WIC 2026 Speakers
Leaders & Ministers
H.E. Moustoifa Hassani Mohamed
H.E. Moustoifa Hassani Mohamed currently serves as Minister of Economy, Industry, Investment and Economic Integration of the Union of the Comoros, with responsibility for trade, industry, investment policy and regional economic integration.
He began his career in customs administration after graduating from the Senegal Customs School in 1992. Between 1995 and 2017, he worked with the inspection company Cotecna, including a posting in Iraq from 1999 to 2001 as an expert for the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme. Upon his return to the Comoros, he was appointed Head of the Customs Office in 2017 and later Director General of Customs in 2021, where he led institutional reforms to modernize the administration and represented the country in international customs and trade forums.
Since joining the Government in 2024, Minister Hassani Mohamed has been a strong advocate for economic transformation, customs modernization and digital trade integration. He has represented the Comoros at high-level events, including the WTO Public Forum, the World Economic Forum and Investopia, where he has presented the country’s investment and trade strategies under the Emerging Comoros 2030 Plan.
He possesses extensive expertise in customs modernization and regional economic integration, particularly within the frameworks of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union. He is recognized for his leadership in advancing regulatory reform and promoting the digital transformation of trade systems. His technical knowledge, institutional experience and active engagement in international policy dialogues make him a prominent voice in global discussions on trade facilitation and inclusive economic development, especially for developing and small island economies.
H.E. Epaminondas Marinakys Zelaya
Epaminondas Marinakys is a renowned Honduran businessman with a consolidated leadership trajectory in the private sector, particularly in the tourism, real estate, and productive infrastructure development industries.Since 1974, he has maintained an active and strategic presence in the business arena, expanding operations to Guatemala and Belize, and promoting initiatives focused on sustainable investment and strengthening the regional business climate. Throughout his career, he has driven high-impact projects related to residential development, industrial parks, and corporate spaces for lease, contributing directly to the dynamization of the real estate market and the generation of productive investment.
His leadership in the tourism sector has been particularly influential. He served as President of the National Chamber of Tourism of Honduras (CANATURH) during various periods between 2005 and 2022, and currently serves on the institution’s Honor Tribunal.
At the regional level, he held the Presidency of the Central American Federation of National Tourism Chambers (FEDECATUR) during 2006–2008 and 2014–2016, positioning himself as a key facilitator of
the Central American tourism agenda.
He has also participated in strategic national bodies, including the National Tourism Council, the Road Safety Council, and the Film Industry Council, from which he has promoted policies and initiatives aimed at competitiveness and sectoral development.
In the diplomatic field, he has served since June 1999 as the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in Tegucigalpa, a role through which he has strengthened commercial, cultural, and institutional ties between the two nations.
In 2026, he was appointed Minister of Investments by President Nasry Asfura and assumed the Executive Secretariat of the National Investment Council (CNI), leading the national strategy to promote, facilitate, and attract domestic and foreign investment to boost Honduras’s competitiveness, employment, and sustainable economic growth.
His civic commitment is reflected in his long-standing membership in the Rotary Club of Tegucigalpa (1975–2000) and in the Lions Club La Fraternidad of San Pedro Sula since 2014. The combination of business leadership, professional association involvement, and dedication to public service has consolidated Marinakys as a prominent figure in positioning Honduras as a reliable destination for international investment.
H.E. Abdulaziz Almarzooq
His Excellency Mr. Abdulaziz AlMarzooq was appointed State Minister for Economic Affairs and Investment by Amiri Decree No. 11 dated 1 February 2026.
Mr. Abdulaziz AlMarzooq served as the Chief Executive Officer of KFH Capital, the investment arm of Kuwait Finance House. He also held a number of different leadership positions, in addition to serving on the boards of directors of other companies, both locally and regionally, across various economic sectors.
Mr. Abdulaziz AlMarzooq has over 27 years of extensive experience, which he has gained through progressive advancement in his career by holding various positions and board memberships in several reputable institutions.
Mr. Abdulaziz AlMarzooq holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from San José State University in the United States, as well as an Executive Master’s degree from London Business School.
H.E. Alousséni Sanou
Né en 1964 à Kati, M. Alousséni SANOU cumule une trentaine d’années d’expériences professionnelles dans le domaine bancaire et financier et deux années d’expériences dans l’évaluation économique des sociétés d’Etat.
Titulaire d’une Maitrise en Sciences Économiques obtenue à École Nationale d’Administration du Mali en 1987, M. Alousséni SANOU a effectué plusieurs formations de spécialisation, entre autres, en Contrôle de Gestion (Tours/France en 1995), de Courtier en Bourse (Institut Canadien de Bourse à Abidjan/ Côte d’Ivoire en 1995), en Monétique (SOPRA Montpellier/France en 2005) ou dans la mise en œuvre de BALE II/III (Crédit coopératif Paris /France en 2015).
Il a démarré sa carrière en 1987, en tant qu’expert assistant chargé de l’évaluation de l’Union Laitière de Bamako (ULB-Mali Lait) et de l’organisation de l’Aménagement de la Production Forestière (OAPF) dans le cadre du Programme d’ajustement Structurel Renforcé (PASR) de la Banque Mondiale. En 1989, M. Alousséni SANOU accède au poste de Chef des Operations à la CIFBAIL à Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire).
C’est en 1991 qu’il rejoindra la Banque Nationale pour le Développement Agricole en tant que Contrôleur de Gestion. Il sera nommé Chef du Service Trésorerie et Operations Internationales en 1997 pour se hisser au poste de Directeur Financier et Comptable en juin 2006, poste qu’il occupera jusqu’à sa nomination au poste de Ministre de l’Économie et des Finances du Mali par le décret no.2020/0074/PT-RM du 05 octobre 2020 portant nomination des membres du gouvernement.
Au cours de sa brillante carrière, M. Alousséni SANOU assurera les intérims du Président Directeur Général et du Directeur Général de la BNDA entre 2017 et 2019. Il occupera également les fonctions de Président du Groupe Projet BALE II/III et du Plan Comptable Bancaire Révisé de la BNDA en 2016, Représentant de l’Association Professionnelle des Banques et Établissements Financiers du Mali (APBEF) au sein de la Commission Fiscale (regroupant l’administration fiscale, les banques et le ministère de l’Économie et des finances du Mali) entre 2015 et 2017.
Membre des différents comités au sein de la BNDA (Comité de Direction, Comité de Risque, de Stratégie, des Impayés, ALM et de Pilotage de projets) de 2005 à 2017 M. Alousséni SANOU est administrateur dans plusieurs structures telles que la Société de Gestion et d’Intermédiation (SGI-MALI SA), la Banque Malienne de Solidarité (BMS-SA).
Expert en analyse économique, de viabilité et de rentabilité opérationnelle, M. Alousséni SANOU a également mené plusieurs négociations de contrats et de conventions auprès des partenaires techniques et financiers en faveur de l’économie nationale.
Marié et père de quatre enfants, M. Alousséni SANOU parle français, anglais et Bambara. Il est passionné de voyage, de lecture et de volley-ball.
H.E. Qaiser Ahmed Shaikh
Mr. Qaiser Ahmed Shaikh is the Federal Minister for Board of Investment since 2025 and is a Member of Economic Coordination Committee (ECC). He holds a Master in Economics from Karachi University (1968) with distinguished results. He belongs to a renowned business family engaged in trade and industry for over 140 years since 1883.
He is member of National Assembly of Pakistan from Chiniot, Punjab. He remained Minister for Maritime Affairs (2024–2025), Chairman of Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue (2012–2013, 2015–2016) and Convener of Pakistan–South Korea Friendship Group.
H.E. Alpha Ibrahim Sesay
H.E. Alpha Ibrahim Sesay has been Sierra Leone’s Minister of Trade and Industry since July 2023, appointed by President Julius Maada Bio. As the ministry’s political and strategic head, he oversees trade and industrial policy, investment promotion and entrepreneurship development. Before joining the cabinet he headed the Project Fiduciary Management Unit (PFMU) at the Ministry of Finance, which manages the fiduciary side of World Bank-funded projects in Sierra Leone. He trained in political science, economics and public administration. He holds a BSc in Political Science and Economics from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, where he also lectured part-time. He also holds a Master’s in Economics from the University of Manchester and a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, where he was a Mason Fellow.
H.E. Mohamud A. Sheikh Farah (Beenebeene)
H.E. Mohamud Abdirahman Sheikh Farah (Beene-Beene) is an accomplished businessman and politician with 20+ years of global business management, civic leadership, and legislative experience.
As an entrepreneur, Mr. Mohamud has created and led several successful business ventures in the US and Malaysia. He is the co-founder and former chairman of the Minnesota Somali Chamber of Commerce. In this role, he served as an advisor to emerging entrepreneurs in strategic planning, leadership, and civic engagements. He’s also created bilateral business relations between the global Somali diaspora entrepreneurs.
Mr. Mohamud has been elected twice (2016-2022 and 2022-2026) as a member of Somalia’s federal parliament representing the Hirshabele constituency. Previously, he served as chairman of the parliamentary committee on economy, commerce, industry, and investment. He also served as a member of the parliamentary committee on Somali flood disaster relief and COVID-19.
Mohamud is a proud graduate of the Somali Institute of Management and Administration Development (SIMAD) with associate degree in accounting. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Excelsior College- University State of New York and an MBA from the National University of Malaysia (UKM). He is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate-PhD in Business Management from Gomatika University College in Malaysia.
Mr. Mohamud is 43 years old. He was born in Buule Burte and raised in Mogadishu. He is fluent in English and basic Arabic.
H.E. Kudratov Laziz Shavkatovich
Biography: was born in 1981 in Tashkent.
Education: higher, graduated from Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies and Hosei University (Japan).
Professional career:
2003-2010 – various positions at the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade.
2010-2014 – Adviser on Trade and Economic Issues at the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the United States of America.
2014-2016 – Director of the Uzinfoinvest Agency for information support and promotion of foreign investments.
2017-2019 – First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Investments.
2019-2022 – First Deputy Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
2022 – Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Qais bin Mohammed bin Moosa Al Yousef
Qais bin Mohammed bin Moosa Al Yousef was appointed Chairman of the Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ) in January 2026, bringing extensive expertise in commerce, investment promotion, and private sector leadership to the role overseeing 23 special economic zones, free zones, and industrial cities with committed investments of RO 22.4 billion.
Al Yousef has undertaken official diplomatic visits to Saudi Arabia and held talks with South Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, leading the Omani side of the Oman-Korea Joint Committee to explore deepening economic and investment cooperation. Under his leadership as OPAZ Chairman, the Special Economic Zone at Duqm secured RO 2.9 billion ($7.5 billion) in new investments across energy, industry, battery materials, chemicals, tourism and housing.
- Chairman, Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones (OPAZ), January 2026–Present
- Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, August 2020–2026
- Chairman, Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry and CEO of Al Yousef Group (prior to 2020)
- Over 20 years in senior private sector executive roles in oil and gas services, industry, logistics, insurance and financial services
- Deputy Chairman, Public Authority of Manpower Register (while heading Chamber)
Al Yousef is educated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Williams College and a master’s degree in business management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and has attended executive development programs at Harvard Business School, London Business School, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
H.E. Ibrahim Al-Mubarak
His Excellency Ibrahim Almubarak has been the Assistant Minister of Investment in Saudi Arabia since June 2023. He previously served as the Deputy Minister for Social Security at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development from 2019 to 2021, where he developed the national strategy for social benefits and income support, delivering policy reform recommendations for the social security law and other programs, which resulted in the passing of the new Social Security Law with a royal decree on the 17th of November 2020. Almubarak had a successful career in the private sector in Saudi Arabia and abroad, where he held various positions; Vice President of Alfozan Holding, Managing Director of Inma Steel Co. Ltd., Asia Pacific Business Development Manager for Schlumberger to name a few. In addition to his executive roles, he served on a number of boards, including Takween Advanced Industries, the Arab Paper Manufacturing Co. (WARAQ), the Family Affairs Council, and Alahsa Medical Services Company. Almubarak holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Electrical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) and a Master’s Degree of Science in Behavioral Science from London School of Economics and Political Science. Furthermore, Almubarak is an Eisenhower Fellow, a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and a certified Director by the GCC Board Directors Institute.
H.E. Khaled Al-Khattaf
Mr. Alkhattaf is Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Investment Promotion Authority (SIPA). He brings extensive experience across investment, finance, banking, mining, pharmaceuticals, and asset management. His career includes roles at the Saudi Central Bank, the World Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, Nomura International, the Saudi Stock Exchange, Ma’aden, and Saudi Arabia’s largest pharmaceutical company. He has also served on several boards, and represented Saudi Arabia in WTO, G20, and sovereign wealth fund initiatives. Mr. Alkhattaf holds Master’s Degrees in Finance and Accounting, a Graduate Certificate in Applied Economics, a Bachelor Degree in Accounting, ad is a Certified Public Accountant.
Lord Uday Nagaraju
Lord Uday Nagaraju of Bloomsbury is a Life Peer in the UK House of Lords. Born in Telangana, India, he holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Technology from Nagpur University and a Master of Public Administration in Development, Technology and Innovation Policy from University College London.
He is the Founder of AI Policy Labs, a London-based think tank focused on the governance and public policy dimensions of artificial intelligence.
Senior officials of International Organizations
H.E. Tatiana Molcean
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 26 July 2023 the appointment of Tatiana Molcean of the Republic of Moldova as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of UNECE. She took office on 1 September 2023.
Ms. Molcean brings to the position twenty years of experience in the public sector with extensive international cooperation and development experience, and in-depth knowledge and expertise across the entire UNECE membership.
Prior to her appointment, she was the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Moldova to the United Nations Office, World Trade Organization and other international organizations in Geneva (since 2020).
Ms. Molcean served as State Secretary and Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Bilateral Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (2017-2020), Deputy Director General for European Integration and Head of the Division for Economic and Sector Cooperation with the European Union (2012-2017) and Head of the Division for Economic Cooperation and Sectorial Coordination at the General Directorate for European Integration (2004-2008). A career diplomat, she has also served as Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova to Sweden (2008-2011).
Ms. Molcean holds a LLM Degree in Law from the Faculty of International Law at Moldova State University and completed the Multilateral Diplomacy Program from the Graduate Institute of Geneva, Switzerland. She is fluent in Romanian, English and Russian, with advanced knowledge of French.
Xiangchen Zhang
Mr. Xiangchen Zhang has been Deputy-Director General of WTO since 1 June 2021. He has long and extensive experience on WTO issues, trade negotiations and policy research.
Prior to his current position, he served as Vice Minister of Commerce of China. He was China’s Ambassador to the WTO from 2017 to 2020, Deputy China International Trade Representative (vice-minister level) from 2015 to 2017, Assistant Minister of Commerce from 2013 to 2015. He also held several other senior positions in the Ministry of Commerce, including Director General for Policy Research from 2011 to 2013, and Director General for WTO Affairs from 2005 to 2008. In 2005, he was appointed chief negotiator for China-Australia FTA. From 1992 to 2001, he was a leading aide to China’s Chief Representative for GATT/WTO accession negotiations.
Mr. Zhang holds a bachelor’s degree in law, a master’s degree in international relations and a PhD in international politics.
Markus Schlagenhof
Mr Schlagenhof has served as Ambassador and Delegate of the Federal Council for Trade Agreements and Head of the World Trade Division at SECO since September 2016. He has over 30 years of experience in trade policy issues, holding various positions in the WTO, OECD and G20, as well as on Commodity Boards, and working on EU and EFTA matters. He has led many free trade negotiations as Switzerland’s chief negotiator and spokesperson for the EFTA States, including the recently signed Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement with India, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Indonesia and ongoing negotiations with Malaysia, Mercosur and Thailand.
Navid Hanif
Mr. Navid Hanif is the Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). He is also the UN sous Sherpa to the G20 finance and main tracks.
He joined UNDESA in 2001. He was Senior Policy Adviser in the Division for Sustainable Development and member of the team for the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002. He served as the Chief of Policy Coordination Branch and later Director in the office for Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) support and the Director for Financing for Sustainable Development Office. He was the first head of the DESA Strategic Planning Unit established in 2010.
He was Principal Officer in the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General, Vice-Chair of the UN High Level Committee on Programming (HLCP) and Co-Coordinator of the UN team on repositioning of the UN Development System that led to major reforms in 2018.
He has contributed several articles on financing and investing in the SDGs in various journals and reports.
He holds MIA, International Political Economy, Columbia University (NY), & M.A., English Literature, Government College University (Lahore).
H.E. Mohammed AlZarooni
Dr. Al Zarooni is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of the World Free Zones Organization, a multilateral organization which acts as an association for all free zones in the world. He is also the Secretary-General of the Dubai Free Zone Council.
With over 25 years of experience leading and developing free economic zones, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni is considered one of the world’s top free zone influencing leaders.
In 2021, H.E. Dr. Al Zarooni was appointed as Executive Chairman of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ), holding three of Dubai’s pioneering Free Zones, Dubai Airport Freezone, Dubai Silicon Oasis, and Dubai CommerCity.
In 2014, H.E. Dr. Al Zarooni was instrumental in conceptualizing and establishing the non-profit World Free Zones Organization.
In 2002, the Dubai Government appointed him as Vice Chairman and CEO of the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), one of the region’s most advanced and successful technology hubs. He continues to lead Dubai Airport Freezone and Dubai Silicon Oasis concurrently.
In 2000, H.E. Dr. Al Zarooni was appointed as Director-General of the Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA), which, through his visionary leadership, quickly grew to become one of the top-performing free zones in the world.
H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni graduated with a Ph.D. Degree from the University of Durham in the U.K.
Danielle Casey
Danielle Casey, CEcD, EDFP, is President & CEO of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA), a nonprofit working to build a prosperous and diverse economy for Southern Nevada. She is also the 2026 Board Chair of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), leading the organisation in its centennial year. She has more than 20 years in economic development. She previously served as President & CEO of the Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance, Executive Vice President of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, Economic Development Director for the City of Scottsdale, and Assistant City Manager for the City of Maricopa, Arizona. She is a past President of the Arizona Association for Economic Development and sits on the board of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and a Master of Administration from Northern Arizona University.
Ziad-Alexandre Hayek
Ziad Alexandre Hayek has 38 years of experience in Public Policy, Economic Policy, International Development, Investment Banking, International Finance, Structured Finance, Project Finance, Corporate Strategy and Corporate Governance.
He is the President of the World Association of PPP Units and Professionals; Vice-Chair of the Working Party on PPP of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe; Managing Partner of Hayek Associates LLC; and ex-Secretary General of Lebanon’s High Council for Privatization and PPP.
In early 2019, Hayek was nominated to the Presidency of the World Bank.
Hayek is member of the Board of Trustees of USEK University, the Investment Committee of YMCA World Alliance, and the governing boards of several NGOs on behalf of the Carlos Slim Foundation.
Previously, Hayek was CEO of Lonbridge Associates (London), a boutique investment bank specializing in telecom technology and renewable energy; Senior Managing Director of Investment Banking at Bear Stearns (New York); Managing Director of Banque Indosuez Capital Latin America (Paris); President of Indosuez Mexico (Mexico City); Vice President of Salomon Brothers (New York); and Vice President of Citibank NA, where he occupied posts including Treasurer for West Africa, structured finance specialist for Latin America and finally Head of the Bank’s International Securitization Department.
Hayek was also a member of the US Council on Foreign Relations; a Senior Consultant to the Reagan Administration’s Enterprise Program; and member of the board of directors of various local and multinational companies.
He holds an MA in International Management from the University of Texas at Dallas and studied Business Administration at the University of Houston and at the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico.
Hayek is conversant with 11 languages.
Aissatou Diallo
Ms. Aissatou Diallo is the Executive Director of the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) Executive Secretariat at the World Trade Organization since February 2026.
Ms. Diallo brings more than 25 years of experience in trade-related technical assistance from the International Trade Centre (ITC). She most recently served as Chief of the Office for Africa, where she oversaw ITC’s continental portfolio, including its work in the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS.
She was the Lead Coordinator for ITC’s contribution to the Doha Programme of Action. She furthermore spearheaded ITC’s support to the private sector under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) through the One Trade Africa programme. She also played a key role in advancing the EU–Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access Programme, strengthening Africa’s regional integration for trade and investment ties with Europe.
Ms. Diallo has led trade development programmes focused on export competitiveness, value chains development, employment creation, and intra- and interregional trade. She has a strong record in Aid for Trade resource mobilization and extensive engagement with governments, the private sector and development partners. She is well acquainted with the EIF, having implemented several EIF projects during EIF Phases One and Two.
Before joining ITC, Ms. Diallo worked on human rights and economic development at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as well as in the private sector in Geneva.
Ms. Diallo is a Guinean and Swiss national. She holds a Master’s degree in international law and an advanced degree in economics and is fluent in English and French.
Pamela Coke-Hamilton
Pamela Coke-Hamilton, an international trade lawyer and expert with a heart for development, has served as Executive Director of the International Trade Centre (ITC) since October 2020. Her appointment was announced by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Since joining the organization at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Coke-Hamilton has placed the spotlight on the fact that trade is a human story and that ITC’s work is, at its core, about transforming trade and changing lives. It is about ensuring the smallest, least developed, most vulnerable, hardest-to-reach countries have equal standing as their counterparts in global trade, and that their small businesses are empowered to achieve their full potential.
As ITC Executive Director, she co-chairs the Working Group on Our Common Agenda, the UN Secretary-General’s blueprint for global cooperation to reinvigorate multilateralism and serve as a booster shot for the Sustainable Development Goals. She also serves as a Broadband Commissioner for Sustainable Development – an ITU-led public-private partnership fostering digital cooperation to achieve universal connectivity – and as co-chair of the Broadband Commission Working Group on Connectivity for MSMEs.
Before joining ITC, Ms. Coke-Hamilton served as UNCTAD’s Director of the Division on International Trade and Commodities, having worked extensively with the private sector, government and academia across African, Caribbean and Pacific countries to build their trade-related institutional strength.
She began her career in Jamaica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, with her first posting at the Permanent Mission of Jamaica in Geneva during the Uruguay Round Negotiations. She later served in Washington, D.C., at various regional institutions, including as Director of Trade, Tourism and Competitiveness at the Organization of American States and as Regional Hub Coordinator for the Caribbean in the Integration and Trade Department of the Inter-American Development Bank.
As Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, Ms. Coke-Hamilton was instrumental in fostering the growth of regional businesses, enhancing their capacity to increase exports, attract investment and transform to meet requirements of the new international trading system. Notably, she established the Women Empowered through Export (WE-Xport) platform to address the disadvantages that women-owned businesses face in accessing markets.
She holds a Juris Doctor in Law from Georgetown University and an undergraduate degree in International Relations from the University of the West Indies. She is the founder of the Shridath Ramphal Centre and the Masters in International Trade Policy programme at the University of the West Indies. When she is not working, she enjoys sports, art, history, reading and traveling.
Dr. James X. Zhan
Dr. James X. Zhan is Chairman of the WIC Executive Board of WAIPA; Chief Advisor to the Chairman of the World Free Zones Organization; Senior Fellow associated with Chatham House; and a member of the Financial Times’ fDi Editorial Advisory Board.
Dr. Zhan served for 15 years as Director of Investment and Enterprise at the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and subsequently as Chief Advisor to the Secretary‑General. He was Lead Author of the UN World Investment Report, and led the establishment of the UNCTAD World Investment Forum. He was the Founding Chairman of both the UN Sustainable Stock Exchange Initiative, and the Global Alliance of Special Economic Zones.
He currently serves on advisory boards of academic centres at Oxford University, Columbia University, and Fribourg University. He was a Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University. He has authored more than 100 academic articles and book chapters, and led numerous UN reports and publications.
Dr. Zhan has advised government leaders and business executives in over 130 countries on trade, investment, business strategy, global value chains, industrial policy, and sustainable development. He has contributed to major international initiatives and policy frameworks across multiple global forums, including the G20 and BRICS.
Ismail Ersahin
Ismail Ersahin is the Executive Director and CEO of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), bringing over 25 years of experience across public and private sectors in trade, international relations, investment promotion, and business development. His diverse career includes leadership roles in government and significant experience in the automotive, textile, and tourism industries, providing him with valuable cross-sector insights that he now applies in his role at WAIPA.
Before his tenure in investment promotion, Ismail Ersahin held various senior positions with some of Turkiye’s largest automotive groups. In these roles, he was instrumental in expanding the Turkish automotive presence internationally, notably by establishing several overseas distributors that increased market access and brand visibility. He contributed to significant modernization projects within the industry, overseeing country-specific product modifications to meet diverse regulatory and consumer needs. This hands-on experience equipped him with a deep understanding of international market dynamics and operational excellence, which later informed his strategic approach in the investment promotion sector.
Ersahin contributed to Invest in Turkiye (Turkiye’s national investment agency) as Chief Project Director and Advisor to the Vice President during its formative years, where he helped establish the agency’s mission and strategy. Over a period of 4 years active in service, he directly facilitated $2 billion in foreign direct investment, creating 2,500 jobs, while overseeing diverse teams across several sectors.
Ersahin also played a key role in establishing Turkish Development Agencies and led initiatives funded by the World Bank. He coordinated international road shows, conferences, and ministerial delegations to promote Turkiye as a leading investment destination. Notably, he contributed to the country’s first electric vehicle production project, influencing major OEM commitments. His strategic leadership included developing the Istanbul Financial Center marketing and promotion strategy and leading logistics and automotive cluster development projects, earning him recognition from various companies and government entities. This foundational experience in investment facilitation laid the groundwork for his later achievements on the global stage.
As WAIPA’s CEO, Ersahin has spearheaded initiatives to support investment promotion agencies (IPAs) worldwide, enhancing WAIPA’s role in facilitating international investment. Since taking the helm, he has introduced forward-looking strategies, formed critical institutional partnerships, and expanded WAIPA’s global presence through new alliances. His leadership has focused on building IPA capacity, advocating for investment-friendly policies, and fostering economic resilience in both emerging and mature markets.
Under his leadership, WAIPA renewed its institutional partnerships with major organizations, including UNCTAD, UNIDO, WEF, the World Bank, ILO, and IEDC, reinforcing WAIPA’s role as a bridge between investment agencies worldwide and global economic institutions. His efforts were recognized in 2015 with a Special Recognition award from UNCTAD’s Secretary General, underscoring his impact on WAIPA’s outreach and influence.
He also spearheaded numerous initiatives, studies and projects, both independently through WAIPA and in collaboration with partners such as WTO’s Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF), EBRD, and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). Through these partnerships, Ersahin secured WAIPA to become a financially self-sustaining organization. His work has expanded WAIPA’s capacity to support global investment promotion agencies, fostering greater resources and knowledge-sharing opportunities for IPAs worldwide.
Ersahin’s broad expertise and commitment to sustainable development have made him an influential figure in FDI. A consummate leader, organiser, speaker, and moderator, Ersahin has graced prestigious platforms such as the UNCTAD World Investment Forum, the Annual Investment Meeting in the UAE, the World Economic Forum in Davos, the CIFIT in Xiamen, and the Africa Partnership Conference. He has been the lead organizer of the last ten World Investment Conferences. He has been instrumental in initiating and implementing projects across more than 80 countries.
His contributions help shape a thriving international investment community, where WAIPA continues to support IPAs in “promoting investment for good” worldwide.
His work spans across several countries and sectors. Following his duties in trade, textile and tourism, he worked for one of the largest automotive groups in the country and established several new export dealers in Europe and North Africa. His understanding of the entrepreneurial sector gave him great insight in his work with the area of investment promotion and facilitation.
He joined Invest in Turkey, Turkey’s investment agency, in 2008 as Project Director during the establishment phase of the Agency. He has been appointed as Ad-Interim Executive Director in 2014, Deputy Executive Director of WAIPA in 2015 and Ad-Interim Executive Director in 2021 by WAIPA Steering Committee. He unveiled WAIPA’s new strategy in 2014 and established WAIPA’s representative office in Istanbul in 2015.
He has studied International Relations at Uludag University and International Business Administration at Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey and joined General Management Program at Open University of Catalonia, Barcelona. He speaks Turkish, English and French.
Marina Ponti
The Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation develops innovative services in the areas of agro-industry and agribusiness, sustainability standards and fair production, and climate-relevant or climate-improving technologies. It is also in charge of developing innovative public-private partnerships and identifying new sources of financing with a broad range of stakeholders.
Before her assignment, Marina Ponti has served as Global Director of the UN SDG Action Campaign since 2018 at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bonn. Prior to this role, she was one of the principal architects of the United Nations Millennium Campaign, serving for more than a decade as Global Deputy Director in New York and Regional Director for Europe in Rome. During this period, she played a leading role in developing innovative global campaigns on development assistance, debt relief and trade, building multi-stakeholder coalitions, mobilizing resources, and forging strategic partnerships with civil society organizations, local governments, parliamentarians, media, the private sector, and the United Nations system.
Throughout her career, Marina Ponti has held senior leadership positions across the United Nations and civil society, including with UNICEF. Her extensive expertise encompasses multilateral negotiations, multi-stakeholder partnerships, global health, trade, debt, poverty eradication, institutional reform, and sustainable development.
Ponti holds an MA in Political Science from the University of Milan and has completed an executive education programme from INSEAD in Global Management, Finance and Partnership.
Ebba Lund
Ebba Lund is Chief Executive Officer of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP), a non-profit knowledge-based organization where she supports a global membership of science & technology parks, innovation districts and other spaces of innovation in 78 countries.
With 20 years’ experience in the industry of innovation ecosystems Ebba is responsible for overseeing all facets of the organization, driving the mission, operations, and engagement with the board of directors, as well as being key in handling international network relations and knowledge-based services for innovation spaces worldwide. She also has extensive experience in event management, having led the organisation of more than 20 world conferences. Ebba Lund holds an MA in Media Studies from the University of Aarhus, Denmark, and an Executive MBA from IE Business School, Madrid, Spain.
Latifa El Bouabdellaoui
Mrs. Latifa El Bouabdellaoui is the sixth Director General of the Islamic Centre for Development of Trade, ICDT. She assumed her duties on February 1st, 2020.
Before her appointment, Mrs. Latifa El Bouabdellaoui held the position of Director of International Trade Relations at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Green and Digital Economy of the Kingdom of Morocco from April 2013 to February 2020. Her career at this Ministry was strongly marked by her active participation in the definition and implementation of the national strategy of international trade. She was the Kingdom of Morocco’s chief negotiator for several Economic Partnership Agreements, including the Agreement with the European Union and the Agreement on the AfCFTA.
From 2009 to 2013, Ms. Latifa El Bouabdellaoui was, respectively, Head of the Mechanical and Metallurgical Industries and Offshoring Departments at the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and New Technologies. She contributed to the development of the country’s industrial strategy and the monitoring of large-scale investment projects, as well as to the promotion of cooperation relations between Morocco and its foreign partners including international and regional organizations in charge of trade and industry affairs.
Since joining ICDT, she has been working on the promotion and facilitation of trade and investment in the OIC region and has been striving to provide private actors and institutions operating in trade and investment in the OIC Member States with a value proposition that would enable them to upgrade their capacities up to international standards and facilitate their access to global trade and investment markets. Similarly, she spares no effort to support the 57 OIC Member States, by providing them with the necessary programs and tools for their development, both in partnership with regional and international stakeholders.
Mrs. El Bouabdellaoui relies on innovation and new technologies to promote ICDT as a reference institution in the field of trade and investment promotion in the OIC region
Sean Doherty
Sean Doherty is Head of International Trade & Investment and a member of the executive committee at the World Economic Forum.
He leads the Forum’s work on trade and global economic interdependence spanning, facilitation, sustainability, digitalization and governance of trade and investment, as well as related areas of tax, competition and industrial policy coordination.
Sean earlier headed the World Economic Forum’s Supply Chain & Transport, Chemicals and Mining and Metals industry communities.
He worked previously in the logistics sector and as a management consultant.
Sean Doherty holds Masters degrees in aeronautical engineering, molecular biology, business administration and international economic law.
Emmanuel Noutary
Emmanuel has been General Delegate of ANIMA Investment Network since 2010. He joined Business France in 2006 to participate in the creation and development of the ANIMA network as Project Director.
Since then, Emmanuel has coordinated or supervised more than thirty projects in the areas of country attractiveness, investment promotion, business internationalisation, research and innovation, clusters and start-ups, access to finance for SMEs and entrepreneurs, and diaspora mobilisation. In this context, he has collaborated with the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, the World Bank, the AFD Group, GIZ and ENABEL, among others.
He is notably behind the first business angel networks in North Africa and the Middle East, the establishment of new legal frameworks and services aimed at improving the business and investment environment, and the creation of clusters in countries.
Previously, Emmanuel spent 12 years in the telecoms, internet and communications sector: as a telecoms consultant in Paris, marketing director of a pioneering internet telephony operator based in London that operated in the MENA region, and research director for several telecoms operators.
He is the author of a dozen of studies and numerous reports and papers on economic development in MENA and Africa.
He is graduated from University Parix Dauphine (PSL University): Master 1 in Management Science and Master 2 Management in Telecoms and Medias.
Emmanuel Noutary is a member of the Research to Business (R2B) Programme Steering Committee
Matthew Stephenson
Dr. Matthew joins the World FZO from the World Economic Forum, where he served as Head of Investment and Services and was responsible for work related to the investment climate and regulatory reforms. Prior to this, he worked at the International Finance Corporation on advisory services for investment policy, where he led work on outward foreign direct investment. He also worked at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development on Africa and on investment.
Dr. Matthew holds a PhD from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, a master’s degree from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oxford.
Susan Branker Greene
Her strong programme management, monitoring and evaluation skills coupled with a solid foundation in the human development sector, provides a valuable balance of method, knowledge and sound judgment.
Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder
Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder, LL.M, is IISD’s Vice-President, Global Strategies and Managing Director, Europe.
Nathalie is responsible for initiating and overseeing major initiatives across IISD’s programs, including secretariats managed by IISD, such as the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development and the International Support Office (SISO) of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), among others. She is also the institute’s senior leader in Europe, based out of IISD’s office in Geneva, Switzerland.
Nathalie has extensive legal, policy, and training experience in the areas of public and private international law, trade, investment, sustainable development, human rights, international environmental law, and international dispute settlement. She has authored and edited several peer-reviewed publications and collections covering various facets of international law.
Additionally, Nathalie is a visiting professor on international investment law at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Before joining IISD, Nathalie served as Managing Attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in Geneva, after previously being based out of CIEL’s Washington, D.C. office. Earlier, she was a fellow at the International Institute of International Economic Law at Georgetown University Law Center and worked in Hanoi, Vietnam, for a legal reform project of the United Nations Development Programme. She also worked at an Australian law firm and at the Swiss Department of Justice in the Section for International Law. In Switzerland, Nathalie is admitted to the Bar of Basel.
Anja Nitzsche
25+ years of progressive leadership in international development, financing, humanitarian affairs, global health and digital transformation. Worked in Eastern Europe (Russian Federation, Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine) and South East Asia (Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand). Master degrees in International Health Systems Management, Social Science and International Relations. Trained journalist (TV, radio and print media) and communications specialist. Fluent in English, Russian and German (mother tongue) with knowledge of French, Ukrainian, Vietnamese and Arabic. Featured on “List of 300 Women Leaders in Global Health”.
Rie Vejs Kjeldgaard
Rie Vejs Kjeldgaard is the Director of the Sustainable Enterprises, Productivity and Just Transition Department at the International Labour Organisation.
Prior to her current assignment she served as the Director of the Department of Partnerships and Field Support, and before that as the Deputy Regional Director of the ILO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia. In the ILO she has held a variety of management positions including Deputy Sub-Regional Director for Southeast Asia, New Delhi; ILO Country Director for Viet Nam; Manager of the ILO Global Programme on “Decent Work Country Level Policy Analysis”. She has also served as an Enterprise Specialist in several positions including as the Global Manager of a Technical Corporation Programme on “Job Quality in Micro and Small Enterprises”; Enterprise Development Specialist in the ILO Regional Office for Asia and Pacific in Bangkok; and as Senior Specialist in Enterprise Development, ILO Headquarters in Geneva. Prior to the ILO she worked as Head of Product and Market Development in the pharmaceutical industry.
Rie is a Danish national. She has an educational background in Economics and Business Administration with a specialization in marketing and international business development.
Escipión J. Oliveira-Gómez
Mr. Oliveira-Gómez serves as the Director of the Division of Enterprise Competitiveness and Institutions at ITC. In this capacity, he leads a team dedicated to enhancing the international competitiveness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). His responsibilities include connecting SMEs to international value chains, strengthening the institutional capacity of Business Support Organizations (BSOs) and related ecosystems, ensuring SME compliance with quality standards, and promoting digital trade and entrepreneurship in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals.
With over 30 years of experience, Mr. Oliveira-Gómez is well-versed in drafting, managing, supervising, and evaluating multi-donor programs and projects. Throughout his career, he has focused on the creation, strengthening, and internationalization of SMEs, as well as the enhancement of BSOs in developing and transition economies.
Previously, Mr. Oliveira-Gómez held positions such as Assistant Secretary General for Structural Economic Transformation and Trade at the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), Deputy Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, and Deputy Minister in charge of Development Cooperation in the Dominican Republic.
Nan Li Collins
Nan has over 25 years’ experience in strategic management roles both with the United Nations and the private sector across Asia, Africa, North America and Europe. She currently leads a global team in investment and sustainable finance research, policy, investment promotion and facilitation, enterprise development, and technical assistance to governments in over 160 countries. She chairs the Governing Board of the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, leads the World Investment Forum and the inter-governmental Working Group on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting.
Before joining UNCTAD, she served as the Global Director of Sustainable Investments and Innovation at UNOPS, where she led a team to promote infrastructure investments in many developing countries and co-invest with DFIs and private investors. She served as UNOPS focal point in the UN Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development.
Previously, she served as the Head of UNDP SDG Innovative Finance and as Head of South-South Cooperation and Investment at UNDP’s Asia Pacific Center in Bangkok. She led a team to engage public and private investors and developed national policy dialogues and networks on SDG investment, piloted SDG-aligned funds, bonds and projects in multiple countries. She helped to position UNDP as a pioneer in the UN on sustainable investment and innovative finance. She also held positions as Policy Specialist in Capacity Development and Public-Private Partnerships in New York and Johannesburg since 2009, overseeing a regional portfolio in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Before joining UNDP, she spent about 10 years in the private sector in China and the USA, covering market entry and investment strategy, merger and acquisition, business development and sustainability. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and participated in the Executive Leadership program at IESE, and Finance Executive program at Tsinghua University.
Elisabeth Türk
Ms. Türk is Director of the Economic Cooperation and Trade Division (ECTD) at UNECE and leads the Division’s work across its four Sections: Cooperation and Partnerships, Innovative Policies Development, Market Access and Trade Facilitation.
The Division works to support closer economic relations among UNECE’s 56 member States in the pursuit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda.
Prior to that, Ms. Türk acted as Chief of the Section on International Investment Agreements (IIAs) in UNCTAD’s Division on Investment and Enterprise (DIAE), where she led the Section’s work across the three pillars of UNCTAD activities: research and analysis, capacity-building and consensus-building.
Ms. Türk’s earlier professional activities included functions in UNCTAD’s Division on International Trade and Commodities (DITC), covering e.g. WTO accessions and GATS negotiations, in the Geneva office of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Ana Novik
Ana Novik leads the Investment Division. In her role, Ms. Novik 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
She also contributes to OECD-wide initiatives, including horizontal workstreams on mobilising investment to SDG and climate change, global value chains and OECD contributions to the G20.
Before joining the OECD in 2014, Ms. Novik was Ambassador Director of Multilateral Economic Affairs in the Economics Directorate of Chile’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. During this period, she represented Chile in international organisations, such as WTO, OECD and as a Senior Official (SOM) in APEC, and acted as the country’s G20 Sherpa during the year 2012. She also headed and supervised negotiations on behalf of Chile in the investment and services areas, with China, Australia, TPP, Pacific Alliance and MERCOSUR, among others, and participated in Chile’s accession to OECD, particularly in the areas of investment and trade.
Ms. Novik, a Chilean national, holds a Major in Business and Administration from Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, Chile and a Master’s in International Affairs, Economic and Political Development from Columbia University, United States.
Richard Bolwijn
Stefan Kratzsch
Stefan Kratzsch has been working for UNIDO for more than 15 years in areas of investment promotion and private sector development. He is employed as an Industrial Development Officer in the Investment and Technology Promotion Division of UNIDO’s Department of Digitalization, Technology and Innovation. Stefan is holder of a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the Technical University of Karlsruhe, Germany and holder of a PhD from Leipzig University, Germany. The theme of Stefan’s PhD, which he completed in 2018, is on ‘Forms and performance of foreign direct investments in Sub-Saharan Africa’. Stefan is managing a wide range of UNIDO projects in different geographical regions focusing on capacity building for investment promotion agencies (IPAs) in areas of investment monitoring, attraction/retention, aftercare, backward linkages and digital investment promotion techniques. He also oversees UNIDO’s Programme in relation to Subcontracting and Partnership Exchange Centres (SPX).
Amelia Santos Paulino
Dr. Amelia U. Santos-Paulino is Chief of the Investment Issues at UNCTAD’s Division on Investment and Enterprise.
Previously, she was a Senior Economist at UNCTAD’s Africa, Least Developed Countries and Special Programmes Division. Before joining UNCTAD, she was Research Fellow and Project Director in the United Nations University’s World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) in Helsinki, Professorial Research Fellow in the University of Sussex’s Institute of Development Studies, and Senior Research Economist in the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic.
She served as Senior Adviser of the Dominican Republic’s Government on International Trade and Investment for the negotiations of the US-DR-CAFTA Free Trade Agreement, amongst other full-time posts within the civil service and academia of the Dominican Republic. She has also held visiting posts at the University of California, Davis, the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Fudan University in Shanghai, and the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo.
Her work has been published in journals including the Economic Journal, Cambridge Journal of Economics, and World Development, and has also edited books published by Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press.
She holds PhD and MA degrees in Economics from the University of Kent in the UK.
Jicui Dong
Dr. Jicui Dong is the Unit Head of the Local Production and Assistance Unit in WHO. With her diverse expertise, she has been leading the Unit to support Member States in promoting technology transfer and strengthening sustainable quality local production of medical products (medicines, vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, IVDs, etc.) to improve access. She has been representing WHO in working with global partners to implement regional/global local production initiatives, such as the PMPA under the leadership of AUC. Jicui is responsible for the World Local Production Forum, a new WHO initiative and sustainable platform to foster global coordination & synergies and galvanize collective action in local production and technology transfer. Jicui led her unit to receive the WHO Director General’s Award for Excellence in 2021. Jicui is a member of the 9th editorial board of Chinese Journal of pharmaceutical Analysis and a member of the 6th editorial board of Chinese Pharmaceutical Affairs . Jicui received her PhD in Biology in University of Geneva, Switzerland, and MBA in University of Liverpool, UK, MSc in Pharmacology in Peking Union Medical College, and BSc in Chinese Materia Medica in Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. She also received executive training in trade, diplomacy and public health, and extensive training in innovation, entrepreneurship, etc. in Switzerland and USA.
Juan Marchetti
Juan A. Marchetti is a Counsellor at the Trade in Services Division of the World Trade Organization. He is the Secretary of the WTO Committee on Trade in Financial Services. He graduated in Economics from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). He regularly lectures at the Universities of Fribourg and Lausanne, in Switzerland. His primary research interests lie in the law and economics of trade in financial services. He has published articles in refereed journals and contributed chapters to various collections, including the Oxford Handbook of Banking and the International Handbook on the Economics of Integration. He is the co-editor of Opening Markets for Trade in Services – Countries and Sectors in Bilateral and WTO Negotiations (Cambridge University Press, 2009), to which he also contributed a chapter on ‘Financial Services Liberalization in WTO and Preferential Trade Agreements’.
Yuvan Beejadhur
Mr Yuvan A. Beejadhur is a Senior Adviser at the World Trade Organization (WTO). He is a specialist in Natural Resources Management, focusing on the ocean economy in the Environment and Agriculture Global Practice. Prior to this, he worked as a Counsellor at the World Bank’s office to the UN. Before that, he was an Economics Affairs Officer at UNCTAD and an Associate Professor at the University of Geneva. Beejahur is a doctoral candidate on EU trade relations with Africa (Sorbonne), holds a Master’s in Political Economy (Sorbonne) and a BA in International Affairs from the American University of Paris. He is interested in the nexus of oceans, climate and security.
Ambassadors
H.E. Amb. Maria Martin-Prat
María Martin-Prat is the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the European Union to the World Trade Organization. Before taking up her position, Ms Martin-Prat was Deputy Director-General in the Directorate General responsible for Trade and Economic Security in the European Commission. In that position she led the teams responsible for bilateral trade and investment relations with countries in Asia, the Pacific, Africa and the Caribbean. She also led the work of the teams responsible for Sustainable Development and Green Deal trade related issues, Services and Digital Trade, Investment and Intellectual Property. Her career in the Commission also covers Internal Market policies having been the Head of the Unit responsible for Free Movement of Services and Freedom of Establishment, and the Head of the Copyright Unit in the European Commission. She was also Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Joaquin Almunia. Ms Martin-Prat has worked as a lawyer in the private sector and in the European Parliament. Ms Martin-Prat holds a master’s in law from the University of Seville in Spain and has two postgraduate degrees in European Law (from the Institute of European Studies of the ULB in Brussels and from the European Institute of the University of Amsterdam).
H.E. Amb. José Sánchez-Fung
José R. Sánchez-Fung is the Dominican Republic’s ambassador and permanent representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and to the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Preceding the appointment in Geneva, Dr. Sánchez-Fung was ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, and head of the diplomatic mission, of the Dominican Republic to Switzerland based in Bern. Before joining his country’s foreign service, Dr. Sánchez-Fung taught economics at the University of Nottingham (Ningbo, China) and Kingston University London (with tenure).
He currently holds an adjunct professorship at Western Michigan University’s department of economics (Michigan, USA). Ambassador Sánchez-Fung’s national public service includes working as an economist in the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic in Santo Domingo in the role of director of economic research and voting member of the monetary policy-making Open Market Committee. He has also served as an honorific advisor to the Dominican Republic’s Senate – the upper house of the national parliament.
Ambassador Sánchez-Fung holds an undergraduate degree in economics from PUCMM in Santo Domingo, and MA and PhD degrees in economics from the University of Kent in the United Kingdom.
