Speakers

Dr. Eric Adja is the President of the Francophone Agency for Artificial Intelligence (AFRIA, afria.global), an international foundation, with the mission of supporting French-speaking countries, particularly African ones, in the promotion of digital technologies and artificial intelligence for business creation and sustainable development. 

Previously, Dr. Adja has held several top management positions in national and multilateral organizations. 

He worked as IT Director and Director of the Regional Office for West Africa of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF). 

He has also served as Advisor to the President of the Republic of Benin and Assistant Professor at the University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin. 

Dr. Adja holds a PhD in Linguistics and Computer Science from the University of Paris 7 and a Master’s degree in International Economics and Globalisation from the Pierre Mendès France University  in Grenoble. 

Diana Akikol is a partner at Swiss national law firm Walder Wyss and the head of the firm’s international arbitration practice in Geneva. She represents clients in complex international arbitrations and regularly sits as arbitrator. Her practice has a particular focus on sales of goods, commodities and energy trading, mergers & acquisitions, shareholder agreements, joint ventures, agency, licence and distribution agreements, as well as services and consultancy agreements. Diana has also many years of experience in construction arbitration and with claims relating to large infrastructure projects. Diana serves as ICC Court Member for Switzerland and is a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR.

Marco M. Alemán, studied law at the Javeriana University (J.D., 1991) where he also obtained a Corporate Law Certificate (L.L.M., 1996). He then obtained a Diploma in Advanced Studies (DEA) in Research at the Alcala University (Spain, 2006), and a Ph.D. in Law (2011, Cum Laude).

Mr. Alemán practiced as an IP Attorney from 1991 to 1995. He was then appointed Head of the Colombian Industrial Property Office, from 1995 to 1998, and was invited as a Fellow Visiting Researcher at the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany in 1998.  He joined WIPO in 1999 as Senior Program Officer, Office of Cooperation for Development for Latin America and the Caribbean (from 1999 to 2006).  He was then appointed Deputy Director in the Division for Public Policy and Development (from 2006 to 2009), Deputy Director of the Patent Law Division (from 2009 to 2013), and went on to be Director of the Patent Law Division (2013 – 2020). He currently holds the position of Assistant Director General, leading the IP and Innovation Ecosystems Sector (IES).

On 13 April 2017, the Secretary-General appointed Ms Olga Algayerova of Slovakia as the next Executive Secretary of the UNECE. She took office on 1 June 2017. 

Ms. Algayerova brings to the position a combination of leadership and diplomatic skills with deep knowledge of the region with its challenges and opportunities and a strong focus on building and nurturing partnerships among key stakeholders with the United Nations. Prior to her appointment, she served as Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the International Organizations in Vienna, Austria (since 2012). She was previously President, Slovak Millennium Development Goals (2010-2012); State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2006-2010) and Corporate Export Manager, Zentiva International, a.s. (2004-2006). 

Born in 1959, Ms. Algayerova holds a Master in Contemporary Diplomacy from Malta University, a Master in Business Administration from The Open University Business School, United Kingdom and a Dipl. in Engineer of Economy from the University of Economics Business Faculty, Bratislava. 

Jean Pierre Antelo is a seasoned business leader and trade facilitation advocate. Throughout his career, he has served on the boards of numerous organizations and has a demonstrated history of working in the Logistics, Insurance and trade industry. 

Antelo holds a Bachelor of Science with Cum Laude in Business administration and a minor in entrepreneurship from University of Florida and a Master in International Business from the University of Barcelona. Registered Incoterms®2020 trainer, currently pursuing the Harvard Public Leadership Credential at Kennedy School. 

Mr. Antelo is the current President of Cainco Chamber of Commerce in Bolivia and President of FEXPOCRUZ, the largest trade show and event venue in the country. 

Dominic is Chief Executive of Open for Business (OFB), a coalition of global organisations dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion. Open for Business has programmes in Kenya, The Caribbean and Poland and is launching in SE Asia later this year. 

Previous to working for Open for Business Dominic was Chief Executive of Just Like Us, the LGBT+ young people’s charity, which grew to work with more than half of all secondary schools in the UK and also Head of Projects and Programmes for Stonewall, leading their international programmes team, delivering several international programmes supporting human rights defenders in Russia and Eastern Europe; the Western Balkans and Turkey. 

Dominic also worked as Head of Programme Management for Mind, delivering the £25 million Time to Change campaign designed to challenge stigma around mental health conditions.

Serra Ayral is Counsellor in the Trade and Environment Division of the WTO. Her current work focuses on the relationship between standards, regulations, and trade. She advises WTO member governments with respect to their engagement in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee. She is currently spearheading several initiatives focusing on transparency, including the ePing platform, which serves and connects public and private sector stakeholders in navigating the evolving regulatory landscape. Her earlier assignments in the WTO have focused on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, regional trade agreements and capacity building. Prior to joining the WTO, she worked at the World Bank, UNCTAD and the World Economic Forum. She also spent three years in Botswana, supporting various SPS/TBT capacity building projects in the Africa region. Originally from Turkey, Serra has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Mount Holyoke College and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University (SAIS).

Mette Azzam holds a position as Lead Origin Expert in the EU-WCO Rules of Origin for Africa Programme, which is an initiative funded by the European Union and implemented by the World Customs Organization to support the African continent to improve its capacity to deal with Rules of Origin and ultimately to support the harmonised and coordinated implementation and application of the Rules of Origin under Annex 2 of the AfCFTA in compliance with other international commitments and best practices.

She has worked as Head of the Origin Sub-Directorate at the WCO for 10 years, as responsible for technical assistance to WCO Members in the area of Origin as well as for the technical part of the WTO negotiations in the Harmonization of Non-Preferential Rules of Origin within the Technical Committee on Rules of Origin (TCRO) under the auspices of the WCO. She was the WCO liaison officer in the meetings of the WTO Committee on Rules of Origin (CRO) in Geneva.

Mette graduated from the Danish Customs and Tax College in 2000 and has been working in the Danish Customs Administration until February 2008 where she was posted in Brussels as Danish Customs Attaché. From December 2005 to January 2008 she was responsible for origin matters at the Customs Headquarter in Copenhagen, Denmark.

David Bach is Professor of Strategy and Political Economy and Dean of Innovation and Programs. He is a political economy expert with a proven track record of creating impactful learning journeys in a dual role as both Professor and Dean.

Through his award-winning teaching and writing, Bach helps managers and senior executives develop a strategic lens for the nexus of business and politics. This enables them to more effectively navigate the myriad political challenges facing business, from corporate diplomacy and resurgent economic nationalism to stakeholder demands for greater sustainability and shaping policies for a post-COVID-19 world. His course The End of Globalization? – designed in the aftermath of the Brexit vote and the rise of populist leaders across Western democracies – received the 2018 Ideas Worth Teaching Award from the Aspen Institute.

Dean of Innovation and Programs at IMD, he has led efforts to enhance the school’s global reach and impact through both programmatic and pedagogical innovation.

Bach is one of the main architects of the Global Network for Advanced Management, an alliance of 32 top global business schools from five continents, of which IMD has been a member since 2012. In his previous position at Yale School of Management, where he served as Deputy Dean, he led the successful expansion of the school’s degree program portfolio and the creation of Yale Center Beijing, which he oversaw until joining IMD.

What drew him to IMD was the institution’s outstanding faculty, its innovative, global character, and a relentless focus on real impact.

Bach completed his undergraduate studies at Yale and earned a PhD in political science from the University of California at Berkeley.

Born in Geneva in 1988 in a large family, Delphine Bachmann obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing in 2011. She worked both at the Geneva University Hospitals and in oncology at Clinique des Grangettes, as well as a lecturer at the Higher School of Health Sciences. In 2016, she obtained an Executive MBA with a specialisation in Risk Management. She became Administrative Director of Clinique des Grangettes’ Breast Centre in 2018. After the Clinique became part of Hirslanden Group in 2020, she became a member of the Geneva campus’ General Management and Head of several departments. Meanwhile, she was elected member of Geneva’s Great Council from 2017 to 2023 and sat on several boards of directors and boards of foundations, particularly in the healthcare sector. In 2023, she was elected State Councillor in charge of the Department of Economy and Labour.

Michael Barnett was Chief Executive of the Auckland Business Chamber for over 30 years and was recognised as the voice of business for Auckland and NZ. He was a champion for diversity across NZ, Chairing the agency set up by Government to promote the values of diversity and equal employment opportunity. He advocated for the best environment in which small and medium business could operate, worked closely with many economic development agencies throughout NZ and more recently has established a successful support framework for business and mental health and wellbeing. 

During his tenure as CEO of the Auckland Chamber, Michael grew the Chamber from a team of ten to over seventy and changed the Chambers model from one of a dependency on membership to a services provider. 

Michael was a director of the NZ Chambers of Commerce, chaired its Management Committee and served a term on the World Chambers Council. 

Michel Barnier is the former European Union Chief Negotiator, heading the Task Force; between 2016 and 2021, for the Preparation and Conduct of the Negotiations with the United Kingdom following the 2016 Brexit referendum.

He is married to Isabelle and a father of three children. He graduated from the ESCP European Business School in Paris.

Michel Barnier engaged at an early age in the Gaullist party in his native Savoie, in the French Alps and was elected at the age of 27 as Member of the French National Assembly, and then as President of the department. In that capacity he organised, together with the triple gold medalist Jean-Claude Killy, the XVI Olympic Winter Games in 1992 in Albertville.

Michel Barnier has served as minister in several governments in France, as Minister of Environment (1993-1995), for European affairs (1995-1997) and for Foreign affairs (2004-2005).

From 1999 to 2004, he was European Commissioner responsible for Regional policy and Institutional reform. In 2007, the newly elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy appointed him Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries.

In June 2009, Michel Barnier led the French campaign for the European elections and a few months later he was a second time appointed European Commissioner for Internal market and Services. It is in this capacity that he proposed and built the Banking Union.

Michel Barnier has also been a special advisor to Jean-Claude Juncker over security and defense matters.

Michel Barnier has published a dozen of books including, Each One for All, the Ecological Challenge (1990/Stock) , The Atlas of Major Risks ( Plon / 1992) – Who will the feed the World ( Acropole / 2007) – And more recently, My Brexit Secret Diary (Polity / 2021).

Dorothée Baumann-Pauly is a Professor at Geneva University’s School of Economics and Management. She directs the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights, the first human rights center at a business school in Europe. Since 2013, she is also the Research Director at the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights at New York University. In these roles, Dorothée works with companies to advance human rights in corporate practice. Her applied research is focused on embedding human rights in organizations and developing business models that enable profits and human rights principles to coexist. Dorothée also teaches Business and Human Rights and she co-edited the first textbook on Business and Human Rights (Routledge 2016). In 2016, she co-founded a business school network to integrate human rights in business education as well as the Business and Human Rights Young Researchers Summit for emerging scholars. Dorothée earned her PhD in Economics (summa cum laude) at the University of Zurich in 2010 while working for the Fair Labor Association, a multi-stakeholder initiative with the mission to improve labor rights in global supply chains.   

Vicken Bayramian is a lawyer specialising in international commodities trading law and Alternative Dispute Resolution.  He is the founder of Field Solutions, a firm specialised in this domain Vicken is also the co-founder with Alec Avedisyan (EPFL) of Cryptolex.  Cryptolex is one of Geneva’s pioneering DLT and Blockchain companies.

Cryptolex has conceptualized, developed and implemented a cross-Blockchain certification technology called Ntity, with concrete applications in the fields of secured e-voting, jewellery, luxury products and watchmaking with the first Swiss mechanical watch to be certified entirely on the Blockchain: the MasterBlock.

Vicken is an ambassador of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce.   

Dr Claude Béglé is a Swiss entrepreneur, currently fully engaged in the field of sustainability and environmental initiatives. Chairman of Swiss NeWater, a company whose purpose is to tackle two complementary SDGs: enhance public health / fight pandemics through hygiene, while at the same time protecting the environment. Swiss NeWater has developed a disruptive technology, i.e. a machine producing on the spot 18 eco-friendly cleaning and disinfection formulas.

He was a member of the Federal Parliament of Switzerland, particularly active in its Foreign Affairs Committee, with a focus on peace and humanitarian activities, as well as digitalization and cybersecurity.

Previously, he served as Chairman of the Board of the Swiss Post, a logistics and financial service entity with a revenue of 11 billion CHF, 10 % net profit and the country’s second largest employer.

He has been a member of DHL Express global board and CEO for Central Europe & Germany.

Prior to that, he has been Chairman and CEO of DPD, as well as Executive Vice President of GeoPost (French Post). He also served as Vice President Europe of TNT Express.

During the first half of his career, he held several marketing and managerial positions for Nestle and Philip Morris.

He started with the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Development Cooperation) and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

He holds a PhD in Economics, a Master in Law and a Master in International Relations.

He lived with his family in fifteen countries (in Europe, Americas, Asia, Africa and Middle East). Constantly striving to balance macro/political considerations and micro/business efficiency. Successfully managed more than a dozen M&A projects and their subsequent integration. Army officer.

Jerome Bellion-Jourdan joined the International Organisation of Employers as Deputy Secretary General in May 2023. He developed his expertise on global social, economic, and business issues as a diplomat for the European Union. For almost 9 years, he led negotiations on Business and Human Rights and other issues on behalf of the EU in the UN Human Rights Council and other fora. He also engaged in several multistakeholder initiatives, as a member of the Steering Committee of the Mega-Sporting Platform and of the Group of Friends of the Montreux Document Co-Chairs (Switzerland, ICRC) to improve the governance of the Private Military and Security Industry.
Prior to his work in Geneva, Jerome Bellion-Jourdan was posted with the European Commission in Cairo and Jerusalem where he was in charge of the Political Section. He also served as an Arabic-speaking detention delegate with the International Committee of the Red Cross and as a researcher on Middle East and North Africa at the International Secretariat of Amnesty International in London.
Jerome Bellion-Jourdan sits on the Board of Directors of Sciences Po Grenoble, on the Advisory Council of the Institute for Negotiation Innovation and is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Global Negotiation chaired by former HRVP Catherine Ashton.
He has published several blog posts and podcasts on negotiation and on Business and Human Rights, and an Op-Ed for SwissInfo on Ukraine when he was the Director of the Geneva Graduate Institute’s International Negotiation and Policy-Making Program. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Sciences Po. Paris, and co-authored The Charitable Crescent. Politics of Aid in the Muslim World (IB Tauris, 2009) with Jonathan Benthall.

Philippe Bentele is head of Commercial Logistics, a department which handles forecast, sales administration, supply and physical distribution worldwide from the Geneva headquarters. In his current role, he oversees export and transportation to more than 130 countries.

Joining the company in 1994, Philippe served more than 20 years in the manufacturing division successively as quality manager, head of external supply, head of production lines in charge of components production and final assembly of the watches.

Philippe graduated from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Geneva.

Currently member of the economic council of the Geneva chamber of commerce and industry.

Architecture and Digital project Manager, International Chamber of Commerce 

In 2008, Mr Cyrille Bernard, joined the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) as the Information System Manager. His position evolved to Chief Information Security & Production Officer and more recently, to Architecture and Digital project Manager. Cyrille is responsible to define the technological orientations and the methodology to ensure the reliability and the coherence of the digital architecture model. He participates in the choice of strategic orientations to guarantee the evolution and coherence of the entire information system to respond to business needs. Besides this role, Cyrille is a proven senior project manager and a technical referent for the business teams to support them in the choice of digital solutions in adequation with the business and cybersecurity strategy. Finally, Cyrille act as ICC’s Information Security Expert to help tackle numerous security challenges that any company faces these days. 

Before joining ICC, Cyrille worked as an Information System and Security consultant for various French companies, including Alcatel, Société General or Crédit Lyonnais. 

Cyrille graduated from the University Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI) and obtained a master’s degree in computer science. Cyrille also possesses professional certifications in Information Security, Enterprise Architecture, Project Management, and Process Improvement. 

Julia Binder is the Director of the Center for Sustainable and Inclusive Business and Professor of Sustainable Innovation and Business Transformation at IMD. She specializes in teaching and researching the ways in which companies align social, environmental, and economic impact. Named in the 2022 Thinkers50 Radar List, she was previously Deputy to the Vice President for Innovation at EPFL and led the school’s sustainability initiative Tech4Impact.

Nadine Bla is the founder and CEO of Capital Connect, a business agency that works in the travel, tourism, and events industry. Capital Connect also offers concierge services and organizes economic forums, sporting and cultural events. Additionally, General Commissioner of JNCE (a forum promoting  economic and cultural opportunities Côte d’Ivoire’s Districts).

As an entrepreneur, Nadine also ventured in rubber and food crops and is currently working on a major agri-industrial project.

She is Vice-President at the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Côte d’Ivoire (CCI-CI) and Special Advisor to the President.

She is  a member of the employers association CGECI and in the board of the public company in charge of road maintenance (FER).

She was a member of the National Economic Social Environment and Cultural Council (CESEC) from 2014 to 2022.

Over the years, she has received several awards, among which are: the National Prize of Excellence for Best Business Leader in the Women’s category (2017), Ascom Award for Best Event of the Year – JNCE (2017), National Prize of Excellence for the best travel agency and promotional structure (2018), Top Manager Prize awarded by Reception professionals (2021), Named as Citizen of honor by the Government “Egérie Made in Côte d’Ivoire” (2022) and Special award by Ministry of Tourism and World tourism office as Travel Agency “Sublime Côte d’Ivoire’’ (2022).

She graduated with an Executive-MBA-IFG/IAE/ Paris Sorbonne in 2017, completed a certificate in Management Program for Leader (MPL) – HEC Paris and  achieved a certificate in Advanced Management Program (AMP) – IESE Barcelona/MDE Business School Abidjan back in 2016.

She is the President of the SEMAHE Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting and investing in education and female entrepreneurship in rural areas.

She is the mother of two children.

