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A Brazilian trade diplomat has been named as the next head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Mr Azevedo, Brazil's ambassador to the WTO since 2008, was competing for the post with Mexico's former trade minister Herminio Blanco. The WTO is expected to formally announce Mr Azevedo as its new director-general on Wednesday. He will be the first Latin American to head the WTO since its creation in 1995. The process of choosing a new head has taken six months, with nine hopefuls putting their names forward for the post. The Brazilian President, Dilma Rousseff, issued a statement congratulating the diplomat. A former Minister of Trade, Industry and Presidential Special Initiatives, Mr Alan Kyeremanteng and Kenya's Amina Mohamed lost out in their quest to lead the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as Director General. This was after they failed to sail through the first round of the selection process for the top job at the WTO.