SPEAKERS BIOs

Ratnakar Adhikari Executive Director of the Enhanced Integrated Framework Secretariat, World Trade Organization Fair Trade International

Dr. Ratnakar Adhikari has been serving the Executive Secretariat for the EIF at the WTO as its Executive Director since October 2013. Previously, he was Chief Executive Director of South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment, a Kathmandu-based regional think-tank. Earlier, he served, among others, as a Senior Adviser to the National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal, and as Trade Programme Specialist for UNDP, Asia Pacific Regional Centre in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Dr Adhikari has conducted extensive research as well as published in the areas of international trade, regional economic integration, Aid for Trade, competition policy and intellectual property rights, particularly from the perspective of Least Developed Countries. He obtained his PhD from the University of Warwick, UK; his Masters of International Law and Economics from the World Trade Institute, Switzerland; and his Masters of Commerce from the University of Delhi, India.

Anders Aeroe Director, Division of Enterprises and Institutions International Trade Centre

Anders Aeroe is Director of the Division of Enterprises and Institutions of the International Trade Centre. Mr Aeroe joined ITC in 2007 and has been Acting Deputy Executive Director, and Director of Division of Market Development. Before joining ITC, he was in South Africa, with the Danish Industrialisation Fund for Developing Countries and the Western Cape Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (WESGRO). He was Chairman of the Board of the Western Cape call centre business association (CallingtheCape) and was a member of the South African Maritime Industry Task Team and the Advisory Council to the Cape IT Initiative. Prior to moving to South Africa, Mr Aeroe held positions as Head of the Research and Policy Division at the Danish Society of Engineers and Export Manager at the Danish Federation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. Mr Aeroe holds a PhD in industrial economics from Copenhagen Business School. He has been a Research Fellow at University of California Los Angeles, the Danish Institute for International Studies, and the Technical University of Denmark.

Saed Al Awadi Chief Executive Officer Dubai Export Saed Alawadi has more than 25 years’ experience in the public and private sectors, and is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Dubai Export Development Corporation. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering and a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering, supplemented by a master’s degree in Business Administration from Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, United States of America.

Kaspar Baumann Investment Manager Clarmondial Kaspar Baumann has over 10 years of experience in private investments in emerging and frontier markets, primarily in financial inclusion and sustainable natural resource management. At Clarmondial, Kaspar works on the development of a sustainable agriculture fund and other investment solutions to mobilize capital to environmental projects. Previously, he worked at a Swiss asset manager specialized in impact investments, where he was responsible for private equity investments in financial institutions. Since 2014, Kaspar is an independent member of the board of directors of an SME-focused bank in Macedonia (FYROM). He holds a MSc in Biology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and an MBA from Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.

Pedro Beirute Prada General Manager PROCOMER Mr. Beirute Prada, has been the General Manager of PROCOMER (Costa Rica´s Trade Promotion Organization), since January 2015. He joined PROCOMER after 14 years of corporate positions in Europe, Latin America and the United States. Prior to PROCOMER, he was Chief of Staff for the Global Director of Sales & Marketing for Intel Corporation. He worked with this company for 17 years occupying several positions, first with Intel Costa Rica, then in Spain and Portugal, then Intel Europe in London, Intel Latin America in Mexico and the final 2 years at its headquarters in Silicon Valley. This platform immersed him in international trade, innovation, development of multicultural work teams and strategic planning at the corporate executive level. Pedro holds degrees in Law from the Universidad de Costa Rica and in Business Administration from the Universidad Internacional de las Américas. He completed his MBA at Universidad Carlos III in Madrid, Spain. Aside from his position in PROCOMER, Pedro is the president of the Country Brand “Essential COSTA RICA” Executive Committee, governing body of Costa Rica’s nation brand.

Alberto Cerdán Borja Director General, Institutional Cooperation and Coordination ICEX Spain Alberto Cerdán has been the General Director at ICEX Spain Trade and Investment since September 2018. Previously he was the Senior Trade Commissioner of the Embassy of Spain in Australia. Before arriving in Sydney, he worked at the Spanish National Authority for Markets and Competition (CNMC) where he directed the Chairman’s office. Alberto has significant experience in project finance as Deputy Director for export and investment financing at the Ministry of Economy and member of the board of CESCE, the Spanish Export Credit Agency and member of the FIEX and FONPYME committees, both funds managed by COFIDES, a development finance institution. He has also been Deputy Director for Commercial Policy with Africa and MENA countries at the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade. He also worked at the Interamerican Development Bank (IADB) where he was responsible for project analysis and appraisal. Since joining the civil service in 1998 Alberto has worked as Trade Commissioner in the Czech Republic and Vietnam. An economist, he holds an MSc in development finance from the University of London.

Anne Chappaz Chief, Institutional Strengthening, ITC Anne Chappaz is the Chief of the Institutional Strengthening Section of the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Geneva. Her team of experts deliver trade and investment impact for good, by helping trade and investment promotion organizations improve their performance, and better serve SMEs. Previously, during her 14 years of experience in New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), as well as 9 years in shipping and export manufacturing, Anne Chappaz has helped hundreds of companies to meet the challenges of internationalization. Her roles with NZTE included sector leadership, grant programmes, account management and senior trade, investment and diplomatic roles in North America, Europe and the Middle East. More recently, she has been helping institutions with strategic planning, result measurement systems, customer segmentation and service design. Anne holds Masters Degrees from the Universities of Auckland and Bordeaux, and certificates from MIT/Sloan in corporate strategy and change leadership. She has also been trained in General Management, Project and Programme Management, Balanced Scorecards, Design Thinking, Lean Manufacturing and executive coaching.

Marike de Peña Director Banelino Farmer Union Marike Runneboom de Peña is a Sociologist in Agricultural Development from the Landbouw Wageningen University in the Netherlands and has devoted most of her life to bring change in favor of producers and Fairtrade. Since 1986 she has been based in the Dominican Republic, where she worked at the Dominican Land Reform Institute (IAD) training government staff on issues related to agriculture, as well as coordinating projects on organizational strengthening of small farmers. Since 2000 she has been the Managing Director of Banelino Cooperative, a successful Fair Trade banana cooperative from the Dominican Republic. Marike has been an active member of the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Fair Trade Small Producers and Workers (CLAC) for over 12 years. Over the last ten years she has played a key role in the governance of both CLAC and the Fairtrade System, as vice-president and president of their boards.

Malick Diop Director General Senegalese Export Promotion Agency (ASEPEX) Appointed by presidential decree, he has been at the head of ASEPEX since 2013. Dr Malick Diop holds a PhD in Pharmacy (1998) and a graduate degree in Business Administration from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. He holds a Master in Public Administrationfrom the Ecole Nationale d'Administration Publique of Montreal(ENAP Canada). He joined the professional world thereafter as Deputy Regional Director at Johnson & Johnson. He is a member of the political bureau, the spokesperson for the AFP party and the Secretary General of the Department of Dakar. Married with three children, Dr. Malick Diop was heading the Benno Siggil coalition list in the district Fann-Point E-Amitié for the local elections in 2009 and has been mayor since then until June 2014. He is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abass Ndao University Hospital in Dakar, and board member of several other hospitals. His exemplary governance earned him the title of the Best Mayor in Senegal for the year 2014. He has participated in numerous international exhibitions on behalf of Senegal, and is a member of the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE).

Ricardo Durrant Sales and Promotion Manager Trade and Investment, Jamaica, JAMPRO Ricardo Durrant is a Senior Investment Promotions Manager at Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), where he has responsibility for attracting and facilitating investments in Manufacturing, Energy and Mining for Jamaica. Since joining JAMPRO in 2010 Mr. Durrant has been instrumental in attracting and facilitating several high impact projects beneficial to the country, bringing his passion for marketing and business development to his current role and constantly seeking creative ways to foster a dynamic business environment and to promote high quality investments and continuous improvement in the key sectors. Previously Mr. Durrant held senior leadership and management roles at 3M for approximately 12 years before moving to Anixter Jamaica Ltd to take up the position of Country Sales Manager. He has over 25 years of professional experience in marketing and has lectured at the University of Technology in marketing communication, media and public relations.

Javier Echarri Chief Executive Officer, European Business Network Javier is the CEO of the EBN, which represents the certified Business Innovation Centers, called EU/BICs. EBN provides direct services to members in order to improve and enhance their professional capacities as well as the internationalization of the more than 25.000 start-ups and SMEs they serve. For that purpose, EBN intervenes regularly in EU projects whose ultimate goal to improve the commercialization of innovation through entrepreneurship. Javier is a founding partner at the investor services firm LDS Partners (www.ldspartners.com), board member of BEG group and various early-stage companies, supervisory board member at the Spanish growth capital fund management company GED (www.gedcapital.com), member on the Advisory Council of CRECER+ (Business Angels initiative in the Basque Region www.crecermas.es ) and member of the Stakeholder Group of the ESMA (European Secutrities Market Authority). From 1999 to 2010 Javier lead Invest Europe (formerly called EVCA, The European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association).

Adolfo Fernández Global Programme Officer, International Growth Strategy Google Adolfo Fernández is a consultant in transformation and digital strategy, guest lecturer in some of the most prestigious business schools around the world and keynote speaker on digital transformation, innovation, online business and international strategy. Currently, Adolfo i Global Program Manager for International Growth Strategy at Google where he leads and develops the strategy to scale and optimize Google’s end-to-end internationalization consulting services program. Adolfo collaborates with Google’s teams including Partnerships, Account Management, Acquisitions, Marketing & Product worldwide to identify opportunities at scale across customers and markets, and rolling these insights out efficiently across the globe.His passion for technology and innovation has taken him to collaborate with several European startup accelerators and incubators such as Conector. Adolfo holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Santiago de Compostela and an MBA with specialization in International Management from IE Business School.

Jacqueline Emmanuel Flood Head, Business Competitiveness Unit Organization of Eastern Caribbean States Mrs. Jacqueline Emmanuel-Flood has contributed towards the development of the business and trade landscape in Saint Lucia for over twenty years. Her specialisms include Development Planning and Project Development, Investment Analysis and Finance, and Trade Promotion. .She currently serves as the Head of the Competitive Business Unit of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), where she leads the Commission’s initiatives in entrepreneurship, export development and private sector development in general throughout the level (11) member states. She was the first Chief Executive Officer of the Saint Lucia Trade Export Promotion Agency (Export Saint Lucia) with the responsibility for implementing Saint Lucia’s National Export Development Strategy. Previously, she served as the Director of the Office of Private Sector Relations (OPSR), the main implementation agency for the Government of Saint Lucia’s Private Sector Development Programme (PSDP). She is on the Board of Directors of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, East Caribbean Financial Holdings and the Bank of Saint Lucia. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the UWI, and a Master’s degree in Project Analysis, Finance and Investment from the University of York, UK

Martina Gmür Head of Export Promotion Switzerland Global Enterprise Martina Gmür is Head of Export Promotion at Switzerland Global Enterprise and a member of the Executive Board. Prior to that, she headed Corporate Development at SBB Infrastructure. Her international career has been at various positions at Kuoni Travel Ltd, where she was responsible for large-scale, Europe-wide projects. She started her career at Capgemini, where she initially worked as a strategic consultant in various international projects in Europe and the US, and led the North American Strategic Research Group. Martina studied at the University of St. Gallen and Harvard Business School and completed her degree in economics in 2003 (lic. oec. HSG).

Ian Goldin Director Oxford Martin Programme on Technological and Economic Change Professor Ian Goldin is the Oxford University Professor of Globalisation and Development and was the founding Director of the Oxford Martin School, the world’s leading centre for interdisciplinary research into critical global challenges. He is currently the Director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Technological and Economic Change. Ian previously was World Bank Vice President and Director of Development Policy, after serving as Chief Executive of the Development Bank of Southern Africa and Economic Advisor to President Nelson Mandela. Ian also has served as Principal Economist at the EBRD and as Programme Director at the OECD. Ian has a BA (Hons) and a BSc from the University of Cape Town, an MSc from the London School of Economics, an AMP from INSEAD and an MA and Doctorate from the University of Oxford. He has been knighted by the French Government, nominated Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum and has received honorary degrees. Ian has published 21 books, the most recent of which are the widely acclaimed Age of Discovery: Navigating the Storms of Our Second Renaissance and Development: A Very Short Introduction.

Arancha González Executive Director International Trade Centre Arancha González, an expert in international trade issues with 20 years of experience, has been serving as Executive Director of ITC since September 2013. Before joining ITC, she served as Chief of Staff to World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Pascal Lamy from 2005 to 2013. During her tenure at the WTO, she played an active role in launching the Aid for Trade initiative and served as Mr. Lamy’s representative at the G-20. Prior to working at the WTO, Ms. González held several positions at the European Commission, including spokeswoman for trade and adviser to the European Union Trade Commissioner. Ms. González co-chairs the World Economic Forum (WEF) Agenda Council on the Future of Trade and Investment.

Marion Jansen Chief Economist International Trade Centre Marion Jansen is the Chief Economist of the International Trade Centre (ITC) and in this position responsible for ITC’s flagship publication “SME Competitiveness Outlook 2018: Business Ecosystems for the Digital Age”. She is also in charge of ITC’s portfolios for export strategies and trade in services. Before joining the ITC, Marion Jansen held appointments as counsellor in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and as head of the Trade and Employment Programme in the International Labour Organization (ILO). She worked in the private sector before joining the WTO. Marion Jansen holds a PhD in economics from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain) and undergraduate degrees from the Universities of Toulouse (France), Konstanz (Germany) and Passau (Germany). She has lectured at the University of Geneva, the World Trade Institute (Bern), the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the European University on international trade, socioeconomic effects of globalization and managerial economics. Her publications in the field of international trade and global governance include articles, chapters and volumes on skills and competitiveness, services trade, regional integration and the use of economics in trade and investment law.

Ekaterina Krivonos Economist Food and Agriculture Oganization Ekaterina Krivonos is an Economist in the Trade and Markets Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy, where she leads the work of the trade policy team. Her experience is focused on analyzing trade policy issues in relation to agricultural markets and food security, including multilateral and regional agricultural trade negotiations. Ekaterina has also been instrumental in developing capacities of the FAO member countries for trade and agricultural policy formulation and implementation. Prior to joining FAO’s Headquarters she held the post of Trade and Markets Officer in the FAO regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean, where she led FAO’s regional and country projects and research on agricultural markets and trade. Her experience also includes working on trade and regional integration in the UN Regional Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. She holds M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from University of Maryland.

Jeppe Kobberø Senior Project Manager MAERSK Since 2006, Jeppe Kobberø has been working with Business and Product development. He has many years of experience working with Digital Startups and is now using the Lean Agile Enterprise approach to build the Maersk TradeLens solution. Jeppe Kobberø has a diverse background having worked seven years as a schoolteacher before taking a Master’s degree in IT Management & Strategy from IT University of Copenhagen. Throughout the years, he has worked as Scrum Master, Product Owner, Product Manager and Product Director.

Daniel Küng Chief Executive Officer Switzerland Global Enterprise Since 2004, Mr. Küng has been Chief Executive Officer of Switzerland Global Enterprise, Switzerland’s export promotion and foreign investment attraction agency. After graduating from the University of St. Gallen (HSG), he took up an appointment in 1980 as Executive Assistant to the Board and Office Manager Sales at Mercedes-Benz do Brasil in São Paulo. In 1982, Mr. Küng founded Agrosuisse Ltda. in Brazil and managed it for seven years. The company specializes in consultancy and business management in the agricultural and agro-industrial sectors for Latin America. In 1989 he sold his stake, moved to Portugal and founded the Response Group in Lisbon, which specializes in cross-border business, pharmaceutical contract sales and acted as an M&A boutique for incoming investments. He headed the company for 15 years, before selling it to the European market leader in 2003.

Pascal Lamy President Emeritus Jacques Delors Institute Pascal Lamy served two consecutive terms as Director-General of the World Trade Organization (2005 to 2013). Prior to that, he was Head of Cabinet for the President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors, from 1985 to 1994. He then joined Credit Lyonnais as Chief Executive Officer until 1999, before returning to Brussels as European Trade Commissioner until 2004. Pascal is currently President Emeritus of the Jacques Delors Institute. He is member of the Board of Directors of the Fondation nationale des Sciences politiques, of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, of the Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company, of Transparency International France and of the Center on European Regulation (CERRE). He also currently serves on the Global Agenda Council on regional governance at the World Economic Forum and is President of the French Committee of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC). Pascal Lamy holds an MBA from HEC, and also studied at Sciences Po, and ENA.

Christophe Lecourtier Chief Executive Officer Business France Christophe Lecourtier took up his position as Chief Executive Officer of Business France on September 14, 2017, and has many years of experience in the international development of the French economy. Mr. Lecourtier served as the French Ambassador to Australia between July 2014 and June 2017. During this time, he was part of a successful campaign to secure an order for a French ship-maker to build the next generation of Australian submarines (April 2016). He also succeeded in forging stronger bilateral ties between the two countries, with the signing of several Franco-Australian treaties, as well as a strategic partnership. From February 2008 to March 2014, he held the role of Chief Executive Officer of Ubifrance, the French government agency for international business development, which became Business France after merging with the Invest in France Agency on January 1, 2015. During his tenure, he arranged for the agency to receive additional state resources to open 80 offices in 60 countries, focusing exclusively on supporting exports by French SMEs and mid-size companies. Ubifrance’s operations expanded significantly during this period; as well as holding more events and creating the France Export Team program, it also grew its client base and increased the number of young people working with French companies as part of the VIE international internship program. In 2012, Mr. Lecourtier introduced qualitative analysis to Ubifrance by measuring the impact of the agency’s work on its client companies’ business. He also strengthened ties with Bpifrance, sending Ubifrance employees to work in the regional offices of France’s public investment bank.

Horacio Lomba Grupo Rica Dominican Republic Horacio Lomba is an Industrial Engineer with a Postgraduate Degree in Quality and Productivity from Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo and a Masters degree in Agribusiness from Caixanova Business School in Spain. He has been involved in the food industry for more than 20 years in tropical fruit, grain and dairy processing, working as a consultant, lead engineer, manager and speaker. His expertise includes food safety and food security. Currently, Mr. Lomba is the General Manager of Consorcio Cítricos Dominicanos, a branch of Grupo Rica, the main dairy and juice processing company of the Caribbean. He is member of the board of Business Alliance for Safe Commerce (BASC), a private sector led and controlled coalition created to promote secure international trade in cooperation with governments and international organizations; and of Junta Agroempresarial Dominicana, the largest agribusiness organization in the region.

Hernan Manson Head, Inclusive Agribusiness Systems International Trade Centre Hernan Manson is the Head of the Inclusive Agribusiness Systems team; of the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the United Nations and World Trade Organization. He works and conducts research in the area of governance and evidence based participatory approaches for private sector development with a focus on public-private multi-stakeholder partnerships. He contributes to the development and implementation of Alliances for Action, ITC's system partnership methodology in Latin American, African and Caribbean countries. Hernan has made it his mission to facilitate the design and implementation of solutions for achieving sustainable food systems; improve livelihoods and ensure better participation in trade for producers as well as Small and Medium Enterprises. Since 2018, Hernan is Board member of the Smallholder Farmer Finance and Investment Network (SAFIN) and of World Banana Forum (WBF). Hernan received his MA in International Public Affairs and Governance at the LUISS Guido Carli School of Government, Italy and holds a Licenciatura in Business Management from the Universidad de San Andres, Argentina.

Jorge Marcotegui President Procórdoba Jorge Marcotegui studied at the National University of Rosario where he obtained his education as a public accountant and degree in Business Administration Before joining ProCordoba he was the President of the Association of Slaughterhouses and Meat Producers (AFIC) of the Province of Córdoba, the Federation of Argentine Regional Slaughterhouses and the Secretary of the Córdoba Industrial Union (UIC) He is currently serving as the President of the Agencia ProCórdoba SEM. He is the Director for the Grupo Beltrán, the Vice-President of AFIC and UIC, and a Board Member of the Argentine Industrial Union)

Ana Novik Head of Investment Division Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Ana Novik as Head of the Investment Division of the Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, supports the Director in DAF’s contribution to the strategic orientations of the Secretary General, with a focus on improving the international investment climate, promoting good domestic policies to support investment and Responsible Business Conduct. She establishes strategies for the OECD to secure a leadership role in the international investment debate and to advance a more structured economic analysis of investment flows and impact. Ms. Novik also contributes to OECD-wide initiatives, including horizontal work streams on competitive neutrality, global value chains and OECD contributions to the G20. Prior to joining the OECD, Ms. Novik was the Ambassador Director of Multilateral Economic Affairs in the Economics Directorate of Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2011 to 2014.

Patrick Perreault Co-Executive Director Getting to Global Patrick is the founder of Perimeter, a digital service design studio with offices in Canada and the United States. He has been designing and building digital tools for nearly 20 years, bringing to life creative technology solutions to business challenges for clients such as Merck, Lowe’s, McKesson, Bombardier, and Novartis. In recent years, Patrick and his team at Perimeter have joined forces with Getting to Global, an initiative that brings together industry experts, business leaders, data and service providers, and government resources. By doing so, Getting to Global and Perimeter are building a new generation of smart digital tools that make it easier for small and medium-size businesses from around the world to go global by consolidating access to data, tools, and resources that would otherwise be out of their reach.

Oriel Petry Deputy Trade Commissioner for Europe and Director Department for International Trade UK (DTI) Oriel took up the position of Director for the Department for International Trade at the British Embassy in Paris in August 2015. Prior to this role, she has had a varied career across Whitehall as a British Civil Servant. Most recently, she led advanced manufacturing, financial services and innovation teams in UK Trade and Investment in London working closely with international business leaders to contribute to the increase of UK Foreign Direct Investment. Among other responsibilities, Oriel organised the Prime Minister’s flagship Global Investment Conference to kick off the 2012 Olympic Games, has advised Ministers on European better regulation, shepherded a highly controversial Bill through Parliament to Royal Consent and worked on public spending at the Treasury. For three and a half years she advised the House of Lords European Union Committee on financial services, the internal market and social affairs. Oriel studied Modern Languages at St. John’s College Oxford and has a Masters in European Politics from the University of Reading. She has lived and worked in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium and continues to maintain a strong interest in these countries. She is married with two sons.

Frédéric Rossi Deputy Director, Trade - Export Business France Frederic Rossi has started his career as a long-term French civil volunteer at the Trade and Economic section of the French Embassy in Israel, where he was following the economic interactions between the Hebrew state and its neighbors. He later joined the French Ministry of Finance, Treasury Department, as a civil servant and served successively at the French Embassies' Economic and Trade sections in Manila, Sydney and Mumbai. From 2009 to 2012, he took an active part of the reform process engaged within UBIFRANCE, the French Agency for the Promotion of International Business Development, as a Director in charge of building the international network of the Agency (80 offices in 60 countries) and member of the Executive Committee. From September 2012 until August 2016, he was posted in Singapore for Business France, the new French Agency for Internationalization of the Economy, in charge of South-east Asia and Pacific area (9 offices covering 12 countries). Since September 1st, 2016, he has taken a new challenge in Paris, heading the Export activities of Business France. He is holding master degrees in Economics and Political Science, and is a father of two young boys.