Doreen Bogdan-Martin took office as Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on 1 January 2023.

Ms Bogdan-Martin has held leadership positions in the field of international telecommunications policy for over two decades, with a track-record of brokering innovative partnerships to expand digital inclusion and connectivity for everyone around the world. Following her historic election by ITU Member States in September 2022, she became the first woman ever to head the organization, which was first established in 1865 and became a UN specialized agency in 1947.

As ITU Secretary-General, she aims to drive innovative solutions, maximize ITU’s relevance for its 193 Member States, intensify global cooperation on connecting the unconnected, and strengthen the alignment of ITU’s programmes with the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the United Nations. Ms Bogdan-Martin has consistently emphasized the need for digital transformation to achieve economic prosperity, job creation, skills development, gender equality, and socio-economic inclusion, as well as to build circular economies, reduce climate impact, and save lives.

As Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau for a four-year term starting in 2018, she helped put sustainable digital development at the forefront of international cooperation, including with the private sector and civil society. Among other ITU development priorities, she actively promoted the Partner2Connect initiative, which has mobilized unprecedented pledges of funding and support for meaningful Internet connectivity in developing countries.

She was previously instrumental in establishing the ITU-UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, serving as its Executive Director for more than a decade; contributed to the success of ITU’s Global Symposium for Regulators as the pre-eminent worldwide meeting for digital policy makers; and led ITU’s youth engagement strategy. She also pioneered ITU’s ongoing contribution to the EQUALS Global Partnership for Gender Equality in the Digital Age and initiated ITU’s collaboration with UNICEF on the Giga project to connect every school worldwide to the Internet.

Within ITU, she has promoted gender equality and encouraged bringing more women into the workforce, as well as helping women grow professionally and contributing to networks of women pursuing gender-balanced participation in conferences and policy making.

From 2008 until 2018, Ms Bogdan-Martin served as Chief of ITU’s Strategic Planning and Membership Department, overseeing corporate communications, external affairs, corporate strategy, and membership. Earlier, she headed the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau’s Regulatory and Market Environment Division and Regulatory Reform Unit.

Before joining ITU in 1994, she worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce as a Telecommunication Policy Specialist in the National Telecommunication and Information Administration.

Ms Bogdan-Martin holds a Master’s in International Communications Policy from American University in Washington, DC, a post-graduate certification in Strategies for Leadership from the Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, and a certification in Accountability and Ethics from the UN Leaders Programme. She is also a qualified amateur radio operator.

Ms Bogdan-Martin is married with four children.

Ruedi is the executive director of Alliance des Chambres de commerce suisses, the Swiss National Guaranteeing Organization for ATA carnets. Under Alliance’s administration, 17 Swiss chambers are working as approved carnet issuing associations, accounting for roughly 29’000 issued ATA Carnets per year. 

Ruedi has both Swiss and Canadian Citizenships. After completing his elementary studies in Switzerland, he returned to his native Canada, where he spent a decade living in Calgary, building a career in the tourism industry, before completing training as a recreational vehicle maintenance engineer. Prior to returning to Europe, he was managing the Calgary Branch of Canada’s largest recreational vehicle dealership. Back in Switzerland, Ruedi completed his graduate studies at the Bern University of Applied Sciences. Shortly after graduating in summer of 2011, he assumed his current role within the Swiss Chambers structures. From 2017 until 2022, Ruedi has served as Chair of the ICC WCF World ATA Carnet Council (WATAC). 

On April 6th, 2017, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe was appointed Chairman Emeritus of Nestlé S.A. Previously, he led the Nestlé Group from 1997 to 2008, first as CEO till 2005, and then as Chairman and CEO. In April 2008, he handed over the office of CEO and remained Chairman of the Board of Nestlé S.A. Born in 1944 in Austria, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe graduated from the University of World Trade in Vienna with a degree in Economics. After joining the Nestlé Group in 1968, he spent a significant part of his career in Latin America, before being transferred to Nestlé’s International Headquarter in Vevey as Senior Vice-President. Appointed Executive Vice-President as of 1992 and Member of the Executive Board, he was in charge of the Strategic Business Units, Marketing & Sales, as well as Corporate Communications.

Niall P. Brennan joined SAP in 2020 as the first Global Security Liaison Officer and Head of Strategic Security Partnerships and Engagement, a newly created role within the Global Security organization.  In this capacity, he leads external relationships on a global level with government policymakers, regulators, security and intelligence services, public-private partnerships, industry trade councils, academic and policy research organizations.  Through these engagements, his portfolio addresses issues related to industry security and resilience, threat identification and mitigation, incident response, legislative and regulatory policy development, compliance and enforcement. He has over 30 years of experience in a variety of legal, advisory, security, and investigative roles in both the public and private sectors.

An attorney by education and training, Niall began his professional life as a commercial litigator in private practice.  In 1996, he joined the FBI, where he spent 22-years in a variety of operational and managerial capacities across all investigative and investigative support programs, including transnational organized crime, counterterrorism, counterintelligence, cyber and intelligence.  During his government service, he gained extensive experience in complex investigation, crisis management, information collection and management, policy development and governance and international diplomacy.  In his last position with the FBI, Niall led the office in the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France for over 5 years.  He retired from the FBI in 2018 and joined PwC as a Director in the Cybersecurity & Privacy practice where he led client engagements focused on cyber incident response and mitigation, resiliency-building and organizational transformation.

Niall is married and resides in New York City with his wife and four children.

Olivier Brourhant is the founder, Chairman & CEO of Mantu. He is a graduate engineer from INSA Lyon and holds an MBA from emlyon Business School. He began his career in major consulting firms and co-founded the company Axen in partnership with Alten. In 2007, he founded Amaris in Geneva, an independent technology and management consulting firm. It became Mantu in 2019, an international player addressing all the challenges of business transformation. Mantu has over 1,000 clients, brings together 10,000 talents in more than 60 countries, and generates a revenue of 810 million euros in 2023. In 2020, he established Aonia Ventures within his family office RISE to support entrepreneurs in building sustainable projects. Aonia Ventures backs over sixty startups worldwide, making Olivier Brourhant one of the most active European business angels. 

Hamad Buamim is the Chairman of Dubai Multi-Commodities Center (DMCC), the UAE’s largest Free Zone, and serves as Chairman of National General Insurance (PJSC). Previously, he was President & CEO of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce (2006-2022), Chairman of the World Chambers Federation (2018-2022), and a member of the International Chambers of Commerce’s Executive Committee. 

Throughout his career, Hamad has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including CityCenter Holdings, Kerzner International Holdings, Mandarin Oriental New York, Inchcape Shipping Services, UAE Central Bank (2012-2018), Emirates NBD PJSC, Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), and Atlantis The Palm. 

Buamim holds a Bachelor of Science with Magna Cum Laude in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California and an MBA with honors in Finance from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. 

State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda (*1965) has been director of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) since 1 August 2022. Prior to that, she was Switzerland’s ambassador in Bangkok, Thailand, with additional accreditations to Cambodia and Laos. Until 2019, she held the same position in Pretoria, South Africa, with cross-accreditations to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius and Namibia. From 2008 to 2015, Helene Budliger Artieda was head of the Directorate for Resources at the FDFA. In this capacity, she was advisor to the Head of Department on resource matters and a member of the FDFA Management Board. In 2000 she graduated from the Universidad Externado de Colombia in Bogotá (Colombia) with a Master of Business Administration (MBA). After graduating from commercial school in Zurich with a Federal VET Diploma in Commerce, she completed internal training at the FDFA as a consular officer. Helene Budliger Artieda is married.

Richard has been the chief executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry since February 2020.

Richard has worked in over 55 countries, specialising in Africa, the wider Commonwealth, and conflict-afflicted situations and locations.

He was Chief Executive, Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council from 2017 to 2019. For the previous 8 years, he was Chief Executive of Wilton Park (a Foreign and Commonwealth Office agency for conciliation and dialogue on conflict and crises). He was a Commissioner for Commonwealth Scholarships, and on the Council of Durham University. He is currently a Governor of the National Institute of Social and Economic Research.

He has been CEO of the Countryside Alliance, Director General of the Zoological Society of London, and for ten years served with the British Council in Africa and the Middle East.

He graduated from Durham University (Hatfield College) in 1980 and was a Commonwealth Research Scholar at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (1983-1986). He was born in Hong Kong.

As President/CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC), Ron Busby, Sr. brings business management skills as well as a lifetime of community development experience to the organization. Mr. Busby is a former successful business owner himself, and he has been recognized as one of the nation’s best CEOs. 

Ron grew his first company, USA Superclean, from $150,000 annualized revenue, to over $15 million in only 10 years. Early on in his career, USA Superclean was recognized as the largest Black-owned janitorial firm in the country. Mr. Busby has also started and grown two other janitorial firms, both resulting in over$7 million in annualized revenue. 

As a graduate with honors, from both Florida A&M University and Clark Atlanta University, Busby frequently extolls the importance of higher education. He continued to advance his own scholarly pursuits by attending the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, a Dartmouth College graduate program for minority and women owned businesses. 

Previously, Ron served on the Pfizer Small Business Council, National Newspapers Publishers Association Foundation Board of Directors, and White House African American Leadership Council. He has also formerly served on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Council on Underserved Communities. 

Trained by some of the country’s leading corporate executives, Ron developed his skills at some of the nation’s largest corporations including Exxon, Xerox, IBM, and Coca-Cola USA. While in corporate America, he was recognized as National Salesperson of the Year.  

Ron also has chamber experience as he was previously the President of the Greater Phoenix Black Chamber of Commerce for five years. 

A native of Oakland, CA; Ron has dedicated himself to the empowerment of the Black community. Ron is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Ron currently lives in the Washington, DC area and has two sons, the youngest of whom unexpectedly passed away in 2021. 

Mr. Butters is currently serving as CEO of Eurochambers. He was previously Deputy CEO and Policy Director, responsible for the policy and advocacy work of the European Association of Chambers of Commerce & Industry, and E.U. Affairs Director, in the same organization. Before joining Eurochambers, he was Managing Director for Small Business Europe, Project Manager for EBN (European Business & Innovation Centres Network), and Parliamentary researcher at the European Parliament.

For over a decade, Nick Byrne has led organisations across the globe to explore, launch and grow innovative digitally-enabled products, services and experiences.

Working at the intersection of Customer, Product and Digital, Nick is sought after by executives and boards seeking to understand how technology can unlock new value and enable their customers and community.

In his pragmatic and expansive leadership, Nick meets organisations, teams and leaders ‘where they’re at’ to confidently engage, educate and enable them to operate in a new environment where there is no map, and thrive.

From his considered internal influence to expert media commentary, Nick’s reputation for relationship-first engagement supports everyone across the organization, industry and ecosystem to be future-focused in forging solutions that last the test of time.

Abdallah Chatila is a Swiss businessman, entrepreneur and investor of Lebanese origin. He is the president and founder of m3 GROUPE, based in Geneva, active in real estate, hotels & restaurants, healthcare, finance and services. The expertise he has developed with m3 and its specialised divisions in the real estate sector covers all activities and areas of the sector: urban planning, management, sales, leasing, project development and investment.

m3 GROUPE has more than 1’400 employees and a turnover of more than 250 million Swiss francs.

As a venture capitalist, Abdallah Chatila invests and contributes to the capital of more than 250 companies, with a focus on new technologies, transport and health. In September 2022, he announced the acquisition of the Swiss branch of the PAO bank Sberbank, based in Zurich, renamed TradeXBank.

A wise philanthropist and founder of the Sesam Foundation, he participates in the development and influence of Geneva through his philanthropic activities, his private equity activities and his group’s diversification efforts.

He actively supports many local projects, institutions and key associations. The common denominator of all these initiatives is to enhance Geneva’s legacy, to improve the social and cultural life of the city, but also to promote “International Geneva”.

Mr. Chyzhykov is the president of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry since 2013 and member of the Board of Directors of the General Assembly of the European Parliament EUROCHAMBERS, and the World Federation of Chambers WCF. 

Mr. Chyzhykov is the founder of the first local AIESEC committee in Ukraine. 

Mr. Chyzhykov is a Doctor of Economics and a Professor. 

Kelly T. Clements joined UNHCR as Deputy High Commissioner on 6 July 2015. Clements has been closely involved with refugee and displacement issues throughout her three decade career. 

Before joining UNHCR, Clements was a member of the Senior Executive Service, serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) where she was responsible for humanitarian issues in Asia and the Middle East and global policy and budget.  In 2014, she was Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. 

From 1993 to 1996, Clements served at the U.S. Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on a Foreign Service appointment. She was Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs in 1997-1998. Clements served as a Senior Emergency Officer for Europe, the Newly Independent States, and the Americas, and later as Balkans Assistance Coordinator; she was deployed to Albania in 1999. She worked for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangladesh in 1992. 

Clements holds a B.A. in International Studies and an M.A. in Urban Affairs from Virginia Tech, USA. She is a national of the United States of America. 

Emma is Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for the professional services firm Deloitte.

In this role Emma leads on the development and delivery of the organization’s strategy on gender balance, LGBT+ inclusion, mental health, disability inclusion, and neurodiversity – alongside a strategic focus on respect & inclusion. Emma also leads the development of thought leadership aligned to this strategy, including the annual ‘Women@Work – a global outlook’ report (now in its third year), the Millennials and Gen Z Mental Health Deep Dive, and the ‘LGBT+@work – a global outlook’ report.

From 2013 – 2019 Emma was Managing Partner for Talent for Deloitte LLP in the UK and Deloitte NWE and sat on their Executive Committees, alongside a client facing role as a Partner in the Financial Advisory practice. During this time Emma led a period of significant change for the firm from a diversity & inclusion perspective, including the firm’s award-winning approach to Respect & Inclusion – a culture change programme that under-pinned all of the firm’s actions on diversity.

Emma is a member of the LACA Lead the Change board, a board established by the UK Government to take forward work to increase the diversity and inclusion at the top of the UK’s leading organisations. In 2021 Emma was awarded Honorary Membership by the Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales for her work championing diversity and inclusion of women.

Emma lives in London with her husband and twin daughters.

Pamela Coke-Hamilton has served as Executive Director of the International Trade Centre since 1 October 2020. She joined ITC from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, where she was Director of the Division on International Trade and Commodities. She served with the Jamaican Government, the Caribbean Forum in trade negotiations, and multilateral institutions, including the Organization of American States and InterAmerican Development Bank. She previously served as Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, strengthening the private sector and MSMEs through investment promotion. She holds a Juris Doctor in Law from the Georgetown University School of Law in Washington, DC.

Nicholas’ career has focused on developing enterprise related solutions to poverty. He was the founder of Opportunity International UK part of the global financial inclusion network, Opportunity International of which he was one of the architects. With Opportunity, he helped start two MSME banks in Eastern Europe and an investment fund for financial inclusion for Eastern Europe.  Leaving Opportunity, he helped establish Basic Needs, focused on mental health in developing country contexts, where he helped develop a model for community mental health care that included pathways to enhance employment and income generation for people with mental illness. He then joined Oxfam GB first as Country Director for Russia and subsequently Director for Strategy and Innovation globally and focused on emergent areas of concern – urban poverty, impact investing, micro-insurance – and helped launch the Small Enterprise Impact Investing Fund. With Argidius, the focus has been on developing small and growing business support ecosystems and especially on identifying what are the characteristics of an effective business development intervention; and, how to improve businesses access to knowledge, talent and finance.

Emilie offers fifteen years of international expertise in fundraising and project management. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from La Sorbonne and a Master’s degree in International Solidarity from the Faculty of Social Sciences – Institut Catholique – in Paris. Previously living in East Africa, she has extensive field experience in international development. She worked with various non-profits, particularly in North America, where she learnt fundraising techniques such as brand association. She also supported the organisation of major fundraising events in partnership with Cirque du Soleil for one of Canada’s most prestigious foundations. After founding and managing a company in France, she returned to the non-profit sector to professionalize Swiss NGOs. She keeps a foot in Africa by being a Board Member of a Kenyan NGO, Trees for Kenya, implementing environmental conservation projects; and an Ambassador for the South African NNI (No Name Initiative) promoting community dialogue. Her major asset is that she also worked on the donor side as a Programme Officer for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, French Embassy in Kenya and for Somalia, where she was responsible for the selection of funding applications. 

Mathias Cormann is the 6^th Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

His five-year term commenced on 1 June 2021.

Working with OECD members, his priorities as Secretary-General are:

• Optimising the strength and the quality of the post COVID recovery while responding to the economic and social impacts of the war in Ukraine.
• Leadership on climate action to help secure global net-zero by 2050 in a way that is effective and fair.
• Seizing the opportunities of the digital transformation while better managing some of the associated risks, challenges and disruptions.
• Helping to ensure well-functioning global markets and a global level playing field with a rules-based trading system in good working order.
• Global engagement: advancing OECD standards, through membership and partnerships and a sound approach to development.

Prior to his appointment to the OECD, Mathias served as the Australian Minister for Finance, the Leader of the Government in the Australian Senate and as Federal Senator representing the State of Western Australia.

In these roles, he has been a strong advocate for the positive power of open markets, free trade and the importance of a rules-based international trading system.

Mathias was born and raised in the German-speaking part of Belgium.

He migrated to Australia in 1996, attracted by the great lifestyle and opportunities on offer in Western Australia.

Before migrating to Perth, Mathias had graduated in law at the Flemish Catholic University of Louvain (Leuven), following studies at the University of Namur and, as part of the European Erasmus Student Exchange Program, at the University of East Anglia.

Between 1997 and 2003, he worked as Chief of Staff as well as Senior Adviser to various State and Federal Ministers in Australia and for the Premier of Western Australia

Between 2003 and 2007, Mathias worked for major Western Australian health insurer HBF in a range of senior management roles.

Justin is the CEO of Herbert Smith Freehills, overseeing its client, people, practices and growth strategies. 

He works closely with the firm’s largest clients, both in his personal practice role and as a regional and global business leader, and leads the firm’s 5,000-plus team of talented people. 

