ITC - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer / Ghana Export Promotion Authority
- Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority
Dr. Asare has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) since 2018. She has 25 years of experience in management positions in a variety of corporate environments. Dr. Asare was the founder and lead consultant at AYA & Company until 2017. She is an adjunct lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration and a visiting lecturer at the China Europe International Business School.
Past positions include General Manager and Head of Corporate Communications at Ghana Telecom, and positions in public relations and training for the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority. Dr. Asare obtained a doctorate in business administration from the Swiss Business School.
Job Titles:
- Benchmarking and Strategy Expert
Andrea Santoni has 20 years of working experience with Trade Support Institutions (TSIs) in more than 35 countries around the world. He joined the International Trade Centre in 2007 as Organizational Development Adviser focusing on developing and applying capacity building solutions for TSIs. His expertise spans over the entire organizations' life-cycle and involves organizational set-up, assessment as well as managerial and operational processes. He is part of the ITC's Benchmarking team, the ITC's proprietary methodology to measure, compare and upgrade TSI's performance in comparison with globally recognized best practices. Before joining ITC he was head of Communication at the French-Italian International Chamber of Commerce, an agency directly involved in the development of trade promotion and development programmes for SMEs as well as other institutional players. Andrea is graduated in International Relations with a post graduate degree in Business in Emerging Markets. He is fluent in English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Chief, Institutions & Ecosystems
Job Titles:
- Investment Commissioner of Pacific Trade Invest Australia
- Trade and Investment Commissioner
- Trade and Investment Commissioner, Pacific Trade and Invest
As the Trade and Investment Commissioner of Pacific Trade Invest Australia, Mr. Jarvis is an agile, and values-based thought leader with over 25 years' experience leading organisations within Australia and the Pacific. He has extensive expertise in international trade, investment, labour mobility, development and in business advisory.
Mr. Jarvis has a passion to shape the strategic direction of international organisations through best practice collaboration with governments, development partners, private banks, investors, private sector and entrepreneurs.
Mr. Jarvis is an accredited Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and has undertaken Senior Executive roles and Board memberships across Australia and the Pacific.
Job Titles:
- Head
- Chief Executive Officer, Switzerland Global Enterprise
Dr. Simone Wyss Fedele has been the head of Switzerland Global Enterprise since 2019.
Before joining S-GE she served at Novartis as Head of Economic & Swiss Public Affairs. Previously, she worked for Takeda in various international leadership positions (Commercial Lead for Europe and Canada, Head Market Access for Europe and Canada and Head of Global Payer Solutions and Value Demonstration). She has also served as Head Group Public Affairs at Helvetia Insurance and as Chief of Staff for political and economic dossiers and Senior Economist for Novartis. Prior to joining the industry, Simone worked for the Finance Department Basel consulting
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Chