Dr. James X. Zhan
Chairman of World Investment Conference, and WIC Executive Board, WAIPA
Dr. James Zhan is Chairman of the World Investment Conference, and Chairman of the WIC Executive Board, WAIPA (Geneva). Concurrently, he serves as Chief Advisor to the Chairman of the World Free Zones Organization. He is also a senior Fellow associated with the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), and a member of the fDi Editorial Advisory Board of the Financial Times.
Dr. Zhan also holds advisory positions at centres of leading academic institutions, including Oxford University, Columbia University and Fribourg University. Previously, he served as academic advisor to centres at Cambridge University, Cornell University and Geneva University. He was a research fellow at Oxford University.
Dr. Zhan was the Co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, a global partnership with all major stock exchanges as members. He is also a founding co-Chair of the Global Alliance of Special Economic Zones (GASEZ), representing special zones and parks worldwide.
During 2008-2023, Dr. Zhan served for 15 years as Senior Director of Investment and Enterprise at the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD), as well as Chief Editor of the UN World Investment Report. From 2023 to 2024, he was also the Chief Advisor to the Secretary-General of UNCTAD.
Dr. James X. Zhan
During his tenure at the United Nations, Dr. Zhan provided strategic policy advice to heads of state, ministers, and parliaments across 130 countries. He advised and facilitated cabinet strategic meetings of a number of governments. At international level, he facilitated consensus-building processes of many global summits and ministerial conferences, including the G20, BRICS, ACP, APEC, and ASEAN. For example, he drafted and facilitated the negotiations of the G20 Guiding Principles for Global Investment Policymaking in 2016.
He led the formulation of the UNCTAD Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development (IPFSD), a new generation of investment policies used in over 150 countries and major regional groupings. He also spearheaded the UN efforts to reform the international investment system, including the Reform Package for the International Investment Regime. Additionally, he founded the World Investment Forum in 2008, leading it to become a premier global platform for investment stakeholders.
Dr. Zhan was the Founding Chair of the World Investment for Development Alliance, a coordination mechanism for major international organizations dealing with investment issues – including the World Bank, World Economic Forum, UNCTAD, OECD, UNIDO, etc. He also co-chaired the Executive Board of the UN Family Business for Sustainable Development Initiative, in collaboration with the Family Business Network International.
His extensive contributions in advisory roles include serving as Chief Strategic Advisor to the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies, and as a member of the Advisory Council of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). He was also a member of the Global Agenda Councils on Advanced Manufacturing (2012-2013) and for Trade & Investment (2014-2018) at the World Economic Forum.
Dr. Zhan has published over 100 journal articles and book chapters on investment, trade, technology, sustainable finance, and industrial strategies. He also led the preparation of more than 300 publications and reports for the United Nations (with acknowledgements). His expertise is frequently featured in leading global business and economic media, including The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Financial Times.
Board Members
İsmail Erşahin
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.
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.
Sean Doherty
Sean Doherty is the head of International Trade & Investment and a member of the executive committee at the World Economic Forum. The Forum’s trade and investment activities are structured in three pillars around geopolitics and governance; facilitation and innovation; and environmental and social outcomes. In this role, Sean steers a leadership platform of ministers, chief executives and heads of international organizations, to advance global public-private cooperation through a portfolio of policy initiatives and practical implementation, across issues including industrial policy, tradetech, international services and more. Among other responsibilities, he was the founding director of the global alliance for trade facilitation, co-author of the E15 Initiative and chair of the world investment for development alliance.
Earlier, Sean headed several industrial communities at the World Economic Forum, including the chemicals, mining, metals and transport ceo groups. In these roles, he advanced multiple initiatives across supply chain risk, decarbonization and humanitarian response. He worked previously in the express logistics sector and as both a strategy consultant and business analyst. He holds master’s degrees in international economic law, business administration, molecular biology and aeronautical engineering.
Nandini Sukumar
Dr. Caroline King
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.
Rie Vej 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.
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.
Escipión J. Oliveira-Gomez
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.
Patrik 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.