Deepak Bagla has a professional career of over three decades, with the World Bank, Citibank, and Private Equity having responsibilities across Europe, Africa and Asia.

He is currently the Managing Director and CEO of Invest India, the National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency promoted by the Government of India. Invest India is also the executing agency for Start-up India and the Prime Minister’s Science and Technology initiative.

He is a member of several High-level Government committees including Fintech and Innovation. Mr. Bagla was on the Investment Committee for the Government US $ 1.5 billion “Fund of Funds for Start-ups” and is on the Advisory Board of the Government $7 billion “Fund of Funds for MSMEs”. He is the President of the Geneva based World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies with membership of 105 countries. He is also a special invitee of the Prime Minister’s Science Technology & Innovation Advisory Council.

Mr Bagla has a bachelor’s degree with Honors in Economics from St Stephens College, New Delhi and a dual Masters in International Diplomacy and International Trade and Finance from The School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington DC.

Mr. Bagla has been conferred “Grande Ufficiale dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia” by the President of the Republic of Italy.

Rizwan Soomar is the Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of DP World Subcontinent. He is an accomplished industry leader with a career spanning over two decades. He has led several companies to rapid growth through his vision, innovative thinking, and passion for execution. In his current role, Rizwan has achieved exemplary success in driving DP World’s transformative vision of becoming an integrated logistics player in the Indian subcontinent. Under his leadership, the company has taken huge strides in creating world-leading logistics infrastructure in India, which includes Container Freight Stations, Inland Container Depots, Private Rail Freight Terminals, Cold Chain, Express Cargo and Free Trade Zones and a suite of world-class digital products which offer integrated logistics solutions across facilities in India and overseas. Apart from his strong business acumen and domain expertise, Rizwan brings with him the experience of leading businesses in different geographies. Prior to joining DP World, he was commercially responsible for Asia and led the South Asia portfolio of APM Terminals based in Singapore. His previous positions include leading Svitzer as their global COO, Managing Director of Maersk in India, and earlier as Managing Director of Maersk in Egypt. In 2010 Rizwan was featured by Business Today as one of the top 25 successful executives in India under the age of 40. Rizwan currently chairs the FICCI National Logistics Committee as well as the CII National Ports & Shipping Committee. He is also Vice Chairman of the UAE India Business Council and a Board Member of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Cécile Billaux has been working for the European Commission for more than 15 years holding various positions in relation to health, climate, development and trade. She joined DG DEVCO/INTPA as Head of the Private Sector, Trade and Investment Unit in end 2020. Before that, she worked for the cabinet of Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan and was previously Head of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Unit in DG TRADE, European Commission.

She also worked as Deputy Head of Unit in charge of Agriculture and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) issues in DG TRADE where she contributed to remove barriers to trade for exports of agriculture products to third countries. In addition, she worked in the cabinet of the current EU Trade Commissioner Cécilia Malmström in the first half of her mandate, from 2014 to 2017, where she notably covered trade relationships with ACP countries, sustainable development and relations with the European Parliament. She also worked in DG Health and Consumer Protection (SANTE) during the first 4 years of her career in the European Commission.

Prior to working for the Commission, she worked in the private sector as a consultant in public affairs for major international companies. She is French and studied political sciences. She also holds a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of government.

Vincent joined OCO Global in May 2022 as the Director for Southern Europe& Africa Vincent has over 20 years of experience in foreign direct investment and international trade. He has worked on several occasions with LDCs – including: Ivory Coast, Togo, Guinea, Democratic Republic of the Congo…Prior to joining OCO, Vincent worked for more than 18 years at EY Advisory, where he has been in particular Project manager for the EY flagship reports “Attractiveness surveys” (Europe, Africa, India, Brazil…) since 2004.Vincent was an Associate Partner and leader of the International Location Advisory Services(ILAS)team at EY, assisting governments (including several LDCs) and investment promotion agencies in the definition of their attractiveness strategies and corporate clients in their site selection process. Vincent also developed an innovative service offering “EY Lead Analytics”, a solution designed to help IPAs accelerate, increase and improve their pipeline of FDI leads. Clients include: UK Department of International Trade, Business France, Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia, etc. Vincent has led 10 to 15 international site selection assessments per year for corporate clients, primarily in EMEIA (including LDCs) and LATAM, for Manufacturing, Research & Development, Shared Service Centres and Headquarters projects.

PILAR MADRIGAL
Director, Investment Advisory
Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency

Pilar Madrigal is the Director of the Investment Advisory at CINDE.

She is an accomplished and strategic-minded professional with comprehensive experience in planning and executing investment promotion and focusing on industry development to create sustainable economic growth. Pilar has worked in CINDE for 24 years. Prior to her current role, she has been Director of International Affairs and Investment Promotion Executive.

In her current role Director of the Investment Advisory, she not only oversees the department’s strategy and activities, but she also has restructured and improved the department in order to transform functions from sales role to a strategic advisor role. Furthermore, she has developed and executed strategic alliances with C-Level Executives, site selectors, and other members who can bring significant value to companies trying to find the optimal location to expand their operations.

Prior to joining CINDE, Pilar was appointed as Third Secretary to the United Nations.  It was during that period that Costa Rica held both the Presidency of the Group of the 77 (G-77) and of the United Nations Security Council.

Pilar studied marketing at the Universidad Internacional de las Américas.