H.E. Sung-yo Choi
Sung-yo Choi, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea Mission to the World Trade Organization, is Co-coordinator of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement. She currently also serves as Chair of the WTO Working Party on the Accession of Uzbekistan. She is a career diplomat with extensive expertise in international trade negotiations and multilateral affairs and has been involved in WTO negotiations for over 15 years, as well as the Republic of Korea’s free trade area negotiations. Prior to returning to Geneva, she was Minister at the Delegation of the Republic Korea to the OECD in Paris. She holds an M.B.A. from Yale University and a B.A. in Communications from Seoul National University.
H.E. Amb. Ivars Pundurs
Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Pundurs had been serving as the Director of the Human Resources Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia since 2020. He was Latvia’s Ambassador to the Council of Europe from 2016 to 2020. He also served as Ambassador to Greece from 2011 to 2016, concurrently serving as non-resident Ambassador to Serbia from 2013 to 2017, and to Cyprus from 2012 to 2017. He served as Latvia’s Ambassador to Turkey from 2004 to 2009. He was also posted at the Embassy of Latvia to Austria from 1994 to 1998, first as charge d’affaires and then as Counsellor and Head of Delegation at the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe.
A career diplomat since 1991, Mr. Pundurs has held various other posts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including as Under-Secretary of State, Administrative Director from 2009 to 2011; Under-Secretary of State, Security Policy and International Organizations Directorate from 2000 to 2004; and Director, Fourth Political Department from 1998 to 2000.
Mr. Pundurs was born in 1966 in Latvia. He studied at the Faculty of Law of the University of Latvia (1984-1991) and at the Institute of International Relations in Switzerland (1992-1993). He has received a number of rewards in Latvia.
H.E. Amb. Manuel A.J. Teehankee
H.E. Ambassador Manuel Antonio J. Teehankee is the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the World Trade Organization in Geneva. This is his second tour in the post: he first served from 2004 to 2011, chaired the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment from 2007 to 2011, and was reappointed in 2023. In 2026 he led the Philippines’ Sixth Trade Policy Review and chaired the WTO’s Informal Group of Developing Countries. He represents ASEAN at the WTO as the Philippines holds the 2026 ASEAN Chairmanship. He was previously Undersecretary of the Department of Justice and Acting Government Corporate Counsel. An international lawyer admitted to the New York and Philippine Bars, he has appeared before the WTO Dispute Settlement Body, the Iran–United States Claims Tribunal, and ICSID, ICC, SIAC and UNCITRAL tribunals. He holds a PhD in International Law from the Graduate Institute, Geneva, and teaches at Ateneo de Manila Law School.
H.E. Amb. Sharaf Sheralizoda
Mr. Sharaf Sheralizoda is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Nations Office in Geneva. Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Sheralizoda had been serving as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan since 2021. An economist by career, he has held leadership roles in various public offices in Tajikistan, including Head of the Secretariat of the Advisory Council for Improving the Investment Climate, Director of the Centre for Implementation of Public-Private Partnership Projects, and Leading Specialist of the Department of Demographic Statistics and Employment of the State Statistics Committee.
H.E. Amb. Prof. Muhammadou M.O. Kah
His Excellency Professor Muhammadou M.O. Kah is the Ambassador & Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the UN Office at Geneva, World Trade Organisation (WTO), and other offices in Geneva. He currently Chairs the Africa Group of Ambassadors at Geneva (April 2021-June 2021) and is the Vice Chair for UNCTAD’s Commission on Science and Technology Development’s 25th session and a member of the Advisory Board of the UNCTAD TDB Advisory Body (June 2021-July 2022). Ambassador Prof. Kah is also one of three Ambassadors designated as Friends of the Chair of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) General Assembly.
Prior to his appointment in Geneva, Professor Kah served as the Founding Chairman of Zenith Bank, The Gambia, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Africa Consulting & Trading Group (ACT), Dakar, Senegal and as the first Gambian-born third Vice Chancellor of The University of The Gambia (UTG) from 2009- 2015 and recently appointed as a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Prior to becoming UTG’s Vice Chancellor/Rector in 2009, Professor Muhammadou M.O. Kah spent 4 years in Nigeria as the Founding Dean of the School of Information Technology and Communications at the American University of Nigeria (AUN) where he doubled for a year as Interim Dean of the School of Business & Entrepreneurship. Professor Kah was appointed as Vice President of Academic Affairs & Provost (DVC) and Professor of Information Technology & Computing at the American University of Nigeria, Yola, Adamawa State (2017-2020). He also served as Vice Rector for Technology & Innovation; Professor and Founding Dean of the School of Information Technology & Engineering at ADA University in Baku, Azerbaijan (2015-2017). He served at the Board of Trustees and Governing councils of the American University of Nigeria and the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja, Nigeria.
Professor Kah has held teaching and leadership positions in the USA, Africa, the Middle East (Gulf countries) and Eastern Europe (Caucuses). A regular contributor to the “Africa Module” in the Advanced Leadership Program (ALP) at Cambridge Judge Business School, he was appointed as an honorary Fellow of the Judge Business School and the Digital Innovation Centre, University of Cambridge (2016-2017). Professor Kah is passionate about advancing and strengthening computing, engineering, science, and leading strategy & innovation in organizations. To complement that he also provides thought leadership in information technologies & computing education in higher education whilst also serving as a member of international panels such as the Malabo Montpellier Panel, the Euro Science Forum 2018, Africa Europe Foundation, amongst others.
Completing his BSc, MSc. and Ph.D. at the Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey, one of the top engineering and technology management universities in the USA, Professor Kah also holds a Master of Science in Finance (Financial Engineering) from George Washington University, Washington, DC and a Postgraduate Diploma (Dip SI) in Strategy and Innovation from the Said Business School, University of Oxford, UK.
Professor Kah has completed several Executive Education Programs: University of Cambridge, Judge Business School: the Advanced Leadership (ALP) Program; Advanced Leadership Re-Union & Follow-Up Program in Singapore and Beyond Innovation: Business Models for Transformation & Competitive Advantage; Harvard University, Harvard Kennedy School: Transforming Leadership for 21st Century Africa, and The AGA KHAN University, Graduate School of Media & Communication: The Voice of Leadership; Inspiration, Influence & Impact. In Corporate Governance, he has completed the highly reputable International Directors Program (IDP) as an Internationally Certified Director from INSEAD, through the INSEAD Singapore and Fontainebleau, France, Campus. Professor Kah is also a member of the Institute of Directors (IoD), London, UK.
H.E. Amb. Erwin Bollinger
Ambassador Erwin Bollinger is currently the Head of the Swiss Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization and European Free Trade Association in Geneva since 1 September 2023.
From 2018 to 2023, he was Head of Bilateral Economic Relations Division and Federal Council Delegate for Trade Agreements. From 2008 to 2018, he was Head of the Export Controls and Sanctions Section and Deputy Head of the Bilateral Economic Relations Division. From 2005 – 2008, he was Head of Export Control Policy. From 2003 to 2005 he was Deputy Head of Bilateral Economic Relations Europe/Central Asia. From 1999 to 2003, Counsellor at the Swiss Mission to the EU in Brussels.
He joined the Federal Administration in 1992 starting at the former Integration Office FDFA/FDEA, transferring to the former Federal Office for Foreign Economic Affairs, World Trade/WTO Section in 1995.
Between 1989 and 1992. he worked at swissmedic, becoming Dep. Head of the Legal Affairs Service in 1991.
H.E. Amb. Dr. Ahmed Ihab Gamaleldin
Ambassador Ahmed Ihab Gamaleldin has a long professional career in multilateral and bilateral diplomacy. He currently serves as Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Human Rights and International Humanitarian and Social Affairs. Previously, he was ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Kingdom of Morocco, deputy assistant minister of foreign affairs for environment and sustainable development, director for the department for Human Rights and International Social and Humanitarian Affairs, member of the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign affairs, the World Bank in Wahington DC, member of the Egyptian Permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York and in Geneva, and deputy permanent representative to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva. Dr. Gamaleldin was elected as vice chair of the bureau of the international preparatory process of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002 and co-chaired the international negotiations on its final document. He represented Egypt in a number of international summits, conferences and meetings in the United Nations in the Economic, Social, Environmental, Humanitarian, Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law fields . He holds a PHD and MA in International Economics and International Relations from Johns Hopkins University, and an MBA and a BA in Business Administration from the American University in Cairo.
Antonio Fernandez-Martos
Involved in Brexit matters and European Union – UK negotiations between 2016 and 2020.
2020 to 2025 in DG TRADE, European Commission as the Head of Unit in charge of multilateral affairs and WTO.
Currently Deputy Head of the EU Mission to the WTO in Geneva.
Business Leaders & Executives
Nandini Sukumar
Nandini Sukumar is the Chief Executive Officer of the World Federation of Exchanges, the global association for exchanges and CCPs. The WFE represents more than 250 exchanges and clearing houses globally, educating stakeholders on the vital role played by market infrastructures in the real economy and as a standard setter, finding the consensus on issues among the global membership. Of its members, 37% are in Asia- Pacific, 43% in EMEA and 20% in the Americas. WFE exchanges are home to 59,400 listed companies, and the market capitalisation of these entities is over $122.94 trillion; around $162.04 trillion (EOB) in trading annually passes through WFE members (at end 2021). WFE’s 57 member CCPs collectively ensure that risk takers post some $1 trillion (equivalent) of resources to back their positions, in the form of initial margin and default fund requirements. Ms. Sukumar is Vice Chair of IOSCO’s Affiliate Members Consultative Committee and Chair of the AMCC’s Sustainability Taskforce.
Vincent Subilia
As Director General of the CCIG, Vincent Subilia advocates the Geneva business community; he thus promotes and defends the CCIG 2’800 corporate Members. Since June 2025, Vincent also holds the position as President of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A qualified lawyer with robust expertise gained in Switzerland and abroad, Vincent has worked within a large international bank in Geneva as Vice President for numerous years, as well as for a major law firm specialised in WTO issues. Vincent has further been elected as Member of the Geneva Parliament.
Prof. Fu Xiaolan
Xiaolan Fu (傅晓岚) is the Founding Director of the Technology and Management Centre for Development (TMCD), Professor of Technology and International Development, Fellow of Green Templeton College and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and Founder of OxValue.AI.
In 2024, Professor Fu was appointed as the director of Oxford Advanced Research Centres (OARC) by the University of Oxford, which wholly owns the Oxford Suzhou Centre for Advanced Research (OSCAR).
She was appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to the Ten-Member High Level Advisory Group of the UN Technology Facilitation Mechanism and to the Governing Council of the UN’s Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries. She is also a member of the UN SDSN Leadership Council led by Jeffrey Sachs. She is winner of a 2021 Falling Walls Scientific Breakthrough Award, the 2019 winner of the CFA Asia-Pacific Research Exchange Award (CFA Institute), the 2018 winner of the Best Journal Paper of the Year Award (European Academy of International Business), and the 2017 winner of the Best Paper Award (European Association of Management (EURAM) Innovation Strategic Interest Group).
Her research interests include innovation, technology and industrialisation; trade, foreign direct investment and economic development; emerging Asian economies; innovation and productivity in the UK/US.
She has published extensively in leading international journals independently or in collaboration with others. Her recent books include Innovation under the Radar, China’s Path to Innovation, China’s Role in Global Economic Recovery and The Rise of Technological Power in the South. She is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, and serves on the editorial boards of Industrial and Corporate Change, International Journal of Technology Management, and four other international journals.
Professor Fu has received large research grants from funding bodies that include the European Commission, ESRC, EPSRC, British Academy, DFID, and the Cairncross Foundation. She also received the European Commission EFMD Gate2Growth 2005 ‘European Best Paper’ Award, Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2012 Outstanding Paper Award, and European Association of Management (EURAM) annual conference Innovation Strategic Interest Group 2017 Best Paper Award.
She has been a consultant for UNDESA, UNCTAD, UNIDO, the World Bank, the OECD, the European Commission, the ILO, the Commonwealth Secretariat, UKTI and the Chinese government. Professor Fu serves on the Advisory Expert Group of the OECD Global Investment Forum and the DFID/ESRC Economic Growth Directorate (DEGP), and was President of the Chinese Economic Association (Europe) and CEA (UK) in 2010-11. She currently serves on the Management Committee of the Oxford University China Centre. She is also a Senior Research Associate at the University of Cambridge and University of Tsinghua, and a Visiting Professor at Fudan University. As a leading China expert, she has participated in various media interviews and panel discussions including for the BBC, Sky News, CCTV, CGTN, People’s Daily, and China Daily. In 2014 she was invited to address the UN General Assembly on ‘Science, technology and innovation in developing countries’.
Professor Fu came to Oxford from Cambridge University, where she was a Senior Research Fellow. Before coming to the UK, she had five years’ work experience in the business sector in China before embarking on her academic career.
Jayson Myers
Jayson Myers is the CEO of Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen), an industry-led organization that raises funds to invest in building world-leading advanced manufacturing solutions in Canada.
Jay is an award-winning business economist who specializes in industrial and technological change. Between 2007 and 2016, he served as President & CEO of Canada’s largest industry and trade association.
A former research fellow at Nuffield College Oxford, Jay has held lectureships at both Oxford and the University of Warwick. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the World Manufacturing Forum and a leading advocate on behalf of advanced manufacturing.
Alain-Claude Nkurunziza
Alain-Claude is a strategic growth and business developer with extensive international experience at the management level. He has held various positions in the hospitality industry, including F&D Director at Flexguard SA and Head of African Region at Mauborget Group.
Alain-Claude has expertise in management, housekeeping, sales, relocation services, and hospitality consulting. He has also worked in project coordination and has experience in team leadership and motivation. Alain-Claude is a graduate of the EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, and is fluent in French, English, Kinyarwanda, and Swahili.
Alain-Claude’s key skills include good leadership skills, a focus on high-quality standards, strong hospitality expertise, team management, and team motivation.
Alain-Claude completed his education at EHL Hospitality Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is fluent in French and English, and he is also proficient in Kinyarwanda and Swahili. He holds Rwandan nationality and was born on November 7th, 1975.
Alain-Claude Nkurunziza is a strategic growth and business developer with extensive international management experience. He currently serves as the F&D Director at Flexguard SA, located in Lausanne, Switzerland. His career spans over 18 years and 11 months, during which he has held various positions in different companies.
Alain-Claude Nkurunziza holds the role of President within the Union of African Chambers of Commerce in Switzerland (UCCAS). As the President, he is responsible for leading and overseeing the activities of the organization, representing UCCAS in external engagements, and providing strategic direction.
In his capacity as President, he plays a crucial role in promoting the interests of UCCAS and its member chambers, fostering collaboration among the various African chambers of commerce in Switzerland, and advocating for the development of common services that benefit the African business community.
Before this, in his role as F&D Director at Flexguard SA, Alain-Claude is involved in the management and has likely been responsible for overseeing the company’s research and development activities. Prior to his time at Flexguard SA, he worked as the Head of the African Region at Mauborget Group in Geneva, Switzerland, where he focused on housekeeping operations. During this period, he also engaged in consultancy work for expanding services in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East for various clients of Mauborget Group Ltd.
Before that, Alain-Claude served as a Business Development Manager at WideView Hospitality Consulting in Kigali, Rwanda, where he worked in sales. He also held the position of Relocation Manager at JTI in Geneva, Switzerland, overseeing the relocation services for expatriates. This role involved managing company service apartments, cost management, provider management, and implementing car allowance policies for expatriates in Geneva.
In addition to these positions, Alain-Claude has worked as a Business Development Manager at Home Finders Relocation in Lausanne, Switzerland, and as a Relocation Manager at Primacy Relocation, also in Lausanne. He has also held positions in human resources, event management, and project coordination in various companies, including Limousine Services Switzerland, Choice Event Management, Spevent Sarl, Mandarin Oriental Geneva, and Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill.
Jo Spalburg
Jo Spalburg is a professional, multi-cultural and multi-lingual marketing consultant, who gained more than 30 years of international sales & marketing experience, while based in 9 different countries on 3 different continents. Spalburg occupied various sales & marketing positions, based at Headquarters, Regional and Local level, for international hospitality and travel companies, including the Air France Group, Golden Tulip Hotels, Hilton International, ITT Sheraton, Renaissance Cruises, Steigenberger Reservations Centre, South Seas Resorts and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, as well as many
other independent properties. He also served the public sector, working for a number of National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) and the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) as Director of Marketing Europe for almost seven years, before starting to work as an independent marketing
consultant in 2003.
He subsequently worked on strategic marketing plans for a variety of global destinations (including Abu Dhabi, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Mozambique, Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic), Singapore, and Suriname), while employed by Howarth International France, Tourism Intelligence International (Germany), Emerging Markets Group (EMG) Ltd (UK), International Travel Communications (New Jersey, USA), Instituto de Qualidad (QI) (Spain) and the VIP Consulting group (FWI) respectively. Most recently he also worked as marketing consultant for the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) in Barbados.
After creating Media Partners International (MPI) in 2003 to promote European products and services in the Americas, in particular the Caribbean. He founded Caribbean Media Partners (CMP) in 2012 to enhance the distribution and promotion of Caribbean content, including news, audio-visual productions and any other content for both broadcast and print/new media. CMP is the only agency covering the greater Caribbean in all languages of the region (i.e. Créole, English, Español, Français, Nederlands, Papiamentu &; Português). Spalburg is also a founding member and secretary general of the Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in Europe
(CCCE) since 2019.
Spalburg was born in the Netherlands, where he graduated from the Hotel Management School Maastricht, and he holds an MBA in Hospitality Management from CORNELL/ESSEC (IMHI, France). He speaks 6 languages, including Dutch, English, French, German and Spanish, as well as Italian.
Aida Feriz
Xavier Blackman
Xavier is an exemplary executive with 38 years of diverse experience across the public and private sectors. His extensive career has spanned multiple countries, including the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and the Caribbean, in industries such as advisory services, banking, consultancy, energy, finance, telecoms, and utilities.
Xavier studied Economic Sciences at both the Universiteit van Amsterdam and the Open Universiteit, supplemented by advanced training in securities and commerce. His career commenced at Kas Bank N.V. where he excelled as a Relationship and Portfolio Manager for large national and international institutional investors.
As the Head of the Department of Finance and Economic Affairs and Acting Island Secretary of the island territory of Saba, he simultaneously served as policy advisor to the Commissioner of Constitutional Affairs. He further distinguished himself as State Secretary of Finance, representing Saba in the National Government of the Netherlands Antilles. He held memberships on the Supervisory Board of Directors of the Antillean Pension Fund (APNA) and Saba Bank Petroleum Resources NV.
Xavier served as Junior Minister of Finance for the Antillean Government from 2003-2004. During his tenure in the St. Martin Government, he served as Commissioner of Finance, HRM, and ICT, recognised today as the Minister of Finance, from 2009 to 2010. He also served as Economic Advisor to the Government of St. Eustatius and Interim Head of the Department of Finance, negotiating a significant US$500 million expansion of the NuStar Oil Terminal. In May 2012, he was appointed Chief Advisor to the Minister of Finance of Sint Maarten, the Honourable Roland Tuitt, contributing to major achievements including facilitating a US$32 million loan for the Princess Juliana International Airport.
As of May 2024, he serves as Personal Advisor to MP Honourable Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Member and Chairlady of the Parliament of St. Martin, in her role as Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport, and Telecommunication.
In the private sector, Xavier served as Associate Director of Advisory Services at KPMG Dutch Caribbean from 2007-2009 and was a board member of the Sint Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Since 2007, he has been the Managing Director of GILGEN Consulting B.V., providing consultancy services throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. He was also the Co-founder and Director of Dibrotech International Holding, Inc., a VOIP provider. He is fluent in English and possesses a modest command of French, German, and Papiamento.
Xavier held influential positions within the governments of the Netherlands Antilles and Sint Maarten/St. Martin, spearheading impactful projects that have contributed to the growth and development of these regions.
Jan Mischke
Dr. Jan Mischke is a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), McKinsey’s business and economics research arm, based in Zurich. Since 2010, he has led MGI’s research on productivity and prosperity. This includes topics ranging from regional and country competitiveness and growth, particularly in Europe, to infrastructure, construction, and real estate, to global wealth and balance sheet health. Jan is a frequent speaker on these topics as well as on broader global trends.
Prior to joining MGI, Jan worked as a consultant with McKinsey for 10 years, serving clients across many different industries and countries.
Yassir Zouaoui
Yassir is the Managing Partner of McKinsey’s Casablanca office, where he works with corporations, investors, and governments across North Africa, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa to drive large-scale transformations at both the organizational and national economic levels. He helps leaders design and implement strategies that reshape markets, unlock sustainable growth, and deliver lasting impact.
Before returning to Casablanca, the office where he first joined McKinsey in 2005, Yassir was based in the Middle East from 2017 through 2026. He has extensive experience supporting economic and sector transformations, leading initiatives that accelerate sector growth, and managing major investment programs to enhance competitiveness and create tangible social and economic outcomes.
Yassir also leads McKinsey’s global economic development work, helping public- and private-sector clients leverage data-driven insights and advanced decision models to shape strategy and policy.
He is fluent in English, French, and Arabic, with conversational proficiency in Italian and Spanish.
Henry Loewendahl
Henry is Founder and CEO of Lion Economics (formerly Wavteq) and a Senior Consultant to FT Locations. He one of the leading global experts on FDI and investment promotion and a serial innovator and entrepreneur with multiple successful exits to blue chip companies.
Henry was previously Product Director in the Financial Times, Managing Director of Investment Products in OCO Global, Manager of Inward Investment in IBM, and Senior Consultant in PwC.
Henry has 25+ years of FDI experience working with over 150 economic development organisations and multinationals in over 60 countries.
Henry has a PhD on FDI and is a pioneer in expanding our knowledge of FDI, competitiveness, and investment promotion. He is the inventor of fDi Markets, fDi Benchmark, AmplifyCRM, IncentivesFlow, fDi Institute, and InvestmentMap. He has over 100 publications and presentations on FDI and investment promotion.
Over 1,000 economic development organisations and multinationals have subscribed to products led by Henry and he has managed projects delivering over $20 billion of FDI.
Chris Knight
Chris Knight is Managing Director of FT Locations, the Financial Times’ specialist business unit for investment promotion and economic development data and digital solutions. FT Locations brings together fDi Intelligence, GIS Planning and Wavteq, and its products include fDi Markets, fDi Benchmark and ZoomProspector. Chris has spent nearly two decades in foreign direct investment, advising governments and investment promotion agencies worldwide on location benchmarking and on analysing FDI trends. He joined fDi Intelligence in 2006 and rose through sales and business development roles to Global Commercial Director. He was also Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Wavteq, an investment promotion technology firm acquired by the FT in 2023. He holds a degree in Economics and Finance from Queen’s University Belfast.
Jacopo Dettoni
Jacopo Dettoni is the editor of fDi Intelligence, a specialist publication at the Financial Times focusing on foreign investment and economic development. He spearheads the title’s editorial vision and strategic growth. A seasoned journalist, Jacopo has reported on some of the world`s most dynamic economies and transformative industries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America for international and local media. He is a regular speaker and moderator at forums on international trade and investment and holds a master’s degree in Economics and Finance from the Catholic University of Milan.