During his 23-year career with Herbert Smith Freehills, Justin has overseen the growth of many successful businesses, including the firm’s market-leading Disputes practice and rapid expansion in Asia. 

A thought leader and skilled practitioner in arbitration and dispute resolution, Justin has appeared before tribunals around the world and regularly sits as arbitrator. 

The founder of the firm’s first LGBT+ network in 2007, Justin is a strong advocate and active supporter of diversity and inclusion in the firm and the wider community. 

He currently chairs the firm’s Global Executive and is Executive Sponsor of IRIS, the firm’s global LGBT+ network. 

Declan Daly is an accomplished leader with a proven track record of driving strategic initiatives and achieving operational excellence. He joined USCIB in 2018. As the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Daly is responsible for overseeing the organization’s finances, day-to-day operations and implementing key strategies to advance USCIB’s overall mission to promote an open world trading system, and advocate for international policy and legal regimes that recognize the essential role business plays in building a prosperous global economy. He is part of the ICC World Chamber Federation’s eATA (Digital Carnet) Project Team, and was recently appointed Vice-Chair of the ATA Council (ATAC) and World ATA Council (WATAC). With over 25 years of experience in accounting, finance, business, and operations, across many different industries and on a global scale, Daly brings a wealth of expertise to his role at USCIB.   

Prior to joining USCIB, Daly held leadership positions in various private sector organizations, including start-ups, multinational corporations, and international organizations. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Finance from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He also earned his Certified Public Accountant license. 

Luc Dardaud is the manager of the Foreign Trade Facilitation Department of the Paris Ile-de-France Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

After obtaining a higher degree in International Business Law, Luc Dardaud joined the Foreign Trade Facilitation Department of the Paris Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Over 23 years, he has occupied various positions in this Department. He has successively been in charge of the regulatory Information and certificates of origin services. He was then given the task of developing and organizing the implementation of paperless procedures within the network of French Chambers of Commerce by creating an electronic platform used today by more than 80 Chambers.  

Today, Luc Dardaud keeps managing a consulting network for French CCIs in the field of Export Procedures. He also actively participates in a global network of Chambers of Commerce in the field of International Customs Procedures, including the ICC WCF International CO Council and World ATA Carnet council (WATAC) as well as technical groups on Cos’ and ATA carnets.

He keeps promoting in various committees the acceptance and recognition of electronic documents by customs administrations. 

John WH Denton AO is Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce, Paris.

John was formerly Partner and CEO of Corrs Chambers Westgarth, the leading Australian independent law firm.

John’s appointment to the ICC is the first time that an Australian has held such a position.

John is a member of the Board of the global infrastructure investor – IFM Global Investors. He is a member of the Board of the UN Global Compact. He is Asia Pacific Chair of Veracity Worldwide Advisory Board.

John is Co-Chair of the B20 “Financing Growth and Infrastructure” Taskforce, Chair (emeritus) of the Business Council of Australia’s Global Engagement Task Force; Chairman (emeritus) of the Experts Group on Trade and Investment in Indonesia;and a founding member of the Australia-China CEO Roundtable.

John was a member of the Australian Government advisory panel overseeing the development of the ‘Australia in the Asian Century’ White Paper. He was on the Government’s Cabinet sub-committee for the White Paper review process published in October 2012 and later a member of the Strategic Advisory Board advising the Government on implementation and emerging policy issues.

A former diplomat, John was a Panel Member of the Independent Review of Aid Effectiveness and was the founding Chairman of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Australia for more than a decade.

John has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Bachelor of Law from the University of Melbourne, and is a Harvard Business School Alumnus.

Rachel is currently the Head of EU Public Affairs at Sage, a FTSE 100 tech company supporting millions of SMEs globally with the technology they need to power their economies. With the recent launch of Sage Earth, a carbon accounting tool, Sage now plays a critical role in helping SMEs measure their climate impact and become confident players in the race to net zero. In addition to overseeing public affairs with the EU, Rachel helps lead the organization’s global sustainability and tech policy.  Prior to Sage, Rachel was at the International Chamber of Commerce where she worked across several policy areas including sustainability, customs, trade facilitation and tax. 

Gabriella Dorlhiac is the Executive Director for ICC Brasil. She started at ICC in 2017 as Senior Policy Advisor and became Head of Policy the following year. Previously, Gabriella was Executive Director at the International Relations and Foreign Trade Institute (IRICE) in São Paulo. She lived in Washington for 8 years where she worked as a Senior Director for Albright Stonebridge Group. Before that, Gabriella was a reporter for O Estado de São Paulo newspaper, writing about international affairs. Gabriella holds a Bachelor degree in Communication for the Catholic University of São Paulo and an MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University. 

Stéphane Duguin is the CEO of the CyberPeace Institute. He has spent two decades analysing how technology is weaponized against vulnerable communities. In particular, he has investigated multiple instances of the use of disruptive technologies, such as AI, in the context of counter terrorism, cybercrime, cyberoperations, hybrid threats, and the online use of disinformation techniques. He leads the CyberPeace Institute with the aim of holding malicious actors to account for the harms they cause.

Stéphane Duguin sits on the Board of the Datasphere Initiative and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Open Quantum Institute and the Global Forum on Cybercrime Expertise (GFCE). Stéphane has published one book and over 50 articles, book chapters, conference papers, and commentary essays on cybercrime, online propaganda, disinformation, OSINT techniques and AI. His expertise is also regularly sought in high-level keynotes where he focuses on the implementation of innovative responses to counter new criminal models and large-scale abuses of cyberspace.

Stéphane Duguin served in EUROPOL as senior manager in the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), the European Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU), and the EUROPOL Innovation Lab.

Deputy Secretary-General at ISO – International Organization for Standardization

1972, Brazilian / Spanish / Swiss

Business Administration, University of São Paulo. Further education at IESE, IMD and Stanford.

1997-2010, LafargeHolcim, senior executive positions in Switzerland and Brazil; Member of the Board of Directors in invested companies across Latin America.

2010, INYPSA Engineering, Spain, Corporate Director.

2013-2021, World Economic Forum, Member of the Executive Committee in Switzerland, responsible for private sector in Latin America, Europe and Eurasia, global corporate governance insight area and Climate Governance Initiative.

Since August 2021, Deputy Secretary-General at ISO.

Olivier Dunant is partner with Eversheds Sutherland, is a global law firm with over 70 offices around the globe. Driven by passion, we provide our clients specialized guidance in the complexities of national and international law and deliver innovative and pragmatic solutions. Legal expertise, a commercial way of thinking and specific sector know-how are the cornerstones of our legal practice.  

Olivier advises clients in the areas of corporate law and M&A. He also has a vast experience in employment law and business immigration.  

Léocadie Ebakissé is an expert moderator and host for international, corporate and institutional events, both in person and online. Creator of the Leadership of Alliances©, her knowledge and expertise in transformation strategies helps leaders to develop their influence on the pan-African and international scene.

Born in Egypt to a Cameroonian father and a Gabonese mother, Léocadie started her career in a large real estate press group and quickly evolved in the fields of recruitment, career management, training, consulting, HR development and facilitation. With 20 years of experience in large corporations, Léocadie founded Talents Awake in 2015, a consulting agency in transformation strategies and influence development.
Executive Coach and certified trainer, Léocadie advises leaders, decision-makers and organisations in Europe, Africa and Canada in order to lead and facilitate their strategic transformations. She also teaches at major schools and international campuses to raise awareness and train the young leaders of tomorrow.

With Talents Awake, Léocadie co-produces and hosts original TV programmes and podcasts, where managers, leaders and allies share their commitment and the way alliances are built and evolve within their ecosystems. She is the author of the book L’Energie de l’Ambition (to be published in 2023).

Businessman and engineer. Graduated from the Special School of Public Works in Paris, the Special School of Mechanics and Electricity in Paris and the Ecole Centrale in Paris. The current president of the Cameroon Chamber of Commerce has worked in large companies in Europe (France and Holland) and in Africa France (Tunisia and Côte d’Ivoire). In Cameroon in 1975, he joined the Air Liquide Cameroon subsidiary, where he was deputy director, then director of Camoa, then director of Saticam before becoming general secretary of the Air Liquide group in Central Africa.

A former member of the National Assembly, he is the promoter of Globauto and the intercity transport company “Centrale voyages”. After a first appointment as President of the Chamber of Commerce in 2008, Christophe Eken was reappointed for the first time on February 24, 2012, four years later, he is still at the head of the oldest consular institution in Cameroon.

Since April 2022 he has been President of the Permanent Conference of African and Francophone Consular Chambers

Marcelo Elizondo, Argentine Chamber of Commerce and Services´ board member and ICC Argentina´s Chair, is a well-known International Business expert. Member of World Chambers Federation Executive Committee and General Council and ICC Americas Regional Coordinator. He offers business consultancy, is General Director at DNI Consultores; Director of the Master’s Degree in Strategic and Technological Development (DET) and Professor of “Global Markets” and “Competitive Strategies” at the Technological Institute of Buenos Aires (ITBA); President of the Argentine Chapter of the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI); Consultant Member of CARI (Argentine Council for International Relations); Member of the Advisory Council of CIPPEC (Center for the Implementation of Public Policies for Equity and Growth); President of Lide Internacional (Argentina) and Lawyer Of Counsel of the Allende & Ferrante (A&F) law firm.
Mr. Elizondo is an International speaker (in more than 20 countries) and columnist in various newspapers and magazines in Argentina and other countries.

Susanne is excited to serve as CEO of farmer connect, a technology company that delivers end to end traceability solutions for global agricultural supply chains.  

She has worked with leading edge technology for all of her career, covering different industries from mobility, via medical to cross vertical digital security, always focusing on tangible impact. 

With more than 15 years of experience in marketing, biz dev, innovation and strategy in organizations ranging from 40 to 400.000 employees, she loves to use technology to fix problems that are truly worth solving. 

In her role as CEO of farmer connect, she is proud to be part of a team that enables traceability as base for responsible action, accountability and impact all the way from the farmer to the consumer. 

Rebecca Enonchong, FREng, is the founder and CEO of AppsTech, an enterprise software company, and co-founder of I/O Spaces, an inclusive coworking space in the Washington DC area.  

She plays a vital role in promoting technology innovation and ventures in Africa. She chairs Cameroon’s ActivSpaces and is Trustee and Chair Emeritus of Afrilabs, supporting over 1 million entrepreneurs across 52 African countries. Rebecca also co-founded Cameroon Angels Network and African Business Angels Network.  

She is Vice-Chair of the WHO Foundation, and President of its US affiliate, the Go Give One Foundation. 

Her board memberships include the International Chamber of Commerce, VC4Africa, Imagine Worldwide, US Exim Bank Advisory Council, and the UN ECA Center for Digital Excellence. 

She was named Business Insider Africa’s “Female Leader of the Year” in 2022. NewAfrican and Jeune Afrique magazines consistently include her on their lists of most influential Africans. Forbes Africa named her as one of Africa’s 50 most powerful women. Rebecca is also a World Economic Forum Global Leader for Tomorrow. In 2022, she was elected as an International Fellow of the esteemed UK Royal Academy of Engineering, earning her the FREng designation. 

Kseniia has dedicated over six years of her career to working at Glue Up, starting as an intern and progressing to become a sales leader in the EUME region. She holds a Master’s Degree in International Law from the esteemed Beijing Institute of Technology. Along with her passion for traveling, Kseniia is an avid animal lover and actively supports animal welfare initiatives.

Simone Wyss Fedele is CEO of Switzerland Global Enterprise, the official Swiss organization for export promotion and location promotion with locations in all parts of Switzerland and in 31 countries. She holds a PhD in international economics and worked for 20 years in the life science, technology and insurance industries. Either in the core business or at the interface with trade associations, authorities and politics: For example, she worked in marketing at Endress+Hauser, was responsible for product launches in over 30 countries at Takeda Pharmaceuticals and was in charge of public affairs at Helvetia. Most recently, Simone Wyss Fedele was Chief Economist at Novartis and was part of the Executive Committee of Novartis Switzerland as Head of Public Affairs. Since 2021, she has also served on the Board of Directors of the biotech company Infors AG and on the Executive Committee of the Swiss Institute for International Swiss Institute of International Studies at the University of St. Gallen.

Sebastián has worked for almost five years as General Coordinator of ICC Argentina and Chief of the International Relations Department at the Argentina Chamber of Commerce and Services, one of the main business organizations in this country, where he previously served as a Senior Economist. Sebastián is also Co-Leading the ICC Agri-Food Hubs project at an international level. 

He is coordinating the ICC CoE Buenos Aires and manages the program “SMEs to the World”, a joint initiative between CAC & Mercado Libre to promote SMEs internationalization through digital tools. It includes a virtual showroom and the provision of training and capacity building for SMEs.  

Sebastián is also professor of International Economics at Universidad Nacional de La Matanza, holds a master degree in economics from University of Buenos Aires and is a PhD in Economics candidate at Universidad Católica Argentina.  

Alexander G. Fessas is the Secretary General of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, where he is responsible for the operational management and coordination of the ICC Court’s Secretariat and other dispute resolution services in Paris, Hong Kong, New York, Sao Paolo, Singapore and Abu Dhabi Global Market.  

He joined the Secretariat in late 2011 and held consecutive positions in three case management teams, of which two as counsel. Prior to his appointment as Secretary General, he was the Secretariat’s Managing Counsel over a three-year term. He read law at the University of Athens, Greece having specialized in international commercial transactions and conflict of laws. Prior to joining the ICC Court, he practised as counsel out of Athens where he established a sole practice in 2008. He was previously an associate at an Athens-based law firm. He is admitted to the Athens Bar and speaks English, French and Greek. 

Nicol Gagstetter is the Global Head of Environment and Social for Glencore Copper. Nicol joined Glencore in August 2021 in this newly created role to drive sustainability performance in Glencore’s global copper and cobalt portfolio. Nicol has more than 20 years’ experience working in the sustainability space in the private sector as well as with NGOs and academia, with extensive global experience living and/or conducting business in more than 40 countries.

Prior to joining Glencore, Nicol worked for Rio Tinto where she held a number of positions in sustainability, external affairs, and marketing in various locations around the world. Nicol holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Science and International Relations from Northwestern University (USA), a master’s degree in Environmental Science (focus on water) from Utah State University (USA), and additional professional certifications from Stanford university and Northwestern University business schools.

Antonio joined Fongit in 2014 as managing director. Fondation Genevoise pour l’Innovation Technologique, Fongit is a Swiss foundation of public interest supported by the State of Geneva, with the mission to develop innovative tech startups in the Geneva region. Fongit is Switzerland’s first innovation platform currently supporting and financing 150+ projects in technology and representing 1500+ people. Antonio is also Expert for the Swiss Innovation Agency (Innosuisse) and sits on the board of different tech startups. 

Antonio was previously general partner of a venture capital fund investing in technology, with headquarters in Switzerland, Italy and California. During this experience, he managed investment activities for seed and early tech projects. Later, he made direct investments in innovative small-medium companies in Europe, with active roles in management and board of directors. 

Mexican, CEO of Orestia, business leader, strong advocate of business ethics, board member of several business organizations. She was VP of Employers at the 98th Session of the International Labour Organization. She is currently Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce and is part of the group of advisors and leaders of the B20 and the United Nations Internet Governance Forum. 

 Maria Fernanda Garza is a Mexican businesswoman, CEO of Orestia, a manufacturing home improvement- water solutions company, with exports to USMCA region, Latin-America and Asia. 

 Her interest in improving the business environment, made her a prominent business leader at a young age. Board member of Mexico´s leading business organizations such as COPARMEX, CCE, ALIARSE, among others. 

 For ten years, Mexico’s Employer Delegate to the International Labour Organization Conference, where she became appointed Employer’s Vice Chair at the ILO’s 98th Session. 

 Maria Fernanda Garza was Chair of ICC México from 2014 – 2020.  

 Regional Coordinator for the Americas 2012-2020. 

 Member of the Governing Body of the International Court of Arbitration. 

 She is currently, Chairwoman of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). 

 Member of the Advisory Committee on Sustainable Urbanization of the President of the UN General Assembly’s. 

 Member of the International Advocacy Caucus of Indonesia B20, and 

 She was appointed to serve on the United Nations Secretary-General’s inaugural Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Leadership Panel for two years since 2022. 

Alexandra Gerst works as a Corporate Counsel in Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit where she leads the Identity and Platform Enforcement (IPE) Team. The IPE team focuses on identifying, investigating and addressing cases globally against high profile cybercriminals seeking to profit from Business Email Compromise. Alexandra also provides legal advice related to enforcement and intelligence efforts against organized criminals and other illicit organizations engaged in cybercrime and intellectual property matters targeting Microsoft services and customers. She has collaborated extensively with prosecutors and law enforcement officials ever since she joined Microsoft in 2015. 

Alexandra is a graduate of Westfälische Wilhelms-University Münster, Germany and admitted to the bar in Germany. She is currently based at the Microsoft office in Cologne, Germany. 

Arancha González is the third Dean of PSIA at Sciences Po and first woman to lead the world’s third school for Politics and International Studies.  

Prior to joining PSIA, Ms González served as Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation (2020-2021). She previously was Assistant-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the International Trade Centre (2013-2020). Between 2005 and 2013 she served as Chief of Staff to the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy. Before that she held senior positions at the European Commission in the areas of international trade and development. Ms González started her career as lawyer in the private sector. 

Ms González has been a member of PSIA’s Strategic Committee since 2017.

A Spanish national, Ms González holds a degree in law from the University of Navarra and a Postgraduate Degree in European Law from the University Carlos III of Madrid. 

Karima-Catherine (KC) Goundiam is a Canadian entrepreneur and CEO of B2BeeMatch, a global business matchmaking platform, and Red Dot Digital, a digital transformation and management consulting firm. In addition to her business activities, she serves as the regional delegate of the International Chamber of Commerce and holds positions in two federal government committees. Moreover, KC shares her expertise as a guest speaker at the master’s level in various universities. She is also a speaker in Canada and internationally and is frequently featured in the media.