Matthew Stephenson is Head of Investment Policy and Practice at the World Economic Forum, where he manages the Global Investment Policy and Practice initiative, including projects in four countries. He has helped develop the concept of Digital FDI, the first toolkit on outward FDI, measures to increase sustainable investment, and SusTech, or leveraging technologies for sustainable development. Previously he worked at the International Finance Corporation on advisory services for investment policy, where he led the workstream on outward FDI, and co-authored the World Bank Group’s first publication on outward FDI. He has also worked at the OECD on Africa and on investment and was a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, where he led the economic team on Afghanistan and managed economic programs in the Middle East. He is a member of the T20 Task Force on Trade, Investment & Growth and T20 Task Force on Digital Transformation, providing policy proposals to the G20. He is also co-chair of the Investment Facilitation Commentary Group, which advises the WTO, represents the World Economic Forum at APEC’s Investment Expert Group, and part of the U.S. Speaker Program through which the U.S. Department of State sends experts to speak around the world. Matthew has a PhD from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, a masters from the Harvard Kennedy School, and a bachelors from the University of Oxford.

Geraint leads the Interos Resilience Lab team, generating data-driven insights, research and analysis on supply chain disruptions, topical issues and best practices for supply chain risk management.

Geraint was previously a Vice President of Supply Chain Research and Advisory at Gartner, where he worked with senior executives at leading commercial and government organizations through written research, case studies, webinars, inquiry calls, strategy sessions, roundtables and event presentations. His specific areas of focus were sourcing and procurement, supplier relationship management and collaboration, supply chain risk and resilience, and digital transformation.

Prior to Gartner and SCM World, a startup he joined in 2012 and which Gartner acquired in 2016, Geraint was an Executive Consultant at State of Flux, a procurement and supply chain consultancy, where he specialised in supplier relationship management research, training and process design projects for clients in sectors ranging from mobile telecoms to consumer goods and financial services. Geraint also led the firm’s annual global SRM benchmarking study.

The majority of Geraint’s career has been as a journalist and editor in the magazine publishing industry. He spent more than a decade covering the global procurement community as founding Editor of CPO Agenda, an international business review for procurement leaders launched in the spring of 2005. Before that, he spent five years as Editor-in-Chief of Supply Management, the UK’s biggest circulation procurement magazine.

Geraint holds a BA degree in Economics and Politics from the University of Warwick and a postgraduate diploma in periodical journalism from City University, London. He is married with two teenage sons and lives in London, UK.

Todd Greene is an institute fellow and the executive director of WorkRise, a research-to-action network focused on jobs, workers, and mobility hosted by the Urban Institute.  WorkRise funds research on promising practices, policies, and programs as well as undertakes foundational research on labor market trends with the aim of strengthening employers, informing policymaking and practices, and providing genuine economic mobility and security for workers.

Prior to joining Urban in January 2021, Greene was executive director of the Atlanta University Center Consortium Inc. (AUCC), the world’s oldest and largest consortium of historically black colleges and universities. Under Greene’s leadership, AUCC engaged in thought leadership, collaboration, and strategic innovation for each member institution (Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine and Spelman College) and for all members collectively.  He led a team focused on enhancing academic opportunities and other educational experiences for students, forging interdisciplinary research, and catalyzing a broad economic development agenda.  He oversaw numerous programs and initiatives including the AUC Data Science Initiative, the Dual Degree Engineering Program, and the AUC Career Services Office.  He also provided leadership for the University Community Development Corporation, an organization focused on creating sustainable communities through economic and social development initiatives.

For more than 10 years, Greene served as a vice president in the research division of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He led the economic and community development department, responsible for a range of research, policy, and outreach initiatives to promote inclusive economic growth, including community and economic development finance, small business access to credit, affordable housing strategies, and human capital and workforce development.  At a national level, Greene founded and led the Federal Reserve System’s Human Capital/Workforce Development Working Group and conceived of and oversaw the creation of the Federal Reserve Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity.

Previously, Greene was a member of the general faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology, where he served as director of centers and programs related to applied economic development including the Community Policy and Research Services Group; the Center for Economic Development Studies; the Center for Manufacturing Information Technology; and the Program in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy.  He also had oversight for Georgia Tech’s professional development courses for economic developers.

Greene is a noted thought leader and expert on the intersection of economic development, workforce development, and community development and is a frequent speaker at conferences in the U.S. and abroad.  He has published numerous articles and is the co-editor of two books- Transforming U.S. Workforce Development Policies for the 21st Century (2015) and Investing in America’s Workforce: Improving Outcomes for Workers and Employers (2018).

Greene is chairman of the board of directors of the International Economic Development Council and is also chair of the National Advisory Board for the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development.  Greene’s other current board service include the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, and Invest Atlanta (the city of Atlanta’s economic development agency). He is also a member and past chairman of the Georgia Economic Developers Association.   Greene is a certified economic developer (CEcD).  He is an alumnus of the 2003 Leadership Buckhead, 2009 Leadership Georgia, and 2011 Leadership Atlanta programs.

Greene earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and master’s degrees from Washington University and Georgia State University. He has completed executive education programs at Stanford University Graduate School of Business and Universidad ESAN (Lima, Peru).

James Zhan has been Director of Investment and Enterprise at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) since 2009. He also leads the preparation of the annual UN World Investment Report.

Dr. Zhan has rich experience and expertise in trade, investment, technology, entrepreneurship, corporate governance, business facilitation and national development strategies. He has directed extensive research and policy analysis on key emerging issues, facilitated the formulation of outcomes at various summits (e.g. UN, G20, G7, ACP, APEC, BRICS, Commonwealth), and provided technical assistance to governments and institutions (including cabinets and parliaments) in over 160 countries.

Dr. Zhan led the formulation of global guidelines for the new generation of investment policies, which have been used by over 100 countries. These include the Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development, Roadmap for Reforming International Investment Governance, Global Investment Facilitation Action Menu, Guiding Principles for Global Investment Policymaking, and Entrepreneurship Policy Framework. He has been providing guidance for the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (with all major stock exchanges worldwide as its members). He initiated the establishment of the UNCTAD World Investment Forum in 2008.

