell “Rock” Schnabel, founder and co-chairman of Palo Alto-based Trident Capital, was sworn in this week as the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, serving as the nation’s chief liaison with one of the nation’s key trading partners.

Schnabel, 64, who was based in Los Angeles, said his first mission when he arrives at his new office in Brussels will be to assist in the multinational fight against terrorism. Beyond that, he said, he will coordinate between the United States and the EU on matters ranging from trade to the global response to AIDS.

A native of the Netherlands, Schnabel served as deputy Commerce secretary for former President George Bush. He was recently considered for ambassador to Italy.

“But the president felt that my background was more the correct background for this post,” Schnabel said Thursday.

Between 1986 and 1989, Schnabel served as the U.S. ambassador to Finland. The White House cited his background as both an international financier and a diplomat in nominating him to the post.

Schnabel, who was confirmed in September and sworn in by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, served on the Los Angeles fire and police pension board from 1993 to 1996. He also was a member of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the 1984 games.

Founded in 1993, Trident Capital invests heavily in information technology and Internet-related companies and was an early investor in MapQuest and CSG Systems. The firm has more than $1.4 billion under management.