Dr Stéphane Graber has been Director General at FIATA International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations since 2020. FIATA is the largest non-governmental organisation in the field of logistics, which represents 40,000 freight forwarding and logistics firms and employs around 10 million people around the globe. 

Prior to joining FIATA, Dr Graber was Secretary General at STSA (Swiss Commodity Trading and Shipping Association) and Chaired the eGTSA, a company that successfully developed a digital platform used by commodity trading companies and commodity trade-financing banks, which was sold to Komgo in 2019. 

Dr Graber has previously worked at the Economic Department of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, and was President of the Geneva Chapter of the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce. 

PhD in Business Administration, HEC – University of Geneva, Switzerland. 

Born in Sant Martí de Tous (Catalonia) in 1979.

She first graduated in Business Administration and Management and in International Trade from Pompeu Fabra University. She also holds both a master’s degree in European Economics from the College of Europe and a master’s degree in Economic Policy from Columbia University.

Since 2021, Hon. Ms. Mas Guix is the first woman in charge of the Department of Economy and Finance. She has an extensive experience both at European level and within the Catalan government. Between 2004 and 2015 she used to work at the European Central Bank, first as an economist in the General Directorates of Economics (Foreign Affairs Division) and Statistics (Monetary and Financial Statistics division); and then from 2010, as an expert in Financial Stability in the General Directorate of Macroprudential Policy and Financial Stability.

Within the government of Catalonia, she was successively General Director of Industry at the Department of Enterprise and Labour ; Secretary of Economy, first, at the Department of the Vice-Presidency and then, at the Department of Economy and Finance (2019-2021).

Wouter Van Gulck has been the General Manager of the Federation of Belgian Chambers of Commerce since March 2007. Together with his team, he reinvigorated the accreditation programme of Belgian chambers, he strengthened their visibility in the international chamber alliances, and he developed the role of the Belgian chambers as leading actors in the area of international entrepreneurship and sustainable development. His current focus is on the twin transition, preparing the chambers for a green and digital future.

Prior to this position, he was involved for more than 10 years in international trade promotion. He served as trade commissioner for the Flemish Region of Belgium in Johannesburg and New York, and was the deputy chief of cabinet of the Vice-Minister-President of the Flemish Region in charge of foreign trade policy.

He has a law degree from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, and he holds an MBA from the Vlerick Leuven-Ghent Management School. He is a board member of CIFAL Flanders (a UN affiliated international training center for authorities and leaders), the Belgian Society of Association Executives and the German-Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of the budgetary committee of EUROCHAMBRES and a member of the Central Economic Council in Belgium.

António Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1st January 2017. 

Having witnessed the suffering of the most vulnerable people on earth, from refugee camps to war zones, the Secretary-General has centered his efforts on ensuring human dignity for all.  In a period of unprecedented global challenges, he has drawn on his commitment to the UN Charter to mobilize people and launch action to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, address the climate emergency, advance gender equality, and achieve ambitious 21st century reforms to enhance the Organization’s vital efforts to secure peace, sustainable development, human rights and humanitarian aid. 

Prior to his appointment as Secretary-General, Mr. Guterres served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015,  heading one of the world’s foremost humanitarian organizations during some of the most serious displacement crises in decades. The conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and the crises in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Yemen, led to a huge rise in UNHCR’s activities as the number of people displaced by conflict and persecution rose from 38 million in 2005 to over 60 million in 2015. 

Before joining UNHCR, Mr. Guterres spent more than 20 years in government and public service. He served as prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, during which time he was heavily involved in the international effort to resolve the crisis in East Timor. 

As president of the European Council in early 2000, he led the adoption of the Lisbon Agenda for growth and jobs, and co-chaired the first European Union-Africa summit. He was a member of the Portuguese Council of State from 1991 to 2002. 

Mr. Guterres was elected to the Portuguese Parliament in 1976 where he served as a member for 17 years. During that time, he chaired the Parliamentary Committee for Economy, Finance and Planning, and later the Parliamentary Committee for Territorial Administration, Municipalities and Environment. He was also leader of his party’s parliamentary group. 

From 1981 to 1983, Mr. Guterres was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, where he chaired the Committee on Demography, Migration and Refugees. 

For many years Mr. Guterres was active in the Socialist International, a worldwide organization of social democratic political parties. He was the group’s vice-president from 1992 to 1999, co-chairing the African Committee and later the Development Committee. He served as President from 1999 until mid-2005. In addition, he founded the Portuguese Refugee Council as well as the Portuguese Consumers Association DECO, and served as president of the Centro de Acção Social Universitário, an association carrying out social development projects in poor neighbourhoods of Lisbon, in the early 1970s. 

Mr. Guterres is a member of the Club of Madrid, a leadership alliance of democratic former presidents and prime ministers from around the world. 

Mr. Guterres was born in Lisbon in 1949 and graduated from the Instituto Superior Técnico with a degree in engineering. He is fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish. He is married to Catarina de Almeida Vaz Pinto and has two children, a stepson and three grandchildren. 

Dr Khaled Hanafy is the Secretary General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Professor of Economics and International Business, Board Member in the Arab Foreign Joint Chambers and Member in the WCF General Council. He held several Governmental, academic, business and consultancy positions, most recently Minister of Supply and Internal Trade in Egypt, Chairman of Internal Trade Development Authority and Dean of College of International Transport & Logistics, in the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport. He was awarded “The Best Minister” for two consecutive years according to top surveys, in recognition of developing a New Food Subsidy System serving more than 70 million Egyptians. 

Dr Hanafy had a remarkable contribution in developing the Egyptian internal trade, through launching a number on initiatives that were reflected in developing internal trade and in making it more efficient. These initiatives include: “Egypt’s Food Industries”, “Consumer Complexes E-Linking Project”, “Gameeti Project”, “Internal Trade and Logistics Zones” and “Upgrade The Egyptian Storage Capacity”. 

Dr Hanafy was the Chief Editor of the Economic constitution of Egypt. He was Chairman and board member of several holding companies in the private and governmental sectors. He participated in and headed a number of consultancy projects for the Arab League, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, the International Labor Organization and the European Union. He was also an Economic Advisor for the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce and provided consultancy services to several national & multinational organizations.  

He holds MSc degree in Regional Development and PhD degree in International Trade. He also holds many diplomas in International Trade, & Business Administration from top American universities. On the academic level, Dr Hanafy – is a Professor of Economics and International Business and has a wealth of profound publications. 

Hassan Al Hashemi is Vice President of International Relations at Dubai Chambers, the emirate’s engine of economic advancement and growth that drives business impact for its members while cementing Dubai’s reputation as a global business and trade hub.  

Al Hashemi is a recognized representative of Dubai Chambers in international settings. He leads engagements with public and private sectors as well as bilateral strategic dialogues to boost international partnerships and trade relations, drive high-level business networking programmes, and maximize the impact of inbound and outbound delegations and missions.  

Under Al Hashemi’s leadership, Dubai Chambers has expanded its global reach through the establishment of international representation offices across Africa, Latin America, CIS, Asia (India and China) and the Middle East.  

He also played a leading role in establishing and developing the Dubai Association Centre, the first centre of its kind in the region that aims to attract non-profit international business and professional bodies to Dubai. 

Hassan Al Hashemi holds a BA degree in Management and Marketing from the University of Dubai.  He is a graduate of the “Mohammed Bin Rashid Programme for Leadership Development”. 

He also serves as Vice-Chair of the World Chambers Federation MENA Region, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce – UAE Chapter (ICC-UAE) and serves on a number of boards of local and international business organizations. 

Martin Hauser is an IMI certified and experienced commercial mediator working on the resolution of complex transnational and emotional commercial conflicts in the English, French, and German languages. He has a legal background in intellectual property, IT, licenses, distribution, competition, complex industrial projects, and international business law. He has been involved in investment mediations in the telecommunications, oil and gas sectors. He is accredited by major international mediation institutions. 

Founding partner of BMH AVOCATS he has practiced for over 30 years in Paris, France, as a business lawyer in French and foreign law, in commercial litigation, international arbitration, international commercial and investment mediation, and in commercial negotiations. 

Martin Hauser is a Distinguished Fellow of the IAM, Dallas, Officer of the Mediation Committee Advisory Board of the International Bar Association (IBA) and past Co-Chair (2021-2022) of the IBA Mediation Committee, London. He is a member of the Board of the Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC). 

Martin Hauser is selected by WWL Who’s Who Legal as Thought Leader Global Elite in Commercial Mediation. 

He is a member of the Munich (Rechtsanwalt) and Paris (Avocat honoraire) Bars. Martin Hauser holds degrees of Master of Arts (M.A.) in negotiation and mediation from the European University Viadrina Frankfurt Oder (2015), Master of Comparative Jurisprudence (M.C.J.) from New York University (NYU) (1986), Doctorate in Law (Dr. iur.) from the University of Munich (1983) and degrees from the Universities of Munich, Freiburg i. Br. and Geneva. 

Non-Executive Chairman HSBC Private Bank (Switzerland) (April 2023-present). Joined the Board in September 2022 as Chairman designate.

Yannick Hausmann spent almost his entire professional career at Zurich Insurance Group (2000-2022). He served for almost 12 years as Group General Counsel of Zurich Insurance Group leading the global legal, compliance, regulatory and board secretariat functions. He was a direct report to the Group CEO, participated in the Group Executive Committee ex officio or as a member, attended the Group Board and Board Committee meetings (2009-2020). Thereafter he was a Senior Advisor to the Group CEO (2020-2022). He served on various subsidiary boards in Europe, the United States and in Asia and chaired the German subsidiary board for several years.

Dr. Hausmann is a qualified attorney-at-law admitted to the Bar of the Canton of Basel-Stadt and holds a doctorate in law from the University of Basel in Switzerland, and a Master in Laws (LL.M.) from New York University School of Law in the United States. Furthermore, he attended programs at Harvard Business School (Advanced Management Program (AMP)), INSEAD (International Directors Program (IDP)) and MIT Management Sloan School (Blockchain Technologies).

Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of impactvise Ltd (2021-present). Until recently member of the Board of economiesuisse (2015-2022) as well as the Board of Trustees Museum Haus Konstruktiv (2011-2022) and Member of the Insurance Regulatory Committee of the Institute of International Finance (IIF) (2015-2022).

Director General of BCC since April 2021, Shevaun was formerly Head of Business Engagement at Number 10 Downing Street and was at the heart of Government in the Cabinet Office as Head of the Inclusive Economy Partnership. 

Shevaun started her career in consultancy in London and New York. She then moved to the Walt Disney Company in strategic planning before joining Disneyland Paris, opening the second theme park. Shevaun then joined the agency world, running global accounts for Millward Brown, Mindshare and WPP. 

Following this, she became a partner in a start-up digital innovation agency and venture builder, Independents United, where she also became an Advisor for the Danson Foundation. Most recently, Shevaun was the New Ventures Director for Avado, building new businesses in Edtech and founding the Academy of Digital Business Leaders. 

Shevaun has a passion for business as a force for good.  A Trustee of Barefoot College International, Shevaun also sits on the Boards of BCC, the Women of the World Foundation (WoW) and the UK International Chambers of Commerce (ICC UK).   

Dr Malte Heyne was born in Hanover in 1979. He lives with his wife and three children in the Hamburg area. 

After studying economics in Bamberg, Heyne earned his doctorate at the University of Bremen. He then began working in business development in 2004 with close contacts to the chamber organization. 

In 2007, he joined the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. From 2010 to 2014, he headed the Tourism and Sports Department in the Infrastructure Division. 

In 2014, he continued his professional career as managing director of IHK Nord e.V. where he bundled the common interests of the twelve North German member chambers. He realigned IHK Nord, increased cost efficiency and reformed the association and committee structure. Key topics included foreign trade, energy and industrial policy, as well as innovation and start-ups. 

In 2020 Dr Malte Heyne was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. 

Dr Heyne is a university lecturer in economics. Dr Heyne is chairman of the board of the Initiative Pro Metropolregion Hamburg (since 2020), a member of the supervisory board and the shareholders‘ meeting of Hamburg Marketing GmbH (since 2020) and a supervisory board member of Hamburg Messe and Congress GmbH (since 2021). 

Re-elected to the State Council of the Republic and canton of Geneva in April 2023 after two terms in office (2013-2018 and 2018-2023), Antonio Hodgers has twice been President of the Government, for the period 2023-2024 and previously from 2018 to 2020.  

He was elected in 2013 and took over the Department of Development, Housing and Energy (DALE). During his second legislature, he was entrusted with the Department of Territory (DT).  

His political career also took him to the role of national councillor in 2007 and again in 2011, and he chaired and presided over Les Verts parliamentary group from 2011 to 2013. Previously president of Les Verts party between 2006 and 2008, Antonio Hodgers was also a member of Geneva Parliament in 1997, 2001 and 2005.  

In 1993, Antonio Hodgers was one of the initiators of Noctambus, a night bus service in Geneva, whose network was gradually extended to all the communes of Geneva, then to the canton of Vaud and neighbouring France.  

Antonio Hodgers is graduated from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. 

In March 2022 Gilbert F. Houngbo was elected by the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) as its 11th Director-General, becoming the first African to hold the position. He took up the role on 1 October 2022. 

Prior to that post, Mr Houngbo was the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, based in Rome, Italy. First elected in 2017, he was re-elected in 2021.  He previously was Deputy Director-General for Field Operations and Partnerships at the ILO.   

In 2008, Mr Houngbo was asked to serve as Prime Minister of Togo, a position he held until 2012.  Prior to that he held several posts at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), including Chief of Staff and Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Africa, following several years in the private sector and three years serving as Director of Finance at the International Bank of Mali. 

Mr Houngbo is also Chair of UN-Water, the coordination mechanism of the United Nations for water and sanitation, and Chair of the Board of the Natural Resource Governance Institute.

Carole Hubscher joined the Board of Directors of Caran d’Ache in 2002 and took over as President in 2012.

Carole Hubscher held various responsibilities in the sales and marketing departments of Caran d’Ache’s American distributor in New York before managing the company’s international sales department in Geneva until 1997. She then held the position of International Marketing Manager at Swatch Group for the Calvin Klein brand and consultant for a branding agency. In 2003, she became a partner in Brandstorm, a company active in the architecture of premium and luxury brands. She holds an MDP from Harvard Business School and is a graduate of the Ecole Hôtelière de Genève.

Stefano Inama is Chief, Technical Assistance, Trade and Customs in the Division on African and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), UNCTAD Geneva, Switzerland. He holds Masters and LLM degrees from the College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium. He has over 25 years of experience in designing, managing and delivering research and trade-related capacity building programs in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with a focus on legal, regulatory and institutional trade issues, including tariff reform, trade law, regional trade agreements, tariff preferences and rules of origin governing market access. He has written extensively on these subjects as well as on related industrial policy questions. He is the author of one of the most comprehensive analytical books on rules of origin (Rules of origin in International Trade, Cambridge University Press, 2009) and has recently co-authored ASEAN rules of origin :a way forward and The foundations of the ASEAN Economic Community ,Cambridge University Press 2015.

Pierre Jaccard is the co-founder of the agency Au Tigre Vanillé and has been traveling in Asia for decades. He created the ARTOU agency, “tourist research assistance,” in 1976, as well as the “Librairies du Voyageur” in Geneva and Lausanne and the Institute of Oriental Studies. 

Today, he remains involved in the company’s development strategy. In 2021, he opened Watch and Cow to welcome FIT visitors and small parties from around the world, offering them a comfortable way to discover Switzerland. 

Dr. Tom James, CEO, CIO, and Co-Founder of TradeFlow Capital Management, boasts over three decades of experience in the Commodity, Energy, and Environmental markets. As an internationally recognized thought leader in Commodity Markets and Financial Services, he specializes in international trade, investment, and risk management within these sectors.

Based in Singapore, TradeFlow Capital is the first-ever fund group specifically designed to invest in global commodity trades conducted by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This innovative approach is made possible through the digitization of supply chain and operational processes. Since its inception in 2018, TradeFlow Capital has facilitated billions of dollars in imports and exports, effectively narrowing the global trade finance gap.

In addition to his work at TradeFlow Capital, Dr. James has held the position of Senior Energy Advisor to the United States Department of Defense (TFBSO). He has generously shared his extensive industry knowledge through the authorship of 12+ books, as well as various roles as visiting Chair Professor and Adjunct Professor at universities, focusing on international trade and risk management.

Furthermore, Dr. James serves as Deputy Chair of the European Chamber of Commerce – Digital Economy Committee and is a founding member of the Global Trade Finance Group of AIMA.

Anna is a Programme Officer in Trade Information at the International Trade Centre with over 15 years of experience in trade research, analysis and policy dialogue across the ITC, OECD and WEF.  

She works in the design and development of digital trade tools integrating strategic market information. She also designs and delivers training programs for business and policymakers in trade analysis, product diversification, and the formulation of market entry strategies.  

She has co-authored a number of studies related to trade and development (regional integration in Latin America, global value chains, analysing services trade restrictiveness, escaping the middle-income trap through export-led growth, logistics, trade competitiveness, among others. 

Charlene-Rokhaya is digital advisor and cofounder of the Foundation, PenserDemain en numérique.

As of 2017, its mission is helping to develop prosperity through technology. As director of the PenserDemain Foundation, Jaye has helped many of Canada’s virtual and diaspora communities embrace digital transformation.

Charlene-Rokhaya Jaye also launched an inclusive marketplace and virtual e-commerce stores for  businesses from Diaspora, Francophone communities, youth and  women.

Taras Kachka has a bachelors degree in law, International Scientific and Technical University (Kyiv), a Master’s degree in law, Kyiv National University named after Taras Shevchenko and studied at the National Institute of Public Administration (Warsaw). 

Mr. Kachka is fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, English and Polish. He is Vice President for Strategic Development (since January 2014), and acting president (November 2014 – April 2015) of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine. 

Mr. Kachka worked as a regulatory policy manager in international corporations, as well as in the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine (deputy director of the State Department for Adaptation of Legislation of the Ministry of Justice). 

Mr. Kachka was the commissioner for entrepreneurship at the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine (on a public basis). He managed the “Ukrainian Media Center for Reforms” and was a member of the Tax Reform Task Force under the Ministry of Finance. 

Since September 6, 2019 he has been the Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine — Trade Representative of Ukraine. 

Mr. Kachka provides functional direction, coordination and control of work in the following: The department of economic cooperation with the European Union and the countries of the world; Department of trade agreements and export development; Department of Foreign Economic Activity and Trade Protection; Sector of organizational and analytical support for the work of the Deputy Minister – Trade Representative of Ukraine.

Christine Kaddous is Professor at the University of Geneva. She holds a Jean Monnet Chair ad personam and directs the Center for European Legal Studies (ceje). She is also Director of the Master of Advanced Studies in European and International Governance (meig Programme). In these roles, Christine works with the private and the public sectors to advance trade and sustainable development in corporate practice, public enterprises and international organisations. Her special expertise covers EU and International Law in the field of commerce and business.  

She worked in Swiss Law firms as well as for the Swiss Government. She teaches, researches and consults on Swiss, European and international trade law. She has published extensively. Her main interests are corporate governance, foundations and associations, regulatory compliance, risk management, decision-making processes, business transformation, market economy and role of the state. 

Christine Kaddous earned her PhD in law at the University of Neuchâtel. She is a graduate of the University of Cambridge (UK) and ULB (Brussels). 

Kathleen “Kate” Kallot is a world-class technologist who has received sustained global
acclaim in tech for social impact, most notably for her work advancing technology access
across Africa.
She is the Founder & CEO of Amini, an African-born deep tech startup building the largest
climate data infrastructure solution for Africa.
She was a Co-Founder, Chief Impact & Ecosystem Officer at Mara where she oversaw
community, education and developer relations alongside leading the Mara Foundation, a
non-profit dedicated to accelerating blockchain capacity development in Africa.
Prior to co-founding Mara, she was Head of Global Developer Relations and Emerging
Areas at NVIDIA, where she led their expansion into emerging markets (incl. Africa) and
created the United AI Alliance dedicated to using data to drive environmental and social
progress and the NVIDIA Emerging Chapters program.
While leading AI Ecosystem & Developer Relations at Arm, She was one of the founding
member of the Tiny Machine Learning (TinyML) movement which is a fast growing field of
machine learning technologies and applications including hardware, algorithms and
software capable of performing on-device sensor data analytics at extremely low power,
typically in the mW range and below. She was also the chair of the TinyML for Good
Committee in 2021 and 2022.
While at Intel, she led the development of the world’s first AI development kit in a USB
form factor, the Neural Compute Stick (generations 1 & 2), bringing computer vision and Al
to IoT and edge devices for the first time.
She spearheaded many AI4Good initiatives which resulted in many collaborations with
the UN to advance data science and AI capacity building in Africa and other emerging
markets with a goal to train one million African developers to in turn impact a billion lives
over the next five years. She regularly advises international organizations on the power of
tech to drive social impact, speaking at conferences for Gates Foundation WEF, UNECA,
UNICEF and GPSDD.
Kate has won multiple accolades throughout her career, including Business Insider Top
100 and VentureBeat Women in AI Rising Star 2020.

H.E. Mr. Yousef Khalawi is a visionary leader and one of the most knowledgeable experts in Islamic economy worldwide. 

With a strong academic background in international investment, arbitration, and dispute resolution, and after receiving his legal education in various international law and consultancy firms in Frankfurt, Geneva and London.  

Currently, he holds the position of the Secretary General of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture (ICCIA), the sole representative of the private sector in 57 member countries.  

He has also established multiple companies with a large number of investors in over 70 countries worldwide, serving as a board member and Chairman of audit and management committees in various organizations. 

In addition to his impressive portfolio, Mr. Khalawi is holding several prestigious positions worldwide, some of them are: 

– Member of the Board of Trustees in various international organizations, including the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions in Bahrain (AAOIFI). 

–  Secretary General of Al-Baraka Forum for Islamic Economy, London.  

– Board Member of the Saudi Commercial Arbitration Center in Riyadh, the highest arbitration authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 

– Member of International Advisory Panel of World Islamic Economic Forum Foundation (WIEF) 

With his extensive knowledge and expertise, Mr. Khalawi continues to promote development and Islamic economy worldwide. 

Adrian Kloeden is an independent Director and Chairman. He is currently President of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chairman of the Aquasure group of companies and a Director of The Smith Family. He is a senior executive leadership coach in companies, government, the professions and NFPs.

Adrian’s management experience covers a wide variety of industries, including forestry, agribusiness, manufacturing, distribution, retail, research and development, brand management, technology, e-commerce, defence and tourism and transport. He has held CEO or leadership positions in large and small public and private companies and a government related organisation and has operated in many regions of the world.

He graduated in science from the Australian National University and holds a master’s degree in business from the London Business School. He has an Honorary Doctorate from Deakin University and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Anna Kompanek is the Director for Global Programs at the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). She manages a portfolio of programs spanning emerging and frontier markets around the world in CIPE’s core themes of business advocacy, strengthening entrepreneurship ecosystems and institutional trust, economic inclusion, and organizational resilience. Global Programs are thematically rather than geographically focused and build on CIPE’s established expertise to explore new and innovative areas of work. Prior to joining CIPE, Kompanek worked as a business consultant in Poland on the issues of competitiveness and market entry in Central and Eastern Europe, and in Washington, DC on the global strategy of major corporations.

Kompanek holds a BA in International Studies from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s degree in German and European Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and an MBA from George Mason University. She is a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional-International (CCEP-I) and a graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management (IOM). She also holds a professional certificate from Babson College’s program “Driving Economic Growth Through Scale-Up Ecosystems” and a Mindful Leadership Certification from George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government.

Maria Kotsovou-Dullin is an Administrator within INTERPOL’ Environmental Security Programme, she has 11 years of experience on international law enforcement cooperation to address environmental crimes. Maria is part of a specialized team of 40 officials coming from 25 countries across the world to support member countries in the fight against transnational environmental crimes. 

Since she joined INTERPOL, she has been involved in the coordination of more than 15 international law enforcement operations targeting different types of environmental crimes, including wildlife crime, illegal timber trade and waste trafficking. Maria has developed and implemented international collaborative initiatives and projects to address such crimes in Africa, Asia and Latin America. During her earlier role as an analyst, she has contributed in several joint publications of the organization highlighting the importance of tackling environmental crimes for global security and the role of law enforcement in this effort. 

Maria is a qualified lawyer, with a Master’s degree in Environmental law and a thesis on the International and European legal tools to protect forest carbon. 

Entered the family business in 1991 after finishing his university studies and gaining professional experience in London (Philip Brothers), Giuseppe Lavazza was the company’s Strategic Marketing Director from 2005 to 2011. In 2008, he also took on the role of Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Luigi Lavazza S.p.A.

Giuseppe Lavazza is also on the Board of Directors of the Giuseppe e Pericle Lavazza Foundation, a non-profit organisation owned by the Lavazza family’s holding company Finlav S.p.A., and a member of the Steering Committee of International Coffee Partners, an organisation that promotes support programmes for coffee producers.

In 2019 he was made a Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, like his father Emilio in 1991.

From 27 April 2023 he is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Luigi Lavazza S.p.A.

Alain Lavoie is the Chief Executive Officer of LexRock AI. He has been working in the field of information management and natural language processing (NLP) for more than 25 years, developing tools, algorithms, and products based on NLP and modern machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques that allow his clients to transform simple information into useful data that can be easily used. 

In 2019, he co-founded the start-up LexRock AI. It is a “spin-off” of existing activities, talents, and technologies within the Irosoft company. It draws on more than 25 years of experience, expertise, and intellectual property, mainly in the legal world. LexRock AI is dedicated exclusively to the development and commercialization of artificial intelligence and language understanding products for various industries, such as the financial and insurance sectors, law firms and legal departments, and the cybersecurity community. 

Alain has been very involved in the ICT ecosystem in Quebec for almost 20 years. He is currently involved with FORUM IA Québec (BOD, Treasurer), IVADO (stirring committee), MILA (startup committee), PINQ (BOD, Treasurer), the University of Montreal (ICT committee), FCCQ (BOD, president of the ICT committee), Groupe 3737 (BOD), Parc Olympique (BOD), and Centris (BOD). He is mainly known for defending the interests of SMEs in information technology while promoting the ICT field. He is also involved as a speaker and columnist (CSCience.ca) in order to raise awareness and democratize artificial intelligence. He is also very proud about LexRock AI being selected by Scale AI, the Canada’s AI Global Innovation Cluster, as part of a delegation of 12 Canadian companies and organizations to promote our national AI ecosystem at the World AI Cannes Festival (WAICF2023). 

As Executive Vice President of Global Government Affairs, Eric Loeb is responsible for leading Salesforce’s government relations, public policy, and public affairs efforts. In the community, Eric is Chair of the Board of the United States Council for International Business and an advisory board member of the SEED School of Maryland and Asia Society – Northern California Chapter. 

Eric’s past roles as AT&T’s International External Affairs SVP, Global Regulatory Counsel for Concert Communications plc, and U.S. Regulatory Counsel for British Telecommunications plc have fostered extensive experience with the policies and politics of governments across the globe. 

Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah is the President & CEO of Dubai Chambers, one of the largest economic development arms in Dubai. In his current role, he oversees the implementation of Dubai Chambers’ strategic initiatives and plans, which aim to improve ease of doing business in Dubai, support businesses expanding globally, attract foreign companies and investment and advance the digital economy. 

Previously, Lootah served as CEO of the Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection for Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, where he was responsible for overseeing consumer protection, business protection, intellectual property protection and commercial compliance. 

He also held several other leadership positions at the Department of Economic Development, namely Deputy CEO of the Commercial Compliance & Consumer Protection Sector, Deputy CEO of the Dubai Export Development Corporation, Executive Director of Corporate Quality and Excellence and Deputy Director of Information Technology Department at Dubai Land Department. 

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Systems Engineering from Arizona State University in the United States and an Executive MBA – Strategic Management from the Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai. 

Dr. Victor Lozinski is the co-Founder and Chairman of the Board at LeverX, a global system integrator and software engineering company.  

Born in Latvia in August 1960, Victor holds a master’s and Dr.-Ing degree from Riga Technical University in Latvia, as well as a Dr.-Ing from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany. He is married. Victor has two sons and currently resides with his family in the United States. 

In 1995, Victor began his professional career as an SAP Consultant at SAP, a multinational software company headquartered in Walldorf, Germany.  

Before establishing LeverX in 2003, Dr. Lozinski occupied several technical and product leadership positions in consulting and product management at SAP SE, SAP Germany, and SAP America. 

Kathryn Lundquist is an economic affairs officer at the World Trade Organization. As part of her duties, Kathryn supports the WTO Micro-, Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise (MSME) Informal Working Group through research and support of Member negotiations. This work include research on MSMEs and trade-related topics, such as MSME references in regional trade agreements, small business and climate change and MSME digitalization. She also helped the Group develop Trade4MSMEs web platform, an online resource for MSMEs and policymakers.  In other parts of her work, Kathryn has focused on MSME digitalization and small business participation in global value chains (GVCs) and has authored chapters in the 2019 and 2021 GVC Development Reports. 

Toki Mabogunje is a business development consultant with a wealth of experience working in the public and the private sectors, giving her a well-rounded perspective of business enterprise in Nigeria, Africa and Globally. She is a seasoned leader with strong board and governance experience. She is currently the Vice Chair Africa for the World Chamber Federation. Her Board leadership experience spans more than a decade. She is a Past President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), a National Vice-President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, and a Trustee, Association of Nigeria Women Business Network; amongst others.  

Toki loves impacting business and society positively. She has impacted small and medium enterprises in Nigeria and across Africa as a Business Development Consultant. Toki has received numerous awards, including the outstanding volunteer award from Fate Foundation and an Achievement award by the Ghana Association of Women Entrepreneurs, for breaking the glass ceiling, amongst others.  

Toki is a Poet and supporter of the arts. In recognition of her support of the arts, the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners awarded her the World Theatre Day Personality and Cultural Ambassador 2014. 

João Aguiar Machado is Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the European Union to the World Trade Organization in Geneva since October 2019.

Before taking up his current position, Mr. Aguiar Machado was Director-General for Maritime Policy and Fisheries at the European Commission, Brussels, since 2015.  From 2014 to August 2015, he served as Director-General of Mobility and Transport at the European Commission. He has 16 years of experience working on trade policy and external relations, where he served as Deputy Director-General at the Directorate-General for Trade at the European Commission.  Mr Aguiar Machado is Portuguese; he studied economics both in Lisbon and at the College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium.

Christoph Mäder grew up in the Canton of Aargau and was admitted to the bar after studying at the University of Basle. After working as a research assistant in constitutional and administrative law at the University of Basle, he worked for the Aargau Chamber of Commerce and Industry for several years before serving as lead legal counsel for Sandoz and Novartis from 1992. In 2000, Christoph Mäder joined the Executive Board of Syngenta, where he was responsible for various corporate functions (including Legal, Tax, Patents & Trademarks, Health/Safety & Environment, Governance, Risk Management & Compliance) as well as for all Group activities in Switzerland until 2018. During his tenure at Syngenta, Christoph Mäder also served for many years as President and Board Member of scienceindustries, the Swiss Business Association of Chemistry, Pharma & Life Science, and Chairman of economiesuisse. Christoph Mäder is a member of the Board of Directors of various national and international companies, such as Baloise Holding, Ems-Chemie Holding and Lonza Group. He is also a member of various advisory boards and holds positions in non-profit organisations. 

Inna Malaia is an expert on visionary leadership, focusing on human empowerment. She has inspired and educated audiences across Europe with the self-leadership and capacity building programmes tailored by her team in Bevel World Company.  

In 2022 Inna has created a transformative programme to support displaced professionals from Ukraine temporary residing in Europe in their integration needs.  

Throughout her career, Inna Malaia has demonstrated deep passion for the development of soft skills matching future work trends, social impact of business, female leadership and a commitment to driving positive change. She has delivered multiple keynote addresses at prestigious conferences, corporate events, and educational institutions. Her speeches offer a blend of inspiration, practical insights, and actionable strategies, leaving audiences motivated and equipped to embrace change and achieve their goals. 

Inna Malaia is an accomplished strategic marketing professional. She has achieved notable milestones throughout 15 years of her career in the international FMCG business. She has earned management certifications from the world’s leading business schools, such as London Business School (UK) and IMD (CH). Inna holds Master’s degree in International Business Administration from the Kyiv National Economic University in her native Ukraine. 

FIDIMA has connected project-holders from Madagascar and Africa, to international investors, since 2014. They will be gathered again at Antananarivo, Madagascar, on 29-30 September.  

100 females and young people will also be selected and tested when creating web apps, chatbots,…They will be able to sell their services to Diasporas through FIDIMA’s web app; or they will be oriented to our Ai partners or investors. 

This FIDIMA initiative will be duplicated in the 12 African countries where VIVENDI opened CanalOlympia areas. 

FIDIMA is supported by French TV channel CANAL +.
FIDIMA is also under the High Patronage of the Economic Development Board Mauritius. 

A pioneer in the field of workplace well-being, Annika Månsson founded Happy at Work in 2008.  

Expert in burnout prevention, corporate well-being management and human-centric leadership development, she has inspired over 10 000 individuals in 22 countries through her coaching, trainings, and conferences. Originally from Sweden, Annika Månsson held several managerial positions in marketing and communication at the Danone Group for over 15 years. She claims that well-being at work is not a luxury. It’s essential for individual and organizational sustainable success. 

Pamela Mar is the Managing Director of the Digital Standards Initiative (DSI) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), based in Singapore. The DSI is a public private partnership backed by the ICC, Asian Development Bank, World Trade Organization, World Customs Organization and the Singapore government, that aims to digitalize global trade by harmonizing and digitalizing supply chain standards, and by building digital readiness across the global trade ecosystem.   

Prior to joining the DSI, Pamela was Executive Vice President for Supply Chain Futures, and then EVP for Knowledge and Applications for the Fung Group, a Hong Kong based multinational supply chain manager where she was also the first Group head of Sustainability. She was named one of Asia’s ten A-list sustainability leaders in 2019, and is a recognized industry leader in this area.  Prior to moving to Hong Kong, Pamela was based in Shenzhen, China, as a Director of Global Finance for TCL Multimedia Technology, the first major Chinese company to go global by buying a major foreign brand. 

Prior to TCL, Pamela ran Greater China for the World Economic Forum, based in Geneva for five years.  Pamela was born in New York and went to university in the USA, but has spent the majority of her life abroad.  She speaks English, French and Chinese, and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Yale University and a M.Sc from the London School of Economics.   

Darlan F. Martí is a trade policy specialist at the Market Access Division of the World Trade Organization (WTO). He has served as Secretary to the WTO Committee on Rules of Origin since 2012 and has, in that capacity, assisted WTO Members during the negotiation of the Bali (2013) and Nairobi (2015) Ministerial Decisions on preferential rules of origin for Least Developed Countries. In that context, he monitors global developments related to origin and also leads the WTO team that examines the linkages between preferential rules of origin and the utilization of trade preferences by LDCs. Before joining the WTO, Mr. Martí worked in the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and in the South Centre. Mr. Martí is a Brazilian national and was educated in the US, UK and France (Master if Laws, LL.M).