Laurent Zylberberg
Laurent Zylberberg has a sociology and public law background. He holds a PhD (1992) in sociology and political science about the history of urbanism in Paris’ region. Political adviser for various Ministers (Home office, Defence, Prime Minister’s office, social affairs) from 1989 to 1993, in the meantime, he taught at the Sorbonne University in political science and public law. He was then Social Affairs Counsellor at the French Embassy in London until 1996 when he moved to Brussels to head the European’s office of the lobbying company “Euroconsultants”. Back to Paris in 1998, he joined France Telecom Group being marketing director for public services, then director for parliamentary affairs. He moved as Employee Relations Directors in 2005, first at international level then for the whole Orange Group. In 2011, he is appointed as General Manager for Orange Vietnam. He came back in France in 2013 when he became Group Chief Compliance Officer.
Since October 2014, he is Senior Executive Vice-President in charge of Public, International and European Affairs of Caisse des Depots Group and since 2016, Chairman of the European Long-Term Investors Association (ELTI). L. Zylberberg sits, on behalf of Caisse Des Depots, at the governance bodies of several international infrastructure Funds : Marguerite I, Marguerite II, Inframed, STOA.
Claudia Pellerano
Chairperson of the Board, Las Americas Free Zone Park, President, Free Trade Zone Association of the Americas (AZFA) President, International Logistics Solutions, Vice-President, Dominican Free Trade Zone Association (ADOZONA), Member of the Board of Directors, National Council of Export Free Zones of the Dominican Republic Member of the Board of Directors, World Free Zone Association (WFZO)
Dr. Caroline King
Caroline King joined SAP in 1999 to do Executive Communications for Hasso Plattner. She initiated and developed the first Global Public Affairs program, which later became Government Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility. Today Caroline manages the Global Business Development team within Government Relations globally. This team explores new business opportunities for SAP and addresses market access issues.
From 2005-2007 Caroline was on leave from SAP and established and ran the German office of the World Childhood Foundation founded by Queen Silvia of Sweden.
Caroline has a Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University in Washington DC, USA, but as a Canadian she did her undergraduate and Master’s at McGill and McMaster respectively. She has an extensive international network of influencers in politics, public affairs, CSR and social development. and sits on the Boards of several organizations in Berlin and the US. Caroline has taught courses on foreign policy, data science and CSR at universities in Germany and in Asia and runs her own communications consultancy in Berlin.
Patrick Wermelinger
Patrick Wermelinger served as the Chief Investment Promotion Officer at Switzerland Global Enterprise, where he is a member of the Executive Committee. In addition to his leadership role, he is actively engaged as the Vice-President of the Steering Committee for the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) and as a member of the Steering Committee for digitalswitzerland. With a rich background in business development, location promotion, and public relations, he continues to play a pivotal role in advancing global investment strategies and fostering innovation. Fluent in multiple languages, Patrick brings a global perspective to his endeavors.
Zehra Fattah
Zehra Fattah is the CEO of Kent Consulting & Events, a UAE-based boutique consultancy specialising in international trade and investment. With 15 years of experience delivering Trade and FDI projects across the Middle East and global markets, she leads initiatives that connect investors, businesses, and economic development organisations. As the founder of the region’s first female-owned and managed economic development consultancy, Zehra brings a unique perspective to the sector. She has contributed to leading international forums, including as a Panelist at WAIPA’s 28th World Investment Conference in Riyadh on “Informative Advertising is Persuasive: The Art of Investor Engagement.”
Delphine Di Pizio-Tiger
Delphine Di Pizio-Tiger started her career in 1996 as a derivatives sales trader at Indosuez Carr Futures. In 1998, she joined the Crédit Agricole group, first with Crédit Lyonnais Asset Management and later, in 2004, with Crédit Agricole Asset Management.
Between 2008 and 2016, she held several strategic roles at Amundi, including Head of Employee Savings and Retirement Portfolio Management and Head of Impact Investing. In 2019, she was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Indosuez Gestion, followed by her appointment as Global Head of Asset Management in 2022. Since July 2025, she has combined her CEO duties with the role of Deputy Global Head of Investment Management.
Erika Magder
Erika Magder is Executive Vice President of Global Sales at ResearchFDI, where she oversees international portfolios in business intelligence, lead generation, training, and data services. With more than 20 years of experience in economic and business development, she has led investment promotion initiatives across North America, designed and delivered foreign direct investment (FDI) training globally, and advised organisations including Invest Canada, the Botswana Investment and Trade Centre, and the Bermuda Business Development Agency. Fluent in English and French, Ms. Magder brings expertise in strategic planning, market intelligence, and SaaS solutions.
Thomas Walenta
Thomas is Head of Global Strategies and Climate, Fund Investments at responsAbility Investments AG, a leading impact asset manager specializing in private market investments. At responsAbility, Thomas is co-heading a team that originates, structures, negotiates, executes and manages innovative, developmental and profitable private equity fund investments across emerging market and developing economies with the intention to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return. This includes the portfolio management of the Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets (SIFEM), the development finance institution of the Swiss Confederation.
Tiago Devesa
Tiago is a Senior Fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), the business and economics research arm of McKinsey.
His research focuses on the intersection of geopolitics with global flows of trade and capital, and how they collectively influence our energy system.
Tiago is a frequent speaker on these topics at leading global conferences and industry events. His work is widely cited in the media, and he contributes articles and opinion pieces to major outlets including The Financial Times, Foreign Policy, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Harvard Business Review.
Before joining MGI, Tiago spent over a decade as a McKinsey consultant, advising companies and governments across three continents. During his career he has been based in the Lisbon, Luanda, and Sydney offices.
Anna Kortis
Anna advises companies and investors on advanced and regulated industries. With a focus on strategy and corporate finance, Anna works on growth, capital allocation, and innovation in the context of economic megatrends. She is passionate about tackling complex challenges at the intersection of public and private sectors, helping clients navigate complex external environments and unlock new opportunities.
Anna has worked with organizations across the automotive, machinery, technology, energy, water, and materials sectors, as well as with private investors active in these areas. Her work spans the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea, and South Africa, reflecting her global perspective and expertise. Anna helped launch the McKinsey Platform for Climate Technologies and contributes to McKinsey’s collaboration with the World Economic Forum, particularly on initiatives related to European growth and competitiveness.
Anna has a background in macroeconomics and is dedicated to ensuring that her clients’ technological innovations ultimately drive inclusive and sustainable growth. Fluent in English, German, French, and Spanish, she brings a global mindset to every project, striving to make a positive global impact.
Jeongmin Seong
Jeongmin Seong is a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), McKinsey & Company’s business and economics research arm. His research focuses on global connections, including trade reconfiguration, shifting capital flows, and their impact on economies and firms. Jeongmin’s work also includes technology, innovation, and economic transitions in Asian economies, where he is based. He is a frequent speaker on these topics at leading global conferences and industry events, and he regularly convenes executives in roundtable formats. His work is widely cited in the media, and he contributes articles and op-eds to major outlets.
Prior to joining MGI, Jeongmin worked with companies around the world focusing on consumer facing industries including consumer electronics, retail, and automotive as an associate partner at McKinsey’s Greater China office. Jeongmin also led McKinsey’s emerging market growth service line.
Prior to joining McKinsey, Jeongmin worked as a product marketing manager at Dell China. Jeongmin is a graduate of Harvard Business School where he received his MBA degree.
Nienke Beuwer
Academia Leaders & Senior Experts
Creon Butler
Creon Butler leads the Global Economy and Finance Programme at Chatham House. He joined the institute in 2019, since when he has written and published on a wide range of global economic policy issues, including the interaction between macroeconomic policy and climate change, sovereign debt distress, the challenge of funding global health priorities, and the long-term implications for the international economic system of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Before joining Chatham House, Creon served in the UK Cabinet Office as director for international economic affairs in the National Security Secretariat and G7/G20 ‘sous sherpa’, advising the UK Prime Minister on global economic policy issues.
Creon first joined the Cabinet Office in 2013 as director in the European and Global Issues Secretariat and designed the UK’s global Anti-Corruption Summit in May 2016.
He was also the British deputy high commissioner in New Delhi from 2006 to 2009 and has served in senior positions in HM Treasury and the Bank of England.
Jagjit Singh Srai
Internationally, Professor Srai is Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum Council on the Future of Advanced Manufacturing and Production, and inputs to UNCTAD’s annual industrial development reports, most recently on Investment in the Digital Economy. He also leads IfM’s Digital Supply Chain Industrial Consortium (2015- ) involving leading multinationals collaborating on digital supply chain transformation. In IfM, Jag leads the Healthcare Research Theme and across Cambridge he co-chairs the Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Global Food Security.
From an industrial perspective, before joining Cambridge, Jag had an extensive career managing complex supply chains for the FTSE 100 Company, Unilever. Here he held major leadership roles within Research Operations (budget £200m), as a Supply Chain Director of Multinational Regional business, Technical Director of a National Business, and other Executive Management positions, with over 17 years of front-line operations management experience. At Cambridge, he has demonstrated excellence in pathways to impact and is a Director of IfM’s knowledge exchange company (IfM Engage) with responsibility for its strategic direction and operational governance. As part of his leadership role in IfM Engage, Jag leads a Digital Supply Chain Consortium of globally leading industrial companies, on the role of advanced manufacturing and digital technologies on their digital transformation – participating firms include Caterpillar, IKEA, Schneider Electric, and Unilever. Healthcare firms that have directly benefitted from supply chain design assessments in 2020-2021 through consultancy projects include Pharmaceuticals (GSK and Abbott) and Medical Devices (Baxter, BD and Smith & Nephew).
Prof. Lisa Sachs
Lisa Sachs is the Director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI). She is a globally recognized expert and leading voice on climate finance, sustainable investment, and natural resource governance, and a leading voice on how laws, policies, and financial architecture shape global investment flows in support of development and climate objectives. She is also an Associate Professor and Director of the M.S. in Climate Finance program at Columbia Climate School.
Since joining CCSI in 2008, she has built the Center into a leading hub for research, analysis, thought leadership, and policy engagement. Her work spans climate finance and reform of the international financial architecture, energy transition financing, sustainable industrial policy, corporate climate action, and the governance of critical minerals and extractive industries. She advises governments around the world along with multilateral development banks, UN agencies, and intergovernmental organizations, and works closely with companies, investors, and civil society to translate research into practical policy and investment reforms.
She received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Harvard University, a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School, where she was a James Kent Scholar and recipient of the Parker School Certificate in International and Comparative Law.
Prof. Amir Lebdioui
Dr Amir Lebdioui is a development economist, whose research has focused on the economic diversification of resource-dependent nations, green industrial policy and low carbon innovation, commodity value addition and biodiversity-based development models.
His work has been published in top tier academic journals including World Development, Ecological Economics, Development and Change, the Journal of Technology Transfer, and the Review of International Political Economy.
Amir also regularly advises governments and international institutions on green industrial policy strategies. He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge. He is an Algerian national.
Philipp Lemmerz
Philipp Lemmerz is a Senior Managing Director, based in Dubai. He brings extensive experience and deep expertise in working on the interface between public and private sectors, focusing on economic policy, private sector development, development finance, ecosystem building, trade, investment, small and medium-sized enterprises, innovation, incentive design, and monitoring and evaluation.
Sarianna Lundan
Sarianna Lundan is Professor of International Business at Aalto University School of Business in Finland. Before coming to Aalto she held the Chair in International Management and Governance at the University of Bremen in Germany. She received her PhD from Rutgers University (US), and has held prior appointments at the University of Reading (UK) and at Maastricht University (The Netherlands).
Her research focuses on the impact of multinational enterprises on the home and host countries and the co-evolution of firms and institutions. Her recent work has examined the links between regional policy and geopolitics, digital infrastructure investment in rural areas, and investment to facilitate the energy transition. She has published widely in journals and books, and has co-authored with John H. Dunning the second edition of Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy, which continues to be an influential reference work in the field of International Business. She is the inaugural Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of International Business Policy (JIBP) and member of several other editorial boards.
She has participated extensively in the work of UNCTAD and served briefly as a Senior Economic Officer there. She has also worked on diverse policy-related projects for the World Bank, OECD and European Commission.