Dr. Zhan is Trade and Investment Council member of the World Economic Forum, and chief strategist for the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies. He is also editor-in-chief of the journal Transnational Corporations. He has held a number of advisory positions with academic institutions, including Cambridge University, Columbia University Geneva University, and was research fellow at Oxford University. He has published extensively on trade and investment-related economic and legal issues. He is a regular speaker at high-level policy, academic and business forums, as well as parliaments. He appears frequently in international media outlets.

Born in the rural St. Lawrence Valley of New York State, Prof. Shannon Olsson has travelled across four countries and three continents to dedicate herself to listening to nature’s chemical conversations across India’s diverse ecosystems. Her science is committed to laying the foundation for a sustainable India, and her recent studies address ecological agriculture in India’s coffee plantations, the impact of air pollution on our wild animals and insects, the effect of climate change on our ecosystem services, and the bioremediation of our ocean microplastics by marine sponges. A Fulbright Scholar, Ramanujan, and INK Fellow, Shannon’s research has been featured by CNN, Inverse, Cosmos, TEDx, Syntalk, Sci-Illustrate, Dublin Science Gallery, V&A London, Chemical and Engineering News, and the DST Science Express train. Since 2014, Shannon has been a faculty member of National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. After slowly observing her beautiful field sites across India disappear due to climate change, development, or degradation, she realized that as a scientist, she had a choice. Either she could keep studying biodiversity until it disappeared, or she could work with others to find a better way to preserve our ecosystems for the future. That’s when she had the chance to meet the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India. With his advice and encouragement, she started the echo network, an international social innovation partnership with the specific focus of increasing scientific awareness, engagement, and insight for sustaining India’s human and environmental ecosystems. Shannon is, among other pursuits, currently a co-PI in the Biodiversity Collaborative, a founding member of ECOBARI (Ecosystem-based Adaptation for Resilient Incomes) and Global Director of the echo network. She also serves through the echo network’s international hub as Special Scientific Envoy to India with the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences (ATV) in close collaboration with the Danish Innovation Center in India (under the auspices of the MFA and the MHER)

Laurent Sansoucy

Director, OCO Global (Paris, France)

Laurent joined OCO Global, a leading advisory firm for International Trade & Investment Services, in 2006 to open and lead its operations in Paris, France, and to develop the French-, Spanish- and Italian speaking markets. Prior to joining OCO Global, Laurent worked in a variety of foreign investment international strategy and sales & marketing positions spanning both consultancy (Arthur Andersen) and senior IPA/EDO management: for 9 years Director of Italy for the Invest in France Agency (fka AFII/DATAR, now Business France) and for 5 years Director of Marketing & Investment Generation at the Western France Investment Promotion Agency, Ouest-Atlantique. Laurent has worked in Western Europe, North & South America, East Asia, Middle East and Africa, and has cultivated networks and knowledge of doing business in these areas. Strategy work overseas has included inward investment, greenfield and acquisition support, corporate location and investment framework evaluation. Laurent has also been on many occasions a conference speaker on subjects regarding Foreign direct investment, Economic development, Place marketing and Corporate location issues. Government clients include: DIT (United Kingdom), Business France (France), ICE/ITA (Italy), Invest in Finland (Finland), SGE (Switzerland), MITA (Malta), JETRO (Japan), InvestHK (Hong Kong), Austrade (Australia), Invest in Canada (Canada), Enterprise Florida, Missouri DED, City of San-Jose (USA), CORFO (Chile), Uruguay XXI (Uruguay), FIPA (Tunisia), AMDI (Morocco), UIA (Uganda), SAGIA (Saudi Arabia), EDB (Bahrain)… Companies assisted (200+) include: from France: ATR, SAFT, Safran, Daher, Thales, Dassault Aviation, Renault, AXA… from Italy: FIAT (Teksid, Iveco…), Pirelli, Ariston-Thermo, Bormioli-Rocco, Lucart, Sinterama… others: Chromalloy, Lydall (USA), Rohm LSI, Dai Nippon Printing (Japan), Elektrobit (Finland)… Laurent has a Master (“Ingénieur”) from Institut Agro-ENSA Rennes / AgroParisTech-INA ParisGrignon (France).

Andreas Dressler has been active in foreign direct investment (FDI) for over 20 years. He is the managing director of FDI Center, an advisory company that works with countries, regions, cities, industrial parks and special economic zones to implement investment promotion strategies and attract new investment. He is also the founder of Location Decisions, a location advisory firm that assists companies from different industries to select the best locations and sites for their investments worldwide.

Andreas previously founded and managed Terrain, a specialized consulting firm providing services to companies and investment promotion agencies worldwide. Terrain was acquired by Conway Data Inc. in 2013. Following the sale of Terrain, Andreas continued to run the company as a stand-alone division until 2017.

Andreas started his career with KPMG in Washington, DC. helping companies to develop international market entry strategies. He soon shifted focus to advising on location selection for international expansion and moved to KPMG in New York, where he created a specialized cross border investment practice (Global Location & Expansion Services). In 2003, he moved to Frankfurt to build a location advisory group for KPMG in Europe while continuing to coordinate the firm’s global FDI advisory activities. During his time at KPMG, Andreas assisted dozens of companies to select international locations for new manufacturing plants, shared service centers, R&D centers, headquarters and other types of corporate facilities.

Andreas has a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies in Washington DC and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Bath in England.