Giampiero Massolo is President of the Italian Institute for International Political Studies – ISPI (2017) and President of Mundys/former Atlantia (29 April 2022). A career diplomat, Ambassador Massolo was the Coordinator of the Italian Intelligence Community (2012-2016), the Prime Minister’s personal representative (Sherpa) for the G8 and G20 Summits (2008-2009), the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2007-2012). He is adjunct professor of National security and International relations studies at the School of Government of the LUISS University in Rome. He contributes on international and security matters to the newspapers “La Stampa” and “La Repubblica”.

Michael Mcilwrath is Chair of ICC’s Governing Body for Dispute Resolution Services. He lives in Florence, Italy, where he spent over two decades as the Vice President of Litigation for Baker Hughes Company and General Electric’s Oil & Gas division. In 2021, he founded MDisputes Srl, a company that provides in-house counsel support for international disputes. He is also an adjunct professor at Bocconi Law School in Milan and has been recognized by Arbitral Women as a Champion of Change. 

Peter McMullin AM has an extensive legal and business career encompassing prominent roles in both the public and private sectors. 
 
In business Peter is the Chairman and Director of McMullin Group. A diversified family business based in Melbourne, Australia. Peter is also President of the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) spanning 26 countries in the region with offices in Melbourne, Singapore and Taipei. In 2019 Peter established the Good Business Foundation (GBF) which focuses on supporting inclusive and sustainable small and medium sized businesses in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2022 he was appointed as the President of Timor-Leste, Jose Ramos-Horta to the position of Presidential Envoy – Private Sector and Investment Co-operation for Timor-Leste.  
 
In his legal work Peter is Special Counsel for Cornwalls. Peter also holds Board Director positions with WorkSafe Victoria and the Melbourne Recital Centre. He is also the Honorary Consul of Georgia in Victoria and former Honorary Consul for Timor-Leste in Victoria. 
 
As an active philanthropist supported the establishment of the world’s first academic Centre dedicated to the issue of Statelessness at Melbourne University Law School as well as the establishment of the Science Gallery Melbourne. 

María Mendiluce is the CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition and has 25 years of experience in sustainable development, energy and climate action. The Coalition brings together seven leading international organizations: BSR, The B Team, CDP, Ceres, CLG Europe, Climate Group and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Together, they catalyze business leadership and policy ambition to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon economy.

As chief executive of the Coalition, María is leading on flagship net-zero initiatives encompassing companies of all sizes and several sectors. She sits on the Executive Board of The Science Based Targets initiative that has over 4,500 companies engaged. She actively took part in the founding and is a member of the Board of the Mission Possible Partnership that works to develop decarbonization roadmaps for seven hard-to-abate sectors including cement and steel. María also co-founded the SME Climate Hub that is building a one-stop-shop for smaller companies for their net-zero commitments.

Formerly being the Managing Director and member of the Senior Management Team at WBCSD, María established transformative industry projects. These include the Alliance to End Plastic Waste which pledged $1.5 billion to address plastic leakage to the environment; the Transforming Urban Mobility project to drive clean, safe and efficient mobility for all and WBCSD’s flagship Low Carbon Technology Partnership initiative which was recognized as a key contributor to the Paris Agreement.

She has also held senior positions at the Economic Bureau of the Spanish Prime Minister, in the CEO’s office of Iberdrola and at the International Energy Agency.

Maria has a PhD in energy economics. She is a Commissioner on the Energy Transitions Commission, a board member of the Centre for International Environmental Studies (CIES) in Geneva and she is part of several companies’ sustainability advisory councils.

Charles Milliard holds a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy, a certificate in Economics from Laval University, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from HEC Montréal. He is recognized as an experienced manager with long-standing expertise in public affairs, particularly in the pharmaceutical, health, and life sciences sectors.

Before being appointed President and CEO of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, he served as Executive Vice President at Groupe Uniprix and Vice President, Outreach Strategy – Health at the National Public Relations Cabinet.

In addition to his business accomplishments, Charles Milliard currently serves on several boards of directors in the arts sector, including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Cégep de Lévis Foundation and the Lanaudière Festival.

HENRI ELI MONCEAU is the Director of the Economic and Digital Francophonie (DFEN) of International Organisation of Francophonie (OIF) since December 2019. He is specialist in issues of creativity, innovation and digital governance. 

Within La Francophonie, he worked as Programmatic and Scientific Coordinator of the second World Forum of the French Language (Liège, 2015) as well as a member of the steering committee of the Francophone Innovation Network (FINNOV). He was also the sherpa for the Francophonie of the Minister of Higher Education of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (Meetings of French-speaking Ministers of Higher Education in Paris (2015) and Bamako (2016) – IDNeuf). From May 2017, until January 31, 2020, he has assumed the position of Ambassador and Permanent Representative of OIF to the United Nations in Geneva and Vienna. 

Previously, he held the responsibilities of High Representative of the Governments of Wallonia and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (Belgium) for Fundamental Rights, the Information Society and the Digital Economy (2014-2017) ; Chief of Staff to the Vice-President of the Government of Wallonia and Minister of the Economy, New Technologies and Foreign Trade (2009-2014) ; Advisor for international relations to the Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade of Wallonia (2006-2009); Co-director of the “Multilateral governance and deliberative democracy” program within the international foundation Notre Europe/Institut Jacques Delors (2004-2009) ; Chief of Staff to the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Mobility and Transport of the Belgian Federal Government (1999-2003) and Advisor to the European Commission (Socrates Program) (1996-1999). 

Monica Mpairwe, Technical Officer at the World Customs Organization ( WCO), Brussels, Belgium. Prior to her appointment as a Technical Officer, Monica served as the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) Review Expert at the WCO.

She is  a seasoned Customs practitioner with over ten years of experience and passion in areas such as customs reform and modernization, trade facilitation, regional integration and the like.

She graduated from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law. She was admitted to the Bar in 2011 upon successful completion of her post graduate Bar course in Uganda. She is a lawyer and an advocate. Monica also holds a Master’s degree in international Trade Policy and Law from Uganda Martyrs University, Kampala, Uganda.

Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak is a United Arab Emirates native who for more than twenty years has supported her country’s efforts to realise a more sustainable future while spearheading progressive environmental protection, species conservation, and global climate action. She was elected President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it, in September 2021. She is the second woman to lead the organization in its 75-year history and its first president from West Asia. Her Excellency Razan Al Mubarak serves as UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for the leadership team of COP28 Presidency, which will take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from November 30 to December 12, 2023.  

Her diverse experience leading the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, the largest environmental regulatory agency in the Middle East, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, an international philanthropic organization supporting species conservation projects worldwide, and Emirates Nature – WWF, an Emirates-based NGO focused on citizen engagement, earned her recognition as one of the top 100 Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum in 2018. 

Sergio Mujica joined ISO as Secretary-General in July 2017, having spent 7 years at the World Custom’s Organization (WCO) as Deputy Secretary-General. The WCO aims to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Custom’s administrations worldwide, and within this role Mr Mujica was responsible for the design and implementation of the WCO’s strategic plan. This included simplification, harmonization and standardization of custom’s procedures in addition to capacity building initiatives aimed at the WCO members. This gave him significant experience in an international setting, building consensus within a large membership-based organization.

Prior to working at the World Customs Organization, Mr Mujica spent 15 years working for the Government of Chile with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and as the Director General of Chile Customs. A Chilean national, he has a law degree from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile and a Master’s degree in International Law from the American University in Washington DC.

Anna Nordlander is a renowned speaker, entrepreneur, and marketplace expert with over a decade of experience in digital sales. As an SME Business Champion, Anna actively works to enable the voice of small businesses and to empower SMEs to thrive in the global economy. She is the author of the management book “Amazonkoden“, which provides valuable insights and strategies for succeeding in the complex world of retail and online marketplaces. In 2022, Anna was listed by Market.se as one of “60 Talents Shaping the Future of Commerce”. 
 
With a Master of Laws from Uppsala University, Anna has a solid foundation in legal and business expertise. She serves as a professional board member and is co-founder of Amzello, a consulting company that specializes in helping SMEs digitalize and expand internationally. Anna is also the founder of Femillo, a FemTech startup brand that aims to improve women’s health and wellbeing by providing guidance and quick access to the right healthcare professionals. 
 
Anna is also a mentor for female entrepreneurs, leveraging her experience to empower and support aspiring businesswomen. Her dynamic speaking style and practical insights make her a sought-after speaker for conferences and seminars on digital sales, marketplace strategies, and female empowerment. Anna’s expertise, combined with her passion for helping businesses thrive, has established her as a trusted authority in the industry. 

Patrick Odier has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank Lombard Odier & Co Ltd. since January 1st, 2014. He was Senior Managing Partner of the Lombard Odier Group from 2008 until 2022.

He joined the Lombard Odier Group in 1982 and completed his training in Zurich, New York, and Montreal, before becoming a Managing Partner in 1986. He holds an economics degree from the University of Geneva and an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago.

Patrick Odier is president of Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF). He is also Chairman of Building Bridges. He is member of the Board of economiesuisse (Swiss Business Federation). He was Chairman of the Swiss Bankers Association from 2009 to 2016. He is also a board member of several Swiss and international academic institutions and philanthropic organizations.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the first woman and first African to hold the position in the 75-year history of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the WTO.

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is an economist and international development expert with more than 40 years of experience, whose service includes Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (2016–2020), the African Union’s African Risk Capacity Group (2014–2020), and Co-Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. She was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Rockefeller Foundation. She co-chaired the G20 High Level Independent Panel on Financing for Pandemic Preparedness and was one of the founders of the COVAX Facility, designed to get affordable vaccines to Low and Low Middle-Income Countries. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum and is co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. She is a member of the G30 Group of top 30 people in International Finance.

Previously Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, among other duties, served as Senior Advisor at Lazard Ltd. and sat on the boards of Standard Chartered Bank PLC and Twitter Inc. She served in 2020 as African Union COVID-19 Special Envoy as well as World Health Organization COVID 19 Special Envoy.

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala holds the distinction of being the first woman to serve as Nigeria’s Finance Minister, a post she held for seven years. She also served briefly as the first female Foreign Affairs Minister. As Finance Minister, she implemented policy and institutional reforms to help fight corruption and she spearheaded the complete write-off by the Paris Club of $30 billion of Nigeria’s debt. She spent a 25-year career at the World Bank, rising to the number two position of Managing Director, Operations.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala is the recipient of numerous honors and accolades among which are, being named in 2014 and again in 2021, one of TIME magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the world. She was also featured on the TIME magazine cover page in 2021. She has been named six times by Forbes as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the World and in 2020, was named Forbes African of the Year. In 2021 she was named by Financial Times as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in the World. Dr Okonjo-Iweala was ranked by Fortune as one of the 50 Greatest World Leaders in 2015. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is the recipient of 19 honorary Doctorate Degrees, some of the world’s most prestigious institutions, including Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, Amherst College, Brown University, University of Amsterdam, Luiss University, Italy and Trinity College Dublin.

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from Harvard University, from which she graduated Magna Cum Laude, and a PhD in Regional Economics and Development from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Viktor joined JCI Reykjavík in April 2010, attended JCI European Academy that same year and became Local President in 2011. In 2012 he served as National President of JCI Iceland and since then has held several different positions both within JCI Iceland, JCI Europe and JCI international. In 2016, Viktor served as the Chairperson of JCI European Development Council. In 2017 he served as JCI Vice President, assigned to JCI Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Viktor served as Executive Vice President assigned to Europe in 2019, Chief Executive Assistant to the President in 2020 and JCI Treasurer in 2021. This year he is a member of the Strategic Planning Committee and Chairperson of the Growth and Development committee. He has attended many international JCI events, including 24 Area Conferences and 10 World Congresses. He has been a JCI trainer since 2011 and held training sessions all around the world. 

Viktor was born on the 17th of June in 1983, in Borganes, Iceland. With his spouse Elizes Low, Viktor lives in Reykjavik in Iceland and has a second home in Malaysia. He has studied political science, business administration, auditing and accounting and is running a finance and accounting firm as well as a coaching and training company. 

Dele Kelvin Oye, Esq. is a highly accomplished lawyer with more than thirty three years of experience in litigation and business transactions. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators in Nigeria, having served as the President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and 1st Deputy National President of NACCIMA.  

Mr. Oye is also the President of the Nigerian-Turkish Business Council. With extensive knowledge and experience, he is a valuable asset to any organization seeking advice or representation. Mr. Oye is passionate about promoting trade and investment opportunities in Nigeria and beyond, making him a trusted consultant in his field. 

Subhrakant Panda is Managing Director of Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd (www.imfa.in) which was established in 1961 and is today the country’s leading producer of value added ferro chrome with own chrome ore mines and captive power generation. He serves as Trustee of the Bansidhar & Ila Panda
Foundation (www.bipf.org.in) which is the CSR arm of IMFA and is named after its Founders.

He is President of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), India’s apex business chamber, having earlier served as Chairman of the Odisha State Council and the National Manufacturing Committee. He is Past President (2017‐18) of the International Chamber of Commerce (India Chapter) and is also only the third Indian to have been elected President (2013‐15) of the Paris‐based International Chromium Development Association (ICDA).

Mr Panda graduated with honours summa cum laude from the Questrom School of Business, Boston University in 1993 with a dual concentration in Finance and Operations Management. He has been recognised for his outstanding scholastic achievement by being named to the Beta Gamma Sigma Honour Society for Collegiate Schools of Business and Golden Key National Honour Society.

He is a keen reader and his interests include technology.

Guy Parmelin is a Swiss politician, having previously served as Vice President of Switzerland in 2020. A member of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP/UDC), he has been a Member of the Swiss Federal Council since 2016. Parmelin has served as head of the Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research since 2019, previously heading the Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports between 2016 and 2018. In 2021, he assumed the position of President of Switzerland.

Mr Pathak is Secretary General, FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry), India’s largest, oldest and apex Business Chamber established in 1927. FICCI has corporate members as well as associations representing over 2,50,000 entities covering all Indian states, across large, medium and small industry and businesses.

Prior to joining FICCI in March 2023, Mr Pathak had been CEO/MD of large companies in the private sector as well as in the government in various roles involving execution, financing and strategy. During his 19 years in the corporate sector, he was with ICICI, L&T and IDFC, among others. As an IAS officer for 17 years (1990-2007), he served in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. His assignments included Secretary, Public Works Department, MD of the State Industrial Development Corporation, and Director, Institutional Finance.

In 2022, he transited to the non-profit sector as Director & Professor of Practice at Indian School of Public Policy. Mr Pathak is one of the few Indians who have worked across Government, Business and Academia. He started his career in 1986 with 4 years in investment banking with ICICI and HSBC. He has worked in areas related to private equity investing, international dollars into India from global pension funds, smart cities and urban issues, infrastructure project structuring, finance and execution, and public private partnerships. His passions include public policy, cities, infrastructure and finance.
His industry affiliations include, since 2016, membership of G20’s B20 Task Force, Co-Chair of BRICS Business Council which he joined in 2012, and Co-Chair, FICCI Transport Infrastructure committee, among others. He has over 40 publications on public policy, cities, infrastructure, and finance.

His extensive international exposure includes an Eisenhower Fellowship (2000) as an emerging young Indian Leader to study cities and infrastructure in the United States, an EU Visitor Program (2003) hosted by the European Commission, and a Chevening Fellowship (2011) on Science and Innovation at the University of Oxford.

Mr. Pathak has an MBA from IIM Calcutta, after graduating from SRCC Delhi. He has an LLB, and also a Diploma in Ornithology from BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society). He was the best all-round officer trainee in his Foundation Course at LBSNAA, Mussoorie in 1990. He has scaled a 6831 m peak in the Himalayas and has trekked extensively. He is a dedicated environmentalist and wildlifer, and is committed to sustainable development.

Alison Pearsall is a senior in-house counsel with extensive experience advising multinational corporations on high value/risk arbitration and litigation cases in the energy, waste, and water sectors.  Prior to her in-house career, she served as the Common Law Counsel at the ICC International Court of Arbitration. She has previously exercised in private practice in New York and Paris specializing in international arbitration and complex commercial litigation. She is currently a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR and previously served as a court member of the LCIA and Chair of the New York City Bar Committee on International Trade. Alison is qualified both as a U.S. attorney and as a mediator.

Valerie Picard is Head of Trade at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Based at ICC’s global headquarters in Paris, Ms. Picard leads the development of ICC’s public policy engagement on issues related to trade, customs and trade finance. Previously Ms. Picard was Deputy Director of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, a public private partnership co-led by ICC that delivers targeted trade reforms to make trade simpler, faster and more cost-effective in developing economies. In this capacity, she led ICC’s contribution to the Global Alliance focusing on business engagement and strategic communications. Prior to joining ICC, Ms. Picard practiced law for 20 years both in private practice and in-house, notably advising on legal matters relating to public private partnerships and the development and operation of ports and terminals in Africa and Asia. Ms. Picard holds degrees from Duke University School of Law and Smith College. 

Kamali Rajesh is the Global Head of People and Organization Development for Syngenta Group, based in Switzerland. With a wide range of experience in business partnering, leadership development, executive coaching, business transformation, talent development and culture curation she is currently focused on enabling people strategy for the Syngenta Group. With experience of living and working in different parts of the world including China, India, Thailand, New Zealand, Singapore and Switzerland, she has held several leadership roles with PepsiCo and Ford Motor Company prior to joining Syngenta. Enabling business transformation through helping leaders and teams access their immense inner potential continues to be her passion as a leader. With cross industry exposure (Engineering, FMCG, Automotive, Agriculture) she leads teams in an agile, result orientated and customer centric way. Creating an environment that is empowering and inspiring for everyone to be successful is a mantra that she truly believes in. 

An international leader with diverse interests and roles – as a poet, writer, podcaster and YouTuber – Kamali focuses her writing towards lifting the quality of the human mind which she believes when acts in collective has the power to manifest the transformation in the society. 