Regula Schegg Chief Operating Officer Global Alliances Network Ms. Schegg is the COO of the Global Apprenticeship Network (GAN), Geneva. The GAN is a business driven alliance with the overarching goal of encouraging and linking business initiatives on skills and employment opportunities for youth – notably through apprenticeships. Ms. Schegg looks back to more than 20 years of international experience in both public and private sector. Prior to GAN, she worked with the Hilti Corporation/Hilti Foundation in senior leadership positions on strategy, corporate finance, business development and general management. During her tenure with the Hilti Foundation, she established and managed a social enterprise in the Philippines, developing affordable housing technologies, livelihood and community development. Prior to, Ms. Schegg was Deputy Director Capital Markets for Grameen Foundation, a Washington DC based NGO. She started her full-time career in the Swiss public sector as a commercial apprentice and graduated with an MBA in Global Management from Thunderbird, The School of Global Management, USA, and gained her BA’s in Business Studies in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and France. She is an Aspen Institute First Movers Fellow.

Michael Scherz Head of Innovation Advantage Austria Michael Scherz serves as the Head of Innovation for Advantage Austria. Prior to his current position, he gained international experience as Deputy Trade Commissioner in Jakarta, Johannesburg and Paris. He also worked as Deputy Trade Commissioner in New York. After these four terms abroad, Michael was promoted to Trade Commissioner for Advantage Austria first in Sarajevo and Padua, followed by Munich. Throughout his career, he always believed that constant innovation is the key to success and tried to foster an environment that encourages people to think outside the box. He was recently promoted to lead Advantage Austria’s innovation agenda and oversees a variety of different projects with the goal of infusing Austrian businesses with innovative ideas from around the world.

Jorge Sequeira Managing Director Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE) Jorge Sequeira is the managing director of the Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE). Sequeira joined CINDE from Trade Promotion Agency of Costa Rica where he served for four years. Prior to that, he co-founded and acted as CEO of Exactus Corporation, a business software development company with presence in 12 countries throughout Latin America. Sequeira acted also as vice president of the Board of Directors of the Costa Rican Chamber of Industries, as well as of GS1 Costa Rica, the local office of the Brussels-based global organization. Sequeira graduated from Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts, where he obtained an engineering degree in computer science and applied math. He then obtained a post-graduate degree in administration and management from the Harvard Extension School.

Owen Skae Director Rhodes Business School Professor Owen Skae is an Associate Professor and Director of the Rhodes Business School in South Africa. Professor Skae studied at Rhodes University from 1983 to 1988, where he completed his undergraduate studies and read for an M.Com in the Department of Management and completed MBA degree at Durham University in England. Professor Skae has extensive experience in the consulting area, the private sector, academia and international organizations. Owen has previously worked at the International Trade Centre, the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations, its main goal being to help developing countries achieve sustainable human development through exports. Owen advised numerous countries on priorities for raising overall levels of competitiveness and assisting in the formulation of national and sector export strategies. His areas of interest are strategic management, managerial accounting and finance. Professor Skae also has a strong research background in business linkages and small business development

Bostjan Skalar Chief Executive Officer World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) CEO of World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), the umbrella organization of worldwide investment promotion agencies established in 1995 in Geneva with UNCTAD’s initiative. With over twenty years of management experience and market development activities in international business of various companies in the textile, automobile, printing and construction sector in numerous countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, France and Turkey, he is one of the global leaders in investment promotion with a private-sector focus. Former: Director of Slovenian Public Agency for Promotion of Investment, Internationalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (SPIRIT), where he successfully merged together agencies for Investment and Internationalization, Tourism and Technology and optimized organizational, employment and financial structure in the new agency; Consul for Economic Affairs in Turkey. Mr. Skalar studied in the Faculty of Economics in Maribor where he graduated in marketing.

Mohd Shahreen Zainooreen Madros Chief Executive Officer Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation After graduating from University of London in 1986, and Doctorates in Engineering from University of Cambridge in 1989, Dr Shahreen joined Esso Production Malaysia Inc. in the Development Project Division. In EPMI, he was involved in various phases of offshore project development besides overseeing the installation of offshore facilities. He was then assigned to Exxon Production Research Company in Houston, Texas, for two and a half years and was involved in international developments and research activities. In 2010, Dr Shahreen participated in the Economic Transformation Program led by PEMANDU, and later joined PEMANDU in January 2011 to set up the Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corporation (MPRC), a unit in the Prime Minister’s department overseeing the growth of Malaysian Oil & Gas industry services and manufacturing sector. He was the Executive Director at Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corporation (MPRC) until 1 February 2017. Currently Dr Shahreen is the Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), the National Trade Promotion Agency, under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Malaysia (MITI).

Karim Sy Founder & Chief catalyst Jokkolabs Global Karim SY started releasing his innovative entrepreneurial talent when he was studying Computer Engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal. He has been involved in many successful business projects in Canada, Mali, Senegal, Dubai and France. He is the founder and chief catalyst of Jokkolabs, a non-profit organisation supporting African entrepreneurs. He plays an active role in the emergence of the African innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem, launching f one of the first innovation hubs in 2010 in Senegal (now present in 10 countries including France). As a FOSS activist, he was board member of FOSSFA (2012-2014) and was partner of the software company Maarch SAS, Groupe Archiveco (#1 archiving company in France) and is the chairman of Maarch West Africa SA based in Dakar (Senegal). In 2012, he was elected an Ashoka Fellow and in 2013, Jeune Afrique Magazine predicted Karim SY to be one of the 25 leaders of tomorrow for francophone Africa. He is a board member of the Global Entrepreneurship Network, in GEN Africa, and GEN Europe. In August 2017, he joined the Presidential Council for Africa established by President Emmanuel Macron.

Ba Phu Vu Chief Executive Officer Vietrade Mr. VU Ba Phu is the Director General of Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade), Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOIT). He has extensive leadership and rich experience in both public and business sector. Since being promoted to be the DG of Vietrade, Mr. Phu is actively steering Vietrade toward a sustainable road, in line with the governmental strategy and demands of business community. Prior to be the Director General of Vietrade, Mr. Phu held the position of Deputy Director General of Vietnam National Petroleum Group (PETROLIMEX), where he sharpens his knowledge on business and corporate governance. Other key positions Mr. Phu has experienced were Director General of Planning Department, MOIT; Director General – Minister Counsellor, Head of Commercial Section, The Embassy of Viet Nam to the European Council, Kingdom of Belgium and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; Deputy Director General of Vietnam Competition Agency. Mr. Phu is holding Master degree on Public Management and Economics. He has been involving in a number of research and publications on policy, e-commerce, Vietnam trade outlook, export development for some potential export sectors.

Gao Yan Chairperson China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Ms. Gao Yan, having worked for 30 years in Chinese central ministries responsible for international economic cooperation and foreign trade, served as Chairperson of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Chinese national foreign trade and investment promotion agency founded in 1952 with a time-honored history and extensive international influence, since August 2018. Ms. Gao Yan served as Vice Minister of Chinese Ministry of Commerce from 2013 to 2018, and served previously as Deputy Director-General of the Liaison Office of Chinese Central People's Government in the Macao S.A.R. During her tenure, she played an important role in implementing opening-up policy and in deepening international economic cooperation. Ms. Gao also worked as Representative of Chinese Government in Japan's Aichi World Expo.

SPEAKERS BIOs