Dr Henry Loewendahl is CEO of Wavteq. With over 25 years experience in Henry has worked on over 150 IPAs in more than 60 countries. Previous positions include: Managing Director, FDI Products, OCO Global; Manager,  Inward Investment, IBM-Plant Location International; and Senior Consultant, Corporate FDI Strategy, PwC. Henry has led FDI strategies for leading IPAs from across the developed and developing world. Henry has worked with the Board of IDA Ireland and CINDE Costa Rica, ranked the top 2 IPAs in the world. Henry is an FDI expert to the leading international institutions including WTO, UNCTAD, International Finance Corporation, InterAmerican Development Bank, Columbia Center for Sustainable Investment, and ESCAP. Henry has authored some of the most influential studies on how to attract FDI including “Handbook for Investment Promotion” (Columbia University) and “Framework for Investment Promotion” (UNCTAD). He has pioneered the development of industry-leading FDI tools including fDi Markets, fDi Benchmark, IncentivesFlow, InvestmentMap, Amplify CRM, Wavteq Influencers, and Wavteq Institute. Henry is currently focused on developing innovative approaches and tools to implement SDGs and ESGs into IPAs. He has a PhD on Japanese and German FDI (with a VW scholarship), Masters Degree with Distinction in International Political Economy, and a First-Class Honors Degree in Economics & Politics.

George Campanellas is the Chief Executive Officer of Invest Cyprus, the county’s investment promotion agency with the mission to raise awareness of Cyprus as a location for FDI across the globe, providing certainty around all aspects of operating a business in Cyprus and supporting potential investors in developing their business case for investment in Cyprus.

He took up this position in May 2018. Part of his responsibilities is the design and implementation of the Organization’s New Strategy, which concentrates in three main pillars: develop Cyprus as an international ICT business center, an international financial center and attract FDI in key sectors for the development of the economy.

Mr. Campanellas is a Founding Member of the Cyprus Tech Association and Member of the Steering Group of the Cyprus Economy and Competitiveness Council responsible for drafting the National Long-Term Growth Strategy.

Prior to joining Invest Cyprus, George gained valuable experience in the public sector, throughout his role as the Head of Offices for the Minister of Health and the Minister of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism while he has been actively involved in drafting the regulatory framework and incentives for attracting Foreign Direct Investment in sectors of strategic importance to the economy. At the beginning of his professional career, George worked for six years as a Senior Economist in Cyprus for the National Competition Authority and in Brussels for the European Commission.

George holds a Bachelor of International and European Economic Studies, a master’s degree in Oil & Gas and Energy Management and an MBA. Over the last 20 years, he attended several seminars and other executive education programs while he participated in numerous international conferences as a keynote speaker and panelist.

George Campanellas has been elected to the Steering Committee of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) and has the position of the Regional Directorship of Eastern Europe.

Dr Ajay Mathur is the Director General of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

At ISA, his focus is on enhancing solarization of the world, and convincing leaders of the world that solar is the energy supply choice of preference. Towards this end, ISA provides, advocacy; analysis of policy; financial capacity strengthening; and solar project preparation in LDCs and SIDs. 103 countries are today members of the ISA.

ISA is the only international organization headquartered in India, and was created by PM Modi of India and President François Hollande of France at the Paris Climate Negotiations in 2015.

Dr Mathur was earlier in the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, and at The Energy and Resources Institute as its Director General.

Anna-Marie Baisden has headed Fitch Solutions’ Automotive research team since 2005, extensively covering the global autos market. Since late 2021 she has also taken over management of the Infrastructure team, underlining the ‘Connected Thinking’ approach to key areas of research such as the electrification of vehicles and the associated infrastructure. She is responsible for the production and coordination of content and analyst development across the three teams. Anna-Marie has contributed op-ed pieces for leading industry publications such as Automotive World, and is regularly called on for her expertise on major news programs such as the BBC World Business Report and CNBC.

Ms. Agi Veres is the Director of the UNDP Office in Geneva, responsible for UNDP’s external relations and advocacy, as well as UNDP’s Geneva-based policy and programme work.

Prior to this, Ms. Veres served as the Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia (2019-2021) providing leadership, oversight and advisory support to 18 UNDP offices in the Europe and Central Asia region.

Before her regional role, Ms. Veres was posted in the People’s Republic of China as UNDP Resident Representative (2018-2019) and Country Director (2015-2018), where she led UNDP’s development programme, as well as engagement on global development cooperation with China. She also served as Deputy Resident Representative (2011-2015) in UNDP Lesotho, and was assigned to UNDP’s Regional Centre in Bratislava, Slovakia (2006-2011), as Deputy Chief for Policy and Programme, and Senior Programme Coordinator.

Her UNDP career started in UNDP’s Headquarters in New York leading the Corporate Reporting and Business Analysis Team (2005-2006), and ICT Communications (2002-2005).

Before joining UNDP, Ms. Veres worked in the private sector as a Management Consultant for Accenture (1997-2002) in New York and Hungary, in the field of organizational change management.

Ms. Veres is a native of Hungary and has a degree of Master of Sciences in Business Administration from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences (Corvinus University).

Maurizio Tamagnini is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of STMicroelectronics N.V. since June 2020. Previously, he served as Chairman from 2014 to 2017 and as Vice Chairman from 2017 to 2020. STMicroelectronics is a leading semiconductors manufacturer listed on the Milan, Paris and New York Stock Exchanges with a market capitalization of approximately €30 billion. Since 2016, Maurizio is CEO and Managing Partner of FSI, one of the largest European growth equity funds, focused on Italian corporates. FSI investors include sovereign wealth funds from the Middle East, Central Asia and the Far East, leading Italian and European long-term institutional investors, European banks, insurance companies and family offices. From 2011 to 2016, Maurizio served as CEO of Fondo Strategico Italiano. Previously he spent more than 20 years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he has been Head of Southern Europe for the Corporate & Investment Banking division and member of the EMEA Executive Committee. Maurizio has over 30 years of experience in the financial sector specializing in the areas of private equity, mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. He is a member of the International Advisory Board of BIDMC Harvard Medical School. He holds a degree cum laude in International Monetary Economics from Bocconi University in Milan and further qualifications from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy in New York, USA.

Dr. Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento

Director of the Director, Division of Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade, Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation,
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO)

Dr. Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento is the Director of the Division of Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade, Directorate of SDG Innovation and Economic Transformation, at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO.

Dr. Calzadilla has been Director for the Technical Assistance and Training at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). As Director of the Department of Trade, Investment and Innovation, Dr. Calzadilla has been leading the work on quality and standards for trade facilitation, investment for sustainable development and innovation in the context of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).

An experienced manager and global leader, managing 700 staff internationally, With more than 30 years of international experience in global development, his involvement includes working in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Dr. Calzadilla has held position in investment promotion, funds mobilization and social responsibility. Dr. Calzadilla holds a Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from the Vienna University of Economics and Business (Austria).

Armando Heilbron leads Investment Promotion within the World Bank Group researching and developing related knowledge, but also supporting multiple lending and advisory projects to help countries attract, retain and expand FDI across the world.

He has 35 years of global experience in international business, investment promotion, private sector development, and special economic zones working with development organizations, private sector associations, governments, multinationals, and SMEs. He led Investment Promotion at Costa Rican CINDE when researching, strategizing and proactively attracting flagship investments (Intel, Hospira/Abbott and Procter & Gamble), thus anchoring the country’s most dynamic clusters still today (namely advanced manufacturing, life sciences and IT-enabled services). Since then, he has advised multiple Investment Promotion Agencies around the globe, has been mentioned for his work in academic publications, and has several publications on FDI and Investment Promotion.

He is a Fulbright scholar with a master’s degree in international business from the University of California, Berkeley.

Experienced and self-motivated manager bringing forth valuable marketing and promotion experience and a passion for management. With a master’s degree in Finance and a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business. Results oriented with a proven track record of working collaboratively with team members to achieve goals. I consider myself a committed, responsible, organized person, with analytical capacity and passionate about my work being a strong leader with high standards and ethical values.

Nangula, a Chartered Accountant by profession is the CEO of the newly established Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board. The Board, a Public Entity in the Presidency is tasked with the mandate of promotion and facilitating foreign and domestic investments as well as promotion the development of SMEs. Until December 2020, Nangula served as a Partner at PwC Namibia, with over 20 years’ experience in auditing and has served as lead partner on audits of organizations across various sectors and industries . She has also been involved in non-audit work such as consulting on various matters, fraud investigation, assisting clients with budgetary processes, the analysis and interpretation of financial statements, presentations on the roles and responsibilities of directors and a host of other relevant topics. Nangula was named Namibia’s Businesswoman of the year in 2011. Besides playing a role on the Accounting/Auditing Professional Bodies such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Public Accountants and Auditors Board, she also served as a member of the Tax Court Appeal and was appointed as a member of the first Public Office Bearers’ Remuneration and Benefits Committee by the President of the Republic of Namibia from 2006 to 2009. There are many firsts in Nangula’s life – she was the first black female Namibian to qualify as a Chartered Accountant and the first female and first black Namibian to occupy the position of PwC Managing Partner as well as that of President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Namibia. Over the years Nangula has grown a burden concerning the triple challenges of unemployment, inequality and poverty that are facing Namibia. It is this burden that led her to pursue further studies (first the Master in Business Leadership and now Doctor in Business Leadership) with focus on the collaborative role required between the public and private sectors to drive inclusive economic growth and find common solutions to these challenges. It is also this burden that led to her resignation as the Head of PwC Namibia earlier this year and later accepting the President’s appointment to the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board. =TRIM(Table1[@Country])

Zaher Al Qatarneh holds a Master’s degree in International Law from Oxford Brookes University-England, in 2004. H .E Zaher Qatarneh is currently the Jordan Ministry of Investment Secretary General. Before that, during the period (2016 – Oct 2021), Mr Qatarneh was the Deputy Undersecretary for Technical Affaires / Director of Foreign Trade Policies directorate at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply- Jordan he is supervising 4 of the main directorate in the Ministry namely the Industrial Development directorate, Competition department and the National Production Protection department. Previously he worked as the Economic Counselor at the Jordanian Permanent Mission in Geneva for the period (1/2011-2/2016). He has a working experience at several institutions representing both the public and the private sector. He has an experience in trade negotiations at the bilateral and multilateral level, more specifically on negotiating Free Trade Agreements including the Dispute Settlement Protocol with the EU. Mr. Al- Qatarneh chaired different local committees mainly in the field of trade and development including the committee on developing the E-Commerce environment, the Committee on Women empowerment for the year 2016, and serves as the chair of the preparatory working Groups for the bilateral Joint Trade Committees. Having the skills of negotiating and his accumulated knowledge of the FTAs, allowed him to be addressed at the top of many international delegation lists, including his membership in the Jordanian delegation at the High Levels Joint Trade Committees headed by the Prime Minister of Jordan. Mr. Al-Qatarneh Chaired the Trade Related Investment Measures Committee at the World Trade Organization for the period 3/2015-3/2016, this position built over his experience gained when Jordan was the Coordinator at the WTO for the group of Asian developing countries, and the group of the Arab member countries in 2015 and 2014, respectively. Being the representative of Jordan at the WTO and a Member of the Jordanian delegation to the WTO Ministerial Conferences held in Geneva, Bali, Nairobi and Buenos Aires in Biography Name: Zaher Al Qatarneh (Mr.) Date of Birth: 31/Jul/1977 E-mail: [email protected] Marital Status: Married 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 respectively; was a great asset to enhance his knowledge on the multinational trade system. Due to the vital role, Mr. Al-Qatarneh plays in the field of International Trade, he was invited to participate in The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) for the year 2018, which is one of the US Department of State’s premier public diplomacy programs.

Mohammed Juma’a Al Musharrakh is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah), the investment promotions office operating under the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq). Al Musharrakh worked for the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) for 7 years and took numerous posts in the International Affairs Department at SCCI. He joined Shurooq in 2012 as the Head of Investment Promotion and in September 2016, Al Musharrkh was later promoted to Director of the Sharjah FDI office (Invest in Sharjah), before getting promoted to CEO of Invest in Sharjah in 2018. Asside from his role as CEO of Invest in Sharjah, Al Musharrakh was also the Regional Director of WAIPA from 2019 – 2021 Steering Committee for the MENA region, and member of the Steering Committee since 2019. He is also the Board Member of the Sharjah Investors Services Centre (Saeed), and member of the Board of Trustees at Pantheon-Assas University Paris II. Mohammed Juma Al Musharrakh holds a Master’s degree in International Business Management from the Australian University of Wollongong in Dubai, a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the American University in Sharjah. He graduated from the Executive Authentic Leadership Development at the Harvard Business School in the United States, the Executive Leadership Program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in the United States, and the Executive Leaders Programme at the London Business School in the United Kingdom.

Natasha Santos is an accomplished senior public affairs executive with over 17 years’ experience in the agriculture, food and life science industries. Her professional experience includes extensive knowledge in advocacy campaigns, multi-cultural communications, and development of global partnerships. Mrs. Santos has actively promoted corporate reputation and enhanced stakeholders’ relations in companies such as BASF, Mars Incorporated and since 2014, Bayer AG. As an industry thought leader, she has led various association groups and sectorial alliances and positively contributed to policy making and collaboration in areas such as food & nutrition, sustainable agriculture, plant protection, sustainable construction and green building, data protection, trade policy and innovation. At the heart of Mrs. Santos’ work is a passion to place farmers at the heart of food systems transformation. Through the combined scale, resources and commitment of public-private partnerships, she connects with agricultural stakeholders to deliver collaboration opportunities that are able to create meaningful impact toward a sustainable food system that delivers safe, affordable and nutritious food to all. In her current role as Head of Global Stakeholder Affairs & Strategic Partnerships, Natasha and her team are accountable to build and leverage transformational platforms, programs and initiatives to deliver on the sustainable development goals as a company and generate positive value to our stakeholders’ groups and society at large. Natasha Santos holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from UniFMU/Brazil, a postgraduation degree in International Negotiations by UNESP/Brazil and a Master’s in Public Policy and Management by Paulista School of Law (EPD)/Brazil. She holds certifications in global governance and international affairs from the University of Lodz/Poland and the Bucerius Law School/Germany. Mrs Santos is Business at OECD Food and Agriculture Committee, Vice Chair and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Center on Global Food and Agriculture Advisory Board member.

Bogdan Bogdanov has been appointed executive director of InvestBulgaria Agency (IBA) in April 2022.

He holds a Bachelor of Finance from the University of Finance, insurance, business, entrepreneurship and innovation (VUZF)  and a Master of European Business and Finance from UNWE and Nottingham Trent University in the UK. He also studied at West Chester University in the USA.

Business development specialist with over 10 years of experience.

His professional path passes through Bulgarian and foreign companies with a focus on manufacturing with development activity and high value added.

Mr. Mulla Yaqoub is the Assistant Director General for Business Development at Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) and is also representing The State of Kuwait as Regional Directorship for MENA region of WAIPA.

Mr. Mulla Yaqoub has more than 20 years work experience in ME and Africa in brand development, evaluation, research, Channeling, Marketing & Communication strategies, Advising , Corporate communications and PR, retail concepts branding project, PMO and most recently Digital and social Media.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from Kuwait University.

Sarah Russis is global head of sales at fDi Intelligence, the largest Foreign Direct Investment  centre of excellence worldwide: a specialist service from the Financial Times. She has worked  with Government entities, Academics, Research institutions, Multinationals, SMEs and Consulting  firms from over 80 countries.  Sarah and her team help countries, regions and cities around the world to promote their location  as an investment destination, identify new investors as well as build strong business cases through  the use of fDi Intelligence’s state-of-the-art business intelligence and marketing tools. She also  assists corporates and academic institutions in their market and industry research.  For the last 10 years Sarah has been helping to develop the fDi Intelligence tools and is an expert  in using data to create analysis regarding a location’s competitiveness, marketing messages and  brand awareness.  Sarah is regularly invited to participate at international FDI events. She presented at the  MIPIM Real Estate event in Cannes, France, Annual Investment Meeting AIM Dubai and the  United Nations World Tourism Organization Annual General Assembly. Sarah has a Bachelor’s  degree in Applied Foreign Languages from Anglia Polytechnic University in Cambridge, UK  and a Master’s degree in International Business from the University of Cergy-Pontoise, France.

David Akinin is the founder and CEO of Jabu Logistics – a Namibian e-commerce, fintech and last mile distribution startup, powering the way thousands of informal sector retailers source and stock their products in Southern Africa. Retailers are able to increase their sales by 5x, while FMCG brands get access to data they’ve never seen before. The company operates in 5 countries, emerged from Y Combinator in Silicon Valley, and has raised over $18 million in venture capital investments from Tiger Global, Afore, YC, Box Group, FJ Labs, Kli Capital, amongst others. Previously, David founded Atenu Developments in 2014, and FundRoof, with his brother Samuel Akinin, in 2018. Atenu builds privately-funded, affordable housing projects, schools and clinics in towns around Africa, providing integral solutions to first-time home buyers. FundRoof is a fintech providing emortgages in the affordable housing space. David currently serves on the Board of the Africa Union for Housing Finance. Before moving to Namibia, David Akinin worked for Credit Suisse in NYC as an Investment Banker in the Energy industry, and later covering Latin America from Chile and NYC. Previous to CS, he held positions at Google in California, Clarteza in Chicago/Paris, Fundacion Don Juan De Borbon España Israel in Madrid, and Rallytel (startup). Originally from Venezuela, David Akinin is fluent in six languages. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Chicago, where he was a QuestBridge, Coca-Cola and Toyota Scholar. He completed coursework for a Masters in Philosophy in Inclusive Innovation at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, and coursework at Harvard University and Paris VII-Diderot.

With more than three decades of experience in port and terminal operations and management, Mohammed Al Muallem, Executive Vice President – Office of the Chairman, DP World, has led the growth and development of the region’s most important port through a period of major expansions, defining and driving its strategic vision.

Al Muallem was appointed Chairman of the Executive Merging Team of Dubai Ports Authority, Dubai Customs and the Free Zone in 2000 and in May 2004, Executive Coordinator for the Terminal 2 development at Jebel Ali Port.

Mohammed Al Muallem holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering Degree from the University of Portland, Oregon in the US and has completed extensive training at the University of Manchester, Cranfield College in the UK.

In line with the new structure, which incorporated DP World, UAE Region’s Ports, Parks and Free Zones, Logistics, Dubai Trade and World Security, Al Muallem assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director for DP World, UAE Region in January 2017 to explore a new world of opportunities that the supply chain offers.

Since 2019 Member of the Management Board of Polish Investment and Trade Agency. Resposible for FDI investments and operations of the Agency.

Grzegorz Słomkowski has over twenty years of experience in financial and general management, which he gained while working in both international and Polish companies.

He began his career at LG when the company first entered the Polish market, he participating in the creation of the company’s first structures and first production plants.

Then he worked in the Management Consulting Department of Deloitte & Touche. Working on projects related to the implementation of integrated IT management systems, mainly in the financial sector, as well as in restructuring and organizational consulting.

Initially, for several years, he was the Financial Director, and later the President of the Management Board of the Japanese JVCKENWOOD, where he was responsible both for Poland and the entire region. He also held managerial functions in the European and global structures of the organization.

For eight years, Grzegorz was the Chairman of the Council of the Association of Importers and Manufacturers of Electrical and Electronic Equipment – “ZIPSEE CYFROWA POLSKA” – a non-profit employers’ organization associating the largest RTV and IT companies operating in Poland.

For four years, he was the President of the Management Board of a company that distributes Clearplex industrial foils from the American MADICO group.

As a Certified Change Management and Strategy Advisor to companies and adviser to technology startups. He participated in building startup companies in the field of telematics and insurance.

Grzegorz Słomkowski graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of Warsaw University of Technology, Executive MBA in Business from the Business School of Warsaw University of Technology / London Business School / HEC Paris / NHH (Bergen), the Faculty of Management and Marketing of the University of Warsaw, MBA studies from the University of Illinois, the Academy of Psychological Leadership at the Warsaw University of Technology.

Caroline King joined SAP in 1999 to do Executive Communications for Hasso Plattner. She initiated and developed the first Global Public Affairs program, which later became Government Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Today Caroline is Senior Director in Berlin for Government Relations. She is responsible for business development support in international markets via Berlin.

From 2005-2007 Caroline was on leave from SAP and established and ran the German office of the World Childhood Foundation founded by Queen Silvia of Sweden.

Caroline holds a Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA. She did her undergraduate and first graduate degrees at McGill and McMaster Universities in Canada.

Caroline has an extensive international network of influencers in politics, public affairs, CSR and social development. She sits on the Boards of several organizations in Berlin and the US, has taught courses on foreign policy and CSR at the Free University in Berlin, and runs her own communications consultancy in Berlin.

Sara Lisa is the SDG Impact Specialist for UNDP SDG Impact in New York HQ. Sara Lisa’s experience spans systems change, strategy development, and programme management from international humanitarian, development, and private sector organizations. In her current role at SDG Impact, Sara Lisa works with a global team of experts on SDG Impact Standards and SDG Investor Maps to catalyze more sustainable decision-making – with the aim of directing investments authentically towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Prior to her assignment at UNDP, Sara Lisa worked as food systems and gender specialist at the World Food Programme supporting country offices conduct Systems Analysis for Nutrition (previously Fill the Nutrient Gap) processes. She was responsible for providing strategic policy advice, technical analysis, and for facilitating multi-stakeholder engagements to inform social protection, food systems, and health policies and programmes in Bangladesh (national and Cox’s Bazar refugee operation), Burundi (national and refugee operation), Ecuador, Mauritania and Rwanda.
Between 2015 and 2018, Sara Lisa founded a thriving start-up focused on grassroots peacebuilding through sustainable food production and consumption in Bogota, Colombia. Previously, she held a variety of programme management and advisory roles focused rural agricultural development and human rights at WFP in Colombia; UNDP in Cuba; the regional government in Medellin, Colombia; the Norwegian Embassy in Bangladesh; Yara International in Ghana, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development in Rome.
Sara Lisa is a Fulbright Fellow, holds a MPA in Political and Economic Development specialized in Gender Policy from Columbia University, a MA in Sustainable Food Culture and Communications from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy, and a BA in Economics and Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. She is fluent in English, French, Spanish, Norwegian and Italian.

Jenny Chase is the manager of BloombergNEF’s global Solar Insight Service. She joined BNEF mid-2005 and launched the Solar Insight Service in early 2006, and now runs the team from Bloomberg’s Zurich office.

Jenny has conducted or overseen all the research of the Solar Insight Service since 2006. conducts detailed and timely analysis of supply, demand, price, policy and its implications for the solar sector, and extensive technology and economic analysis of solar generation. Jenny is the lead author of BNEF’s quarterly PV Market Outlook, which draws together updates and output of proprietary models to give a detailed account of demand, supply, price, margins and investment activity in the PV industry.

Jenny is the author of a book, Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon, published by World Scientific Publishing in 2019. She holds a BA in Physical Sciences and an MSci in Physics from the University of Cambridge, England, and breeds award-winning West of England geese. She is on Twitter as @solar_chase.

I’ve been working on investment and technology promotion projects at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization since 2005. I’m engaged in a project right now that aims to support the development of digital tools and methodologies for more efficient data collection and utilization to improve the investment aftercare and facilitation services by establishing channels of communication with investors in the ACP region. Prior to this, I worked on projects that were specifically aimed at improving the analytical capacities of the investment promotion institutions in developing economies and coordinated more than 60 data collection exercises across 40 different countries. I oversaw the development of an online system to collect and disseminate the data in partnership with a private sector company. In Turkiye, I started out as an analyst in the treasury department of an investment bank.

Gerhard Adam is the Global Food Value Chain Partnership lead at Bayer. With more than 18 years in the agricultural industry he worked in various functions along food, feed, and fiber supply chains in relation to capacity building, digitalization, strategy, and sustainability. Prior to that he gained valuable experience in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry across commercial, marketing, and IT positions. Gerhard holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Cooperative State University Stuttgart.

He is actively involved in various global food system multistakeholder platforms such as Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI Platform), Roundtable on Responsible Soy (RTRS), GlobalG.A.P. et al.

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world.

Courtney Fingar is editor-in-chief of Investment Monitor, a digital publication focused on foreign direct investment which launched in September 2020 and is part of the media division of GlobalData plc.

Ms Fingar previously spent 15 years with the Financial Times where she was editor-in-chief of fDi Magazine as well as a contributing writer for the FT newspaper. She previously as the editor of Trade & Forfaiting Review, a London-based magazine focusing on trade finance and worked as a journalist in Washington, DC.

She has covered business stories in all major regions of the world and has been on assignment to more than 80 countries in her career. In addition to her editorial experience, Ms Fingar is a popular panellist and moderator at international economic gatherings and has appeared on television and radio in dozens of countries as a commentator on international investment. She has twice been called to give evidence to the UK Parliament as part of inquiries on inward investment.

Ms Fingar has a BA in journalism from the University of Alabama in the United States and an MSc in International and European Politics, with a special focus on political economy and trade issues, from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Githa Roelans Head, Multinational Enterprises and Enterprise Engagement Unit Enterprises Department, International Labour Organization (ILO), Geneva Githa Roelans is the Head of the Multinational Enterprises and Enterprise Engagement Unit since 2013. The unit provides policy advice and technical assistance to governments, employers and workers in ILO member States on the application of the ILO Tripartite Declaration concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration) and plays a central role in ILO’s engagement with enterprises. The MNE Declaration was most recently revised in 2017 through a global tripartite process. The unit leads the ILO’s work on corporate social responsibility/responsible business as a critical component of promoting sustainable enterprises and their contribution to decent work. The unit collaborates with many international organizations, such as the OHCHR, OECD, UN Global Compact, UNDP, UNWomen, UNCTAD, FAO, EU, WAIPA etc. thus contributing to policy coherence on the labour dimension of responsible business.

Githa Roelans joined the ILO in 2007 where she held positions in the Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour and the Bureau for Gender Equality before taking up her current post in the ILO Enterprises department. Previously she worked in the UNIDO Beijing Office (China) and held senior advisory positions in global consultancies in Brussels (Belgium). She is a Belgian national and graduate of the University of Leuven (KULeuven and UCL), where she subsequently held research and management posts. www.ilo.org/mnedeclaration and www.ilo.org/multi

Leo is an experienced economic development and government relations professional who has focused on policy-building initiatives related to foreign direct investment and private sector competitiveness. He has worked extensively with public and private sector stakeholders around the world addressing international trade and investment facilitation. Besides that, he is also a digital media and tech enthusiast.

Leo has collaborated in implementing free trade agreements, negotiating bilateral investment treaties, and enabling international public-private dialogue. He has implemented trade and investment facilitation initiatives in over 45 countries.

Since November 2021, Leo has served as the Deputy Executive Director at Caribbean Export Development Agency, where he leads the Agency’s Subregional Office in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In addition, he is the Programme Manager for the implementation of the Trade and Private Sector Component of the Haiti-DR Binational Programme being implemented by Caribbean Export under the 11th European Development Fund. Prior to this role, Leo was the Deputy Head of Investment Promotion for US East at Invest Hong Kong, where he led the Consumer Products, Tourism & Hospitality, and Creative Industries portfolios for the eastern half of the United States. Leo was also an International Relations Associate within the Government Contracts Team at the Business Council for International Relations (BCIU) in New York City. Before stepping into a leadership position, Leo had worked at Caribbean Export as a Competitiveness and Innovation Advisor. He also served as a Trade and Investment Policy Specialist at the Dominican Republic Export and Investment Center (formerly known as CEI-RD, now as ProDominicana).

Leo’s volunteer work spans across several organizations that range from food security and social justice. He currently is an active volunteer of God’s Love We Deliver. He also served as the President of the Board of Directors of People Theatre’s Project (PTP), a vibrant non-profit that raises awareness of the shared struggles of under-represented communities (primarily immigrant Latinos) through collaborative theatre-making.

Leo holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Boston University and a Doctor of Law from Universidad Iberoamericana in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.