She is a Fellow of the Academy of International Business (AIB) and the European International Business Academy (EIBA) and recently served as the Dean of the EIBA Fellows. She was President of EIBA in 2013 and she serves currently as President of AIB.
Danielle Myles
Danielle is an editor at fDi Intelligence, a specialist publication within the Financial Times, and curates the weekly op-ed newsletter fDi Unscripted. She has written extensively on the policies and reforms reshaping global investment, and has a particular interest in economic development, sustainability and urban regeneration. Previously she was investment banking editor at The Banker and worked as a corporate lawyer.
She is now based in Milan, Italy, after working for a decade in London and New York.
Investment Promotion Agencies
Mohamed Yousef Mulla Yaqoub
Mohamed Yousef Mulla Yaqoub is President of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) for the 2025–2027 term and Assistant Director General for Business Development Affairs at the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA). He was elected WAIPA President in October 2025 at the association’s General Assembly in Sharjah, when KDIPA took over the presidency. He has served on WAIPA’s Steering Committee since 2021: first as Executive Director for the Middle East and North Africa (2021–2023), then as Vice President (2023–2025). At KDIPA, he leads business development and investor attraction, with a focus on bringing international companies in technology, data centres and artificial intelligence to Kuwait in support of the country’s digital transformation. He regularly represents Kuwait at international investment forums.
Vladimir Pimentel Florenzán
Vladimir Pimentel Florenzán is Interim Executive Director of ProDominicana, the Export and Investment Centre of the Dominican Republic, and represents the agency as Vice President of WAIPA. An economist, he took up the post in late July 2026, after serving as Deputy Director General of ProDominicana since 2023. He has spent a decade at the agency. He joined in 2016 at the Dominican Institute of Innovation, then served as Director of Intelligence and Director of Business, advised the Executive Director, and from 2021 to 2023 headed the Market Intelligence Department. In those roles he coordinated the National Export Promotion Plan and worked to strengthen the internationalisation of Dominican companies through strategic market intelligence.
Tae Hyung Kim
Dr. Kim Tae Hyung earned his B.A. in Economics from Korea University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Washington. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Programs at Seoul National University and Harvard Business School. With a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of international investment, global value chain, and international taxation, Dr. Kim is well-equipped to lead Invest KOREA into a new era of growth and success.
Omar Rekkache
Omar Rekkache est Directeur Général de l’Agence Algérienne de Promotion de l’Investissement (AAPI), nommé par décret présidentiel. Docteur en sciences de la statistique et de l’économie appliquée, il a exercé diverses hautes fonctions au sein du Premier ministère, du Ministère des Finances et du Ministère de la Prospective et des Statistiques. Son parcours illustre une expertise reconnue en planification, en analyse économique et en coordination institutionnelle, au service du développement et de la promotion des investissements en Algérie.
Yusif Abdullayev
Yusif Ikram oglu Abdullayev was born on 5 June 1983 in the city of Aghdam.
From 2004 to 2007, he worked in sales, insurance and logistics. From 2007 to 2015, he was Director of the Export Department at Azersun Holding. From December 2015 to 1 June 2018, he served as Vice President of AZPROMO, and from 1 June 2018, as its President.
As part of the reorganisation of AZPROMO, he has been serving as the Agency’s Executive Director since 8 October 2021.
Lal Dino
Josielle Rafidy
Josielle Rafidy is Director General of the Economic Development Board of Madagascar (EDBM), the national investment promotion agency attached to the Presidency of the Republic. She was appointed in September 2022. Her return to EDBM came after a career across government and the private sector. She headed EDBM’s Tolagnaro office in the late 2000s and later served as Executive Director of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Madagascar. She was also Secretary General of the Ministry of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Chief of Staff (Directrice de Cabinet) at the Ministry of Industry and Private Sector Development. Under her leadership, EDBM marked its 20th anniversary in 2026, with 24,000 companies created through its one-stop shop and business registration cut to 48 hours.
Marinos Giannopoulos
Marinos Giannopoulos, CEO of Enterprise Greece, is an accomplished finance and academic expert with a Doctorate in Strategic Management. He studied economics at the University of Liverpool, earned a master’s in international business economics from City University London, and completed a PhD at Brunel University London. His dissertation explored the impact of asset divestitures on acquisition performance in Greece.
Mr. Giannopoulos has over a decade of experience in the banking sector in Greece and the UK, focusing on credit risk management in investment banking and portfolio consolidation across emerging Europe. He played a key role in supporting Greece’s National Recovery and Resilience Fund – Greece 2.0, collaborating with European and Greek government bodies.
From 2013 to 2019, he advised New Democracy’s Secretariat for International Relations & EU. He has published extensively in international journals and taught at Brunel University and the Hellenic Open University, specializing in Strategic Management and Business Economics.
Simon Madjie
Simon Madjie is the current Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority. He is a lawyer and an investment promotion and facilitation professional with over a decade’s experience in initiating, leading, and strengthening investment and trade partnerships. He is a member of the Institute of International Affairs, Ghana, and the Ghana Bar Association. He holds a Master of Laws in International Trade Law from the University of Turin in Italy, a Qualifying Certificate (QLC) from the Ghana School of Law (Accra), and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the Ghana Institute of Management & Public Administration (GIMPA).
Marios Tannousis
Marios Tannousis is the CEO of Invest Cyprus. He has over 24 years of international corporate experience, including 12 in the international banking and financial services group Societe Generale, where he served in various key posts. He is a Member of the Boards of the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) and the Cyprus Investment Funds Association (CIFA) and a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI). He holds a degree in Economics and an MBA. He regularly represents Cyprus at international conferences.
Mary Buckley
Mary served as Interim CEO from October 2022 to April 2023 inclusive and then reverted to her role as Executive Director which she held since 2015. Prior to that, she was Divisional Manager covering regional development, property and corporate operations overseeing the implementation of the IDA’s regional development and property strategies. In this role she was also Head of HR & OD and oversaw the finance and corporate governance functions for the organisation. From 2006 to 2010 inclusive, Mary was Director of the IDA’s North American operations, leading the team in winning investments across all business sectors. Prior to her relocation to New York, Mary was Director, South Region based in Cork. A key priority for Mary is the successful execution of IDA Ireland’s strategy “Driving Recovery and Sustainable Growth 2021-2024’
Ludmilla Raconnat Le Goff
She holds a degree in Economics and International Affairs from KEDGE Business School and has developed solid expertise at the intersection of public policy, territorial development and international competitivity. Her career within the Princely Government of Monaco has led her to hold senior strategic leadership positions, notably as General Manager of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.
In this role, she led major structural reforms, contributed to the management of the Covid-19 health crisis and supported the modernization of public policies, both from an organizational and social perspective. These responsibilities enabled her to develop a comprehensive approach combining institutional rigor, strategic foresight and operational effectiveness.
Her professional background also includes experience in international economic promotion, providing her with a transversal understanding of economic, social and institutional dynamics, as well as a nuanced grasp of the expectations of both public and private stakeholders.
In her current role, she works to position Monaco as a model of responsible competitivity, built on stability, institutional excellence and innovation, in support of a controlled and sustainable international influence. She notably oversees the organization of the Monaco Day in Davos, defining its strategic agenda and convening economic decision-makers, investors and international leaders around targeted exchanges designed as genuine levers for positioning and influence.
Through this flagship event, she seeks to affirm Monaco’s distinctiveness as a credible, sustainable and high value-added economic centre on the international stage.
Ella Woger-Nieves
Ella Woger-Nieves is the Chief Executive Officer of Invest Puerto Rico, a nonprofit tasked with attracting new businesses and capital investment to the Island. A Puerto Rico native and University of Pennsylvania graduate, Ella brings over 25 years of experience in strategic marketing and management consulting, having worked with Fortune 500 companies across life sciences and financial services. Her career spans roles at Ernst & Young, Johnson & Johnson, Vision-to-Action, and The Collage Group in Washington, D.C. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the International Economic Development Council and on the Advisory Board of Bioleap, PR’s first bioscience incubator.
Jihyung Lee
Jihyung Lee is the founding President and CEO of Invest Seoul, the Seoul Investment Promotion Agency. Launched in October 2025, it is the first dedicated investment promotion agency set up by a local government in Korea, and its mission is to make Seoul Asia’s leading global investment hub. He brings 34 years of experience at KOTRA, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, most recently as Executive Vice President for international trade and economic cooperation (2023–2025). Before that, as Director General of Invest KOREA, he led Korea’s national FDI attraction policy and organised Invest Korea Week. His overseas postings include Head of KOTRA’s North America regional office in New York, overseeing ten offices across the US and Canada; Managing Director of KOTRA Silicon Valley; and Director of KOTRA Helsinki, covering Finland and the Baltic states. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Korea University and a master’s in technology management from Stony Brook University.
Majed Mneimneh
He holds a Ph.D. in International Business from John F. Kennedy University in addition to an MBA (Finance) from the Lebanese American University (LAU), Executive MBA from Golden Gate University, and a B.S. in Finance and International Business from California State University-Sacramento. Mneimneh has also earned several certificates in different business fields from other international universities and institutions.
IDAL, which was established in 1994, is the national investment promotion agency tasked with promoting Lebanon as an investment destination and in attracting and facilitating investments.
Daniel Córdova
Daniel Cordova is Director of the Investments Promotion Division at PROMPERU. Previously, he worked as Vice-President of Research at Credicorp Capital; Chief Investment Officer and Head of Research at Advanced Capital Asset Management Peru SAF; Head of Financial Planning and Investor Relations at BBVA Peru; and International Finance Manager at Itau Unibanco, based in Sao Paulo and New York. He has an MBA with concentrations in Analytical Finance and Strategy from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Universidad del Pacifico, and is a candidate to the CFA Level III Exam.
Mohamed Al Musharrkh
Mohamed Al Musharrakh is the Chief Executive Officer of Sharjah FDI Office, a government entity established by the Government of Sharjah to attract and facilitate foreign direct investment into the Emirate.
Prior to joining Sharjah FDI Office, H.E. Al Musharrakh held several senior positions in the Government of Sharjah, including Director of the Department of Economic Development, Director of the Department of Investment and Development, and Director of the Department of Economic Zones.
H.E. Al Musharrakh has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Sharjah and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wollongong in Dubai. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
H.E. Al Musharrakh is a member of the Sharjah Executive Council and the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority. He is also a board member of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Sharjah Economic Development Department, and the Sharjah Free Zone Authority.
Marko Kubatlija
Marko Kubatlija is Director of the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FIPA), the state agency responsible for attracting and supporting foreign direct investment. He was appointed Acting Director by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina in December 2023 and confirmed for a four-year term in June 2024. An economist by training, he previously served as Director of the Regional Tax Administration of Republika Srpska in East Sarajevo, Deputy Director of the Republic Civil Protection Administration of Republika Srpska, and Adviser to the Minister for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Ricardo Neves
Ricardo Neves is Head of Division at InvestPorto, the investment promotion agency of the City of Porto, where he has worked since 2022. He leads work to attract foreign direct investment to Porto, supporting international companies, from start-ups to multinationals, with data-driven market research and introductions to the local ecosystem. He has also coordinated InvestPorto’s presence at major events such as Web Summit. He was promoted to Head of Division in 2025 after three years as Project Manager, during which he also led the InvestPorto B2B Marketplace. Before joining InvestPorto he worked in B2B marketing and partner support for Meta and Microsoft accounts at Teleperformance in Lisbon. He holds a master’s and a bachelor’s in International Relations and Political Science from NOVA University Lisbon.
Mahmood Tufail
Mr. Mahmood Tufail, has been serving as Director General, Policy Reforms since 2019 at the Board of Investment, Pakistan. During this period, he has also served in areas of Investment Policy, Investment Facilitation and Investment Promotion Wings of Board of Investment. He has experience of serving various Federal Ministries. He is a well qualified with degrees and certificates from national and foreign institutes.
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