Barbara Ramos is Chief of Research and Strategies for Exports at the International Trade Centre (ITC). Prior to joining ITC, Dr. Ramos was the Team Manager and Knowledge Lead at the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, based at the World Economic Forum, where she managed staff responsible for research, data analysis, and monitoring and evaluation. She previously worked for the Inter-American Development Bank, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and USAID. Dr. Ramos has also been lecturing international trade and investment at The Fletcher School for a number of years. She holds a PhD and a MA in International Trade from The Fletcher School (United States) and a MA and BA in International Relations from Universidade de Brasília (Brazil).

Sarah is the Chief Science & Research Officer of dsm-firmenich and a member of the Executive Committee. Previously, she drove Firmenich toward new frontiers of scientific excellence, building on the company’s legacy of industry-leading innovation. By embracing new technology to deliver breakthrough solutions in a fast-changing world, she harnesses a multidisciplinary and global approach to research and development. Sarah combines an extensive background in biotechnology with a strong track record in ingredients and technology development for the consumer goods industry. Prior to joining Firmenich in 2018, she held pivotal roles at Ginkgo Bioworks, Intrexon, and Amyris, having started her career in the field of biology and cancer therapeutics. She holds a bachelor’s in Biology from Harvey Mudd College as well as a master’s in Plant Biology and a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of California, Berkeley, both in the USA. 

Dr. Artane Rizvanolli is a lecturer at Riinvest College since 2007. Upon obtaining her Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 2006, she continued her Master studies in Economics for business analyses in Staffordshire University in the UK. In 2012, she completed her PhD in Economics from Staffordshire University focusing on the relationship between human capital and foreign direct investment in European transition economies. After her six-year engagement as a researcher at Riinvest Institute, she continued her work as a researcher and consultant on economic analyses and policy-making with various local and international organisations in areas such as employment, private sector development, diaspora’s effects on the economy, public finances, etc. 

Daria Robinson studied astrophysics at the University of Geneva and began her career with the European Space Agency, where she set up the external relations department at the time of ESA’s first human spaceflights with Russia. She then ran strategic planning consulting businesses in the US and Switzerland to help academia, governments, international organizations, and businesses jointly develop global science and technology initiatives.  

Daria joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in 2015 to present  the global business efforts at COP21, and stayed on to set up the strategic partnership directorate.  

In 2018, Daria joined the Antenna Foundation, a Geneva-based NGO, to manage the leadership transition bringing safe, affordable technology to developing countries in the areas of health, agro-ecology, water, hygiene, energy, and nutrition. Daria was invited to join GESDA shortly after its creation at the end of 2019. She serves on several boards, including XPRIZE Europe, a strategic partner of GESDA. 

Graduated from the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in 1995, the Manor department store chain appointed him as executive and head of catering. After experience in events at Cassis Management, Gilles Rufenacht was appointed deputy director of the Clinique des Grangettes in 2000. Eight years later, he became its CEO. In 2009, he was also appointed managing director. In February 2019, he was appointed Director of Hirslanden Clinique La Colline and of Grangettes, two clinics of the Hirslanden Group. 

At the associative level, Gilles Rufenacht was between 2012 and 2020 president of Geneve-Cliniques, the association of private clinics in Geneva and very involved in regional health policy issues; member of the academic council of the Haute Ecole de Santé (HEdS), of the council of the Foundation for research for perinatal care and member of the committee of the Iris Foundation, which has for goal the networking of health providers in the canton of Geneva. Finally, his commitment to the economic fabric of Geneva was recognised by the Fédération des Entreprises Romandes (FER), which appointed him a member of the steering committee. Since April 2019, he has also served as President of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

Adam Said has been Co-Founder and Partner of ACE & Company since 2005. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors, he is Chair of ACE’s Investment Committees. Since founding ACE, he has overseen the establishment of the firm’s different product offerings across Secondaries, Buyout, and Venture. Adam served as Chair of the Executive Committee and other operational committees until 2022, laying the groundwork for expansion and growth. 

Prior to co-founding ACE & Company, Adam began his career at UNIFUND, a private family office, as a financial analyst in Saudi Arabia with shared responsibilities over a significant investment portfolio. After, he gained professional experience at CICC in Beijing, China. 

Adam holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an undergraduate degree from Babson College, where he did a double major in Entrepreneurship and Economics. 

Adam is active in social and cultural initiatives, including serving on the Board of the Foundation pour Genève, being a founder of the Global Investment Forum, and serving on several charitable committees. 

In July 2021, Claudia Salomon became the President of the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC Court), the first woman in this role in its 100–year history.   Claudia is widely recognized as one of the leading arbitration practitioners of her generation, with more than 25 years-experience representing parties in some of the most complex, high value and significant disputes.  She brings this experience, representing clients, to her role, with a focus on assuring that the ICC Court has a client mindset.

Claudia is also an independent arbitrator, specializing in international, investor–state and complex commercial disputes.  She is a member of the New York Bar and a solicitor in England and Wales.

She graduated from Harvard Law School, cum laude, and Brandeis University, summa cum laude with honors. She also studied at Somerville College, Oxford University.

Erasmo is a multicultural professional with several years of experience in the design, implementation, and management of international programs aimed to empower diverse groups worldwide. He is an expert at creating strategic partnerships and securing collaborations efforts across sectors aimed to promote inclusive economic growth. As Director of NGLCC Global Division, Erasmo works with over 20 LGBTIQ+ international chambers of commerce to provide best practices, share lessons learned, and create engagement opportunities with stakeholders from the international corporate and public sector, and multilateral organizations to advance supplier diversity initiatives, create awareness for diversity and inclusion (D&I) matters, and support the growth of LGBTIQ+ owned small and medium enterprises (SME’s) throughout the world.

Prior to NGLCC, Erasmo worked at The Washington Center where he led the design and management of ground-breaking professional development and leadership programs aimed to empower rising young civil society leaders and entrepreneurs from the US, Latin America and the Caribbean to become agents of change in their communities. Erasmo also conducted qualitative research assignments at two of the world’s leading Think Tanks, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Brookings Institution where his portfolio focused on analyzing illegal economic activities, sociopolitical challenges, energy, and security matters throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East, and Southeast Asia. He has also provided pro-bono strategic partnerships-building and program planning expertise to rising international civil society organizations.

Erasmo holds a Master of Science in Business and Financial Economics from the University of Greenwich in London where he resided for a few years. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He is originally from Lima, Peru and is fluent in English and Spanish.

CEO of Glue Up, an all-in-one community CRM software platform with a focus on event and membership management, is the leading platform in the US and in emerging and developing markets across Asia and Africa.

As CEO of Glue Up, Eric L. Schmidt is focused on delivering software that transform the way professional communities enable and enrich relationships. Glue Up has offices in 12 countries and clients in over 50. Eric’s focus is to continue building the best product for Glue Up’s clients and expanding the company’s presence in emerging and developing markets around the world. Over the last 20 years, Eric has founded and incubated several companies from the ground up; including China Entrepreneurs which was the top community organization for more than 50,000 entrepreneurs, hosting more more than 100 conferences annually.

Eric was an elected member of American Chamber of Commerce in China’s Board of Governors for three years (2017, 2018 & 2019) and is recognized as an authority on digital transformation and business in emerging markets. He has been featured in media such as The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Baron’s, BBC, CCTV, China Daily, and numerous other outlets.

Eric once traced Marco Polo’s route from Beijing, China to Venice, Italy, 100 days by bicycle – he was appreciatively sponsored by Nike and Philips. Outside of the office, Eric spends time coaching his son’s basketball and lacrosse teams. He also previously lived in China (10+ years) and Guatemala.

Professor Klaus Schwab is Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.

He has championed the multistakeholder concept since the Forum’s inception in 1971. Under his leadership, the Forum has been a driver for reconciliation efforts in different parts of the world, acting as a catalyst of numerous collaborations and international initiatives.

In 1998, with his wife Hilde, he created the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, which seeks to identify, recognize and disseminate initiatives in social entrepreneurship that have significantly improved people’s lives and have the potential to be replicated on a global scale.

The Forum employs over 700 people, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and additional offices in New York, San Francisco, Beijing and Tokyo.

An engineer and economist by training, Professor Klaus Schwab holds doctorates in Economics (summa cum laude) from the University of Fribourg, in Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, and a Masters of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In 1972 he became one of the youngest professors on the faculty of the University of Geneva. He has received numerous international and national honours.

His latest books are The Fourth Industrial Revolution (2016), a worldwide bestseller translated into 30 languages,  Shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution (2018), COVID 19: The Great Reset (2020),  Stakeholder Capitalism (2021), and The Great Narrative (2022).

Commercial Director, Oslo Chamber of Commerce in Norway 

Sissel Skogly is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of working in the international trade, and the development industry.  

Sissel joined the Chamber in 2015, and has held various positions, including the responsibility for the Chamber Services and Global Mobility. She is currently responsible for the strategic and operational development of the Membership Services, Marketing and Communication as well as the Chambers External and International Affairs. 

Sissel is an accomplished speaker and is skilled in international trade, import and export, customs regulations and procedures. She has also proven experience in marketing strategy and management, communication and PR, and corporate social responsibility. 

Prior to joining the Chamber, she held various leadership positions in the global development industry, focusing on fair trade, poverty alleviation, equality, and sustainability. 

She is currently a member of the ICC World Chamber Federation’s ATA Council (ATAC), World ATA Council (WATAC), the Certificate of Origin Accreditation Chain Committee, and the Certificate of Origin Council.  

She is a strong professional with a Bachelor`s degree in International Marketing from BI, Norway, and a Master`s degree in International Marketing specialised in Strategy and International Business from University of Strathclyde, Scotland. 

Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU is a confirmed professional in the digital sector for which she is now responsible in the Beninese government. At 39, she is now an important figure in the digital sector in Africa. A Telecoms & ICT Engineer, a graduate of Télécom Sud Paris, and holder of a Certificate in Public Policy Management and Leadership from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University (New York), Aurelie began her professional career with the SFR company in Paris where she worked on aspects related to service quality. The young engineer then joined the famous consulting firm ACCENTURE as an Information Systems Consultant.

In 2009, back in Benin, she joined the Electronic Communications and Postal Regulatory Authority (ARCEP-BENIN). In this position, she dealt with issues relating to radiocommunications and the management of radio frequencies; which enabled him to take an active and remarkable part in the preparatory work of Benin and Africa for the World Telecommunication Conference of 2015. It was during this conference that Africa obtained the largest amount frequencies than all other regions.

Noted for her leadership, skills and determination, the Global Mobile Industry Association (GSMA) calls on her to build its presence in Africa on regulatory and regulatory issues relating to the mobile sector. As the Principal Public Policy Officer for the Telecommunications sector in Africa, she handled aspects related to the GSMA’s engagement with Governments, Regulators and regional organizations in the African region.

As a Mandela Washington Fellow (MWF YALI) since August 2017 she has been preparing a doctorate in Information and Communication Sciences on the theme “Analysis of policies for the expansion of telecommunication networks and services of ICT in rural areas in Africa” at the Montaigne Doctoral School – Humanities of Bordeaux Montaigne University in France, in order to deepen the question of the challenge of rural connectivity in sub-Saharan Africa and to materialize certain ideas and concepts envisaged.

In October 2017, the President of the Republic of Benin, His Excellency Patrice Talon appointed her as Minister in charge of the digital economy and communication with the ambition of making Benin the digital services platform of the ‘West Africa. When she was appointed, she was 34 years old, the youngest minister ever appointed by President Patrice Talon since taking office on April 6, 2016. In this position, she is involved in the orchestration of stakeholders and institutional actors contributing to the digital transformation of Benin, the acceleration of the public policies essential for an effective implementation of the government’s digital projects and the revelation of a vibrant and dynamic ecosystem in order to raise Benin to the rank of the leading digital countries in the region.

These bold actions earned her her appointment as President of the Francophone Network of Ministers of the Digital Economy (RFMEN), created in October 2018 in Yerevan. She was also appointed by the UN Secretary General as a Member of the Task Force on Digital Finance for the Achievement of the SDGs. Apart from her professional responsibilities, Aurelie has always had a strong involvement in community development, as well as in the implementation of actions undertaken with young people and women.

Anick de Sousa has been working in the field of export services for the past 13 years at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, specializing in business development, partnerships, program digitalization, and marketing. She has recently earned her CITP®|FIBP® accreditation, making her a certified international trade professional. She was also the first graduate of the International Chamber of Commerce World Chambers Federation Certificate of Origin Online Training in 2014. Anick has been working closely with the ICC and Canadian customs authorities to facilitate the digital transformation of the ATA Carnet and the adoption of e-ATA in Canada. She has also led multiple marketing campaigns for this program to regain lost ground during the pandemic and build awareness about this tool within the Canadian exporter community. She has contributed to several training and awareness initiatives with Export Development Canada on a variety of topics, such as ATA Carnets, Certificates of Origin, and Incoterms®. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is part of the ICC’s e-ATA pilot program, as well as the Genesis pilot program. 

Dan Staner, 54, is Vice President, Head of the Middle East Region, and General Manager of Switzerland at Moderna. He is currently responsible for building the Moderna footprint and bringing the mRNA technology across the Middle East geography and further developing the presence and scientific partnerships in Switzerland, being the location of Moderna International HUB.  

At the time of his recruitment in July 2020, Dan was the first Moderna Commercial employee (outside the US), a company that has transformed from a research-stage company advancing programs in the field of messenger RNA (mRNA) to an enterprise with a diverse clinical portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics across seven modalities. Since then and till the end of 2022, he has been busy building a growing team & numerous affiliates across Europe with a range of responsibilities, covering all stages of commercialization, specializing in bringing mRNA vaccines to the markets as the Head of the EMEA region. 

Dan Staner brings nearly 30 years of global pharmaceutical industry experience gained with Eli Lilly. After graduating from HEC, he joined the Indianapolis-based company, where he held various strategic and operational roles in Switzerland, Europe, the US, and emerging markets.  

Piotr Stryszowski is Senior Project Manager at the OECD in charge of the Task Force on Countering Illicit Trade. As the manager of the Task Force, Piotr supervises factual research on the magnitude and scope of illicit trade and on governance solutions to counter this threat. This includes enhancing evidence on illicit trade in counterfeit goods, work on transparency in Free Trade Zones, and factual research on abuse of containerized maritime transport and e-commerce. To advance the Task Force’s goals, Piotr works together with delegates from OECD member countries, industry, academia, and other international organisations.

With more than 15 years at the OECD, Piotr also has profound experience in several economic policy areas other than illicit trade, such as innovation, intellectual property rights, and the Internet economy.

Piotr holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Tilburg University (the Netherlands).

As Director General of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce (CCIG), Vincent Subilia advocates the Geneva business community; he thus promotes and defends the CCIG approx. 2’500 corporate Members, while representing the latter within numerous regional, national and international institutions, including the General Council of the World Chamber’s Federation, as elected Swiss representative. Vincent has equally acted as President of the Swiss Chambers’ Arbitration Institution, and is currently acting within the board of approximately 20 different institutions, e.g. the Swiss Arbitration Center, the Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry and ICC Switzerland.

A qualified lawyer with robust expertise gained in Switzerland and abroad (including in Brussels, London, New York, Beijing and Singapore), 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.

An alumnus of the Graduate Institute of Geneva and co-founder of the Genève International Rotary Club, Vincent has further been elected as Member of the Geneva Parliament.

Matthew Swift is the Co-Founder & CEO of Concordia. Since its inception in 2011, Matthew has grown Concordia into the leading nonpartisan global affairs forum dedicated to forming cross-sector partnerships that address the greatest challenges and opportunities of our time. Hosting summits in New York City, Miami, Bogotá, Athens, Madrid, and London, Concordia actively bridges the divide between the business, government, and nonprofit communities. 

Today, the Concordia Annual Summit in New York City is the largest and most inclusive nonpartisan forum alongside the UN General Assembly. Matthew has interviewed preeminent world figures such as Former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, Former Administrator of USAID Ambassador Mark Green, Former Homeland Security Advisor Frances Townsend, Former President of Colombia Álvaro Uribe, Carlyle Group Co-Founder David Rubenstein, former senior White House advisor Ivanka Trump, and Eurasia Group’s President & Founder Dr. Ian Bremmer, among others. 

Matthew is the host and interviewer of The Swift Hour, a series of short video interviews with prominent government, non-profit, and business leaders like former Secretary of Transportation, Rodney Slater; U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy; Jared Kushner; retired General Wesley Clark; Dr. Susan Harvey; and more. 

Matthew’s career spans the public and private sectors. He is Founder & Managing Partner at Montfort Advisory, a public relations and business development firm providing bespoke executive advisory services led by excellence and guided by a commitment to longevity and social responsibility. 

Prior to founding Concordia, Matthew worked in the media industry, holding positions within News Corporation and its subsidiaries, Fox News Channel, British Sky Broadcasting, and the New York Post. 

Ian Talbot is Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland and Secretary General of ICC Ireland. Prior to those appointments Ian held positions as a Director of Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase in Ireland for 18 years. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse, working in their Dublin and Luxembourg offices, and also holds MA and BBS degrees from Trinity College, Dublin. Ian is Deputy President of Eurochambres – the Association of European Chambers of Commerce. 

Since 1994, Nicolas Tamari has worked for Sucafina, one of the leading coffee merchants in the world. He is currently the CEO. He is active in Swiss commodity trading organisations and was formerly the President of the European Coffee Federation. 

A Harvard Business School OPM Alumni with broad experience in the field of soft commodities, he is also on the board of several companies. 

Daren Tang, of Singapore, assumed his functions as WIPO’s Director General on October 1, 2020.  

In accepting his appointment on May 8, 2020, Mr. Tang pledged that he would be guided by the interests and needs of all Member States. He said that his work and that of the Secretariat will be conducted on the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability. 

Outlining his priorities for the future of the Organization, Mr. Tang said that WIPO’s work will be channeled toward the construction of an inclusive, balanced, vibrant and forward-looking global IP ecosystem that serves the interests of all countries and their stakeholders. 

Prior to his appointment as WIPO Director General, Mr. Tang served as Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS). Mr. Tang also presided as Chair of WIPO’s Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) from May 2017 until his appointment as Director General. 

Mr. Tang is a graduate of the National University of Singapore (Bachelor of Law, Honors) and the Georgetown University Law Center (Master of Laws, Distinction). 

Sibylle Thierer is a Member of the Advisory Board of Häfele, after leading the internationally positioned group of companies from 2003 until 2022 as CEO. Prior to this, she was Managing Director of Häfele Schweiz AG and Häfele Italia srl and also worked for Häfele America in the USA. Sibylle Thierer is actively involved in the chamber network as Vice-President of her local chamber IHK Nordschwarzwald since 2017 and as Vice-President of Eurochambres since 2023. 

Tuuli Timonen is a director in the patent licensing team of Nokia Technologies. She manages licensing of standard essential patents with a particular focus on contentious matters. She negotiates licensing agreements with industry leading technology companies and, where needed, resorts to mediation, litigation or arbitration to preserve Nokia’s intellectual property rights. Ms. Timonen has also sat as arbitrator in commercial arbitration proceedings. Prior to joining Nokia, Ms. Timonen worked for close to a decade in one of the leading international arbitration departments of a global law firm in Paris, New York and Helsinki. Ms. Timonen has published several articles and co-edited books on dispute resolution and governing law related issues – most recently she co-edited and co-authored the book “Dispute Resolution and Governing Law in Oil and Gas Agreements” (2022). She is a member of the ADR Task Force formed under the ICC Commission on Arbitration and ADR and a member of the Board of the Finland Arbitration Institute. 

Jean Todt was born in 1946 in Pierrefort, France. He has one son, Nicolas, and shares his life with actress, film producer and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, Michelle Yeoh. He studied economics, business and marketing at the Ecole des Cadres in Paris. 

He is the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety since April 2015. 

He has been the Chair ad interim of the International Peace Institute Board of Directors since March 2023. 

He is the Chairman of the Suu Foundation Board since 2014. 

He started his career in 1966 as a rally co-driver and participated in the World Rally Championship until 1981. He won the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers with Talbot Lotus in 1981.  

Between 1981 and 1990, he was Director of Racing and Founder of Peugeot Talbot Sport. Between 1990 and 1993, he was Director of Sporting Activities of PSA Peugeot Citroën. 

Between 1993 and 2006, he was Team Principal of Formula 1, Ferrari. Between 2006 and 2009, he was Chief Executive Officer of Ferrari. 

He is the former President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). He was first elected to this post in October 2009 and re-elected in 2013 and 2017 until 2021. 

He also devotes his time to several charitable causes. He is one of the Founders and Vice-President of the Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière (ICM), an institute focused on medical research for brain and spinal cord disorders.   

He was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year Award by the United Nations Association of New York in 2016 and the Lifetime Achievement for Contribution to Road Safety by the European Commission in 2022. 

Soren Toft joined MSC as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in December 2020, reporting to Group President Diego Aponte.

In the role, Soren oversees MSC’s global cargo businesses, including all ocean liner and logistics businesses, and is also a member of the Board of Directors of Terminal Investment Ltd (TiL).

Soren has more than 25 years of experience in the shipping industry. Before joining MSC, he was Chief Operating Officer and a Member of the Executive Board at Maersk, previously holding various leadership positions in Europe and Asia after joining Maersk in 1994. Soren was also Chairman of Hamburg Süd, Maersk Oil Trading, Maersk Container Industry and A.P. Moller Singapore, and Board Member at Maersk Line, Limited. He holds an executive MBA from the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Mr. Maximo Torero Cullen is the Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). He joined the Organization in January 2019 as Assistant Director-General for the Economic and Social Development Department. Prior to joining FAO, he was the World Bank Group Executive Director for Argentina, Bolivia, Chile Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay since November 2016 and before the Bank Mr. Torero led the Division of the Markets, Trade, and Institutions at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). His major research work lies mostly in analyzing poverty, inequality, importance of geography and assets (private or public) in explaining poverty, and in policies oriented towards poverty alleviation based on the role played by infrastructure, institutions, and on how technological breakthroughs (or discontinuities) can improve the welfare of households and small farmers. His experience encompasses Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia.

Mr. Türk is the current United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. He took up his official functions on 17 October 2022. 

He has devoted his distinguished career to advancing universal human rights, notably the international protection of the most vulnerable people. 

Previously, Mr. Türk was the Under-Secretary-General for Policy in the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General where he coordinated global policy work. He also ensured UN system-wide coordination in the follow-up to the Secretary-General’s “Call to Action for Human Rights” and his report, Our Common Agenda, which sets out a vision to tackle the world’s interconnected challenges on foundations of trust, solidarity and human rights. He previously served as Assistant Secretary-General for Strategic Coordination in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (2019-2021). 

As Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at UNHCR in Geneva (2015-2019), Mr. Türk played a key role in the development of the landmark Global Compact on Refugees. Moreover, he held key positions where he served as Director of the Division of International Protection (2009-2015), and Director of Organizational Development and Management (2008-2009). Mr. Türk also served UNHCR around the world, as Representative in Malaysia; Assistant Chief of Mission in Kosovo / Bosnia and Herzegovina, respectively; Regional Protection Coordinator in the DRC and Kuwait. 

Mr. Türk holds a doctorate in international law from the University of Vienna and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Linz, Austria. He has published widely on international refugee law and international human rights law. 

Nicolás Uribe is a lawyer with studies in Colombia, the United States, and Spain. He has held several high positions in the public and private sectors, most outstanding as a Member of the House of Representatives and the High Presidential Counselor for the Colombia Joven Program (Young Colombia). He was also the CEO of an advisory firm on public relations, a professor at several universities, a newspaper columnist, and a radio commentator. 

Mr. Uribe is currently the Executive President of the Bogotá Chamber of Commerce, the ICC World Chambers Federation Chair, and a member of several boards. 

Anupama is passionate about building strategic partnerships to trickle down impact valuation into all major organizations. At GIST Impact, she is responsible for all partnership and development activities for SME360X, a supply chain impact assessment product recently launched in partnership with ICC and UPS. Through her previous roles, she brings a blended experience of having worked with governments and multi-national donors to tackle socio-environmental challenges in environmental development and climate change adaptation. While at ICC World Congress, feel free to reach out to Anupama to discuss impact economics / SME360X / supply chain impact assessment or to simply say hello! 

Tatiana Valovaya is the 13th Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva and the first woman to occupy this position. Ms. Valovaya has more than 35 years of experience in public service, diplomacy and journalism. She began her career in 1983 in the editorial office of the Economic Gazette in Moscow, first as a correspondent and later as deputy editor for the Department of World Economy. She then served at the Permanent Mission of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to the European Union and at the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the EU, with responsibility for financial and economic cooperation. From 1995 to 1997, Ms. Valovaya worked at the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, where she managed relations with the statutory bodies of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). She then served as Head of the Monetary and Financial Policy Directorate at the Ministry for the CIS. 1999-2012, Ms. Valovaya worked in the Government administration of the Russian Federation as Deputy Director and then Director of the Department of International Cooperation. She joined the Eurasian Economic Commission in 2012 as a Member of the Board (Minister), responsible for integration and macro-economic issues. In this capacity, she led on the implementation of integration policies within the Eurasian Economic Commission.

She authored more than 170 scientific and journalistic publications on issues of international monetary and credit relations, European and Eurasian economic integration and multilateral cooperation in the CIS framework.

Philippe Varin started his career in 1978. He held various R&D, Plant and Business Unit Management roles at Péchiney in France and the USA and he was the Group Executive Vice President for the Aluminum sector when he left Péchiney to become the CEO of the Anglo Dutch steel company, Corus in 2003. The Corus turnaround ended with its acquisition by the Indian Group Tata in 2007. Philippe Varin remained two years with Tata, in Mumbai and in London, and he then moved to the French car making group Peugeot Citroen where he was Chairman of the Managing Board between 2009 and 2014. He has  then  been Chairman of the nuclear energy companies Areva and Orano until 2020. He has also been Chairman of « France Industrie » and Vice Chairman of the “Conseil National de l’Industrie” from 2017 to 2021 . Philippe Varin was on the board of Saint Gobain until 2021. In 2020, he was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of Suez that he left in 2022 after the bid of Veolia. 

Philippe has also chaired The World Materials Forum since 2015. He currently chairs the Critical Raw Materials task force for the French Government. He has been appointed First Vice Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce. 

Philippe graduated from Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole des Mines de Paris. He has been appointed officer of the “Legion d’Honneur” and  knight of the national order of  Merit in France , and Commander of the British Empire in the UK.

Liza M. García Vélez is a notary attorney, born on April 28, 1980 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. She graduated from Hatillo High School, the town where she grew up. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Puerto Rico and completed a Juris Doctor at the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico. She has a Master’s Degree in Communication with a specialty in Public Relations from the University of the Sacred Heart. She prepared her master’s project at the European Forum of the Business School in Navarra, Spain. In 2015 she was chair of the Association of Electoral Bodies of Central America and the Caribbean known as the “Tikal Protocol”. She was the first woman to be President of the Puerto Rico’s State Elections Commission (CEE). She managed to implement electronic counting system for the first time in the Primaries, General Elections 2016 and Plebiscite 2017.

She worked from 2002 to 2009 in the House of Representatives as a Press Officer, Legal and Legislative Advisor. She has been an exponent of the Institute of Human Rights in Costa Rica and has participated in international observations in more than 15 countries. She is part of the Executive Committee of the Association of Electoral Magistrates of the Americas (AMEA), in which missions and initiatives are with a gender perspective. García-Vélez is part of a group of electoral experts who do technical missions and electoral support at the international level.

From 2017 to 2020, she returned to his private law practice where she has provided services and strategic business counseling to multiple companies, small and medium-sized businesses, municipal legislatures, government and corporate affairs.

In January 2021, she began working as Director of Legal, Legislative and Government Affairs of the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce. Nine months later, she was unanimously appointed by the Board of Directors as the first woman as Executive Director of the PR Chamber of Commerce, after 109 years of existence. Also, she is currently the Coordinator for International Trade Missions and the private sector advocacy effort in Washington, DC. She lives in Puerto Rico with her husband and their daughter.

Mike van der Vijver is a Meeting Designer and Advisor, Trainer and Coach in Intercultural Management.

Since 2003, he operates as a free-lance designer of international meetings for a wide variety of international clients through MindMeeting, a company he co-founded with Eric de Groot. MindMeeting specialises in the design of effective meeting programmes for international organisations, which includes advice on programmes and formats, and the designs of full conference and meeting programmes.

In connection with his design work, but also independently, Mike presents, moderates and facilitates on average about 30-35 meetings a year. His clients say about his moderation style and approach: “clear, quick and approachable; creates a safe environment and easily puts people at ease; yet comes up with original and effective communication solutions; uncommon capability of capturing and responding to important messages, both verbally and non-verbally; high sensitivity to needs of diverse international audiences.”

He is also a speaker at conferences or during workshops on topics such as: meeting effectiveness, innovative meeting formats, and especially Meeting Design, as well as national culture, organizational culture change. He regularly conducts sessions involving the application of structured creative thinking to business environments. He trains professionals on meeting design, creative thinking and public speaking.

Previously, Mike worked as an advisor, trainer and coach in intercultural management for a wide variety of groups and individuals of many nationalities.

Mike is a native of the Netherlands and still spends a fair amount of his time in his home country, working on assignments for Dutch clients. He is fluent in Dutch, English and Italian and has a fair command of German and French.

He is the co-author (together with his MindMeeting colleague Eric de Groot) of Into the Heart of Meetings, allegedly the first book ever on Meeting Design (2013).

Christina Wainikka is policy expert for intellectual property at the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. She has a background as a legal researcher and is an associate professor. She also has an MBA with a focus on leading innovation. Christina has published several books and is an internationally acclaimed speaker. Her main interest in how innovation and intellectual property is intertwined, especially for the small companies. 

Transformative leader with exceptional skills in business development, marketing, project management and business strategy. The wealth of expertise has been garnered over the last fifteen years working with Multinationals in key economic sectors including in business membership organization, ICT and Telecommunications, social enterprise and manufacturing.   

Has successfully developed and implemented strategies that led to exponential business growth through the development of innovative products, brand visibility and innovative distribution models. 

Consummate marketing and communication professional with a knack for creating and maintaining beneficial networks, partnerships and collaborations that drive business. 

Possesses exceptional leadership skills, an efficient and strategic planner, who ensures the customer and entrepreneur needs are at the core of all business undertaking. Thrives in diverse and challenging environments. 

Holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Sociology from the University of Nairobi and is an Accredited Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, United Kingdom. 

A voracious reader, who is inspired to mentor and coach the next generation of women aspiring to leadership. 

Martin Van der Weide is Policy Advisor on Origin at the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the ICC/World Chambers Federation International Certificate of Origin Council.

M. Van der Weide has served more than twenty years in the Chamber network. He started his career at a regional Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands.

Martin is responsible for the system for electronic Certificates of Origin (CO) in the Netherlands.

M. Van der Weide is also Chair of the International CO Accreditation Committee. The Accreditation Chain affirms that chambers are mutually responsible and globally interconnected, assuring businesses, traders, banks and customs administrations that COs are issued in accordance with international best practices.

M. Van der Weide has studied agribusiness management.

Sophie is a partner in our Human Resources group. She is a highly experienced employment lawyer, having qualified in 2003, who advises clients on complex transactional and contentious matters across a wide range of sectors.

Sophie has worked on numerous outsourcing projects and is focussed on ensuring a smooth transition or transformation of the people aspects of each project.

Her recent transactional experience includes advising on the TUPE aspects of a number of (UK and global) FM and IT outsourcings, advising on the employment aspects of a high profile IPO, the European restructuring of various US headquartered groups and the closure of UK operations of a European wide manufacturing company.

She has written articles on TUPE for Thomson Reuters and Redundancy for Tolleys.

Sophie is a regular speaker at industry conferences and is also a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.

Andrew Wilson is the Global Policy Director at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). In his role, Mr. Wilson oversees ICC’s engagement with international organizations and processes, including the United Nations, the European Union, the World Trade Organization and the Group of 20 while leading the development of ICC’s policy recommendations, practical guidance and standard setting activities. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Wilson was Chief of Staff and Director of Global Communications at the ICC’s headquarters in Paris – during which time, he ran numerous global campaigns, including ICC’s application to obtain Permanent Observer status to the United Nations General Assembly. Previously, he held several roles at ICC’s national committee in the United Kingdom, including Interim Executive Director and Director of Policy, as well as policy roles in the private sector and the Government of the United Kingdom. Mr. Wilson holds degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Leeds. 

Henk started working at the The Hague Chamber of Commerce and Industry in spring 1982. At the time the Netherlands national guaranteeing organization (NGA) for ATA-Carnets. In 1993 Henk moved, together with the ATA Carnet activities to the newly appointed NGA, The Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce, at the request of the Amsterdam Chamber management. In Amsterdam, Henk, among other things, re-developed the national ATA-Carnet manual, making it the first digitalized Chamber manual, developed the national training program for Carnet staff and standardized carnet disputes related activities. 

Near the end of the millennium Henk joined the World ATA Carnet Council (WATAC) followed by working with and for the ATA Administrative Committee (ATAC) from 2004 onwards. After serving (W)ATAC from 2017 to 2022 as Deputy Chair, Henk, since this, year, fulfills the position of Chair. 

The main objectives for the working groups, and thus Henk, are moving the Carnet into the digital era, enhance the uniformity of carnet handling worldwide, both on the Chambers and WCO side of matters, extend the carnet family with more member countries and further streamline the (W)ATAC structure in line with the (new) ICC/WCF By-Laws. 

Stephan Wolf is the CEO of the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (GLEIF). In 2021, he was appointed to an all-new Industry Advisory Board (IAB) as part of the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) Digital Standards Initiative (DSI). In that capacity, he serves as co-chair of the workstream on ‚Trusted Technology Environment‘. Between January 2017 and June 2020, Mr. Wolf was Co-convener of the International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee 68 FinTech Technical Advisory Group (ISO TC 68 FinTech TAG). In January 2017, Mr. Wolf was named one of the Top 100 Leaders in Identity by One World Identity. He has extensive experience in establishing data operations and global implementation strategy. He has led the advancement of key business and product development strategies throughout his career. Mr. Wolf co-founded IS Innovative Software GmbH in 1989 and served first as its managing director. He was later named spokesman of the executive board of its successor IS.Teledata AG. This company ultimately became part of Interactive Data Corporation where Mr. Wolf held the role of CTO. Mr. Wolf holds a university degree in business administration from J. W. Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main. 

Marjorie Yang is the Chairman of Esquel Group, a knowledge-based innovation company that continuously pushes for positive change in the textile and apparel business, expanding into new territory to evolve with the industry and its customers.

As a strong believer in sustainable development and environmental conservation, Marjorie is a member of the High Level Steering Committee of UN Global Compact Action Platform on “Sustainable Infrastructure for the Belt and Road Initiative to accelerate the SDGs” and the Advisory Council of China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED).

She is the appointed representative of Hong Kong, China to APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).  She also serves as Chairman of the Seoul International Business Advisory Council (SIBAC) with the purpose of providing advice to the Mayor of Seoul and joins the Executive Board of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Marjorie is dedicated to promoting education and innovative technologies. She is the Co-chairman of the advisory board of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Chairperson of the Steering Committee of CoolThink@JC, which is created and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. She also serves as a member of various advisory boards including Harvard University, Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, Tsinghua University’s School of Economics & Management, the University of Hong Kong’s Innovation Academy of the Faculty of Engineering and Guilin Tourism University.

Marjorie is an Independent Non-executive Director for Budweiser Brewing Company APAC Limited.

She served as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference from 2003 to 2018 and was the Chairman of the Council of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University for six years until 2015.

She has a Bachelor of Science degree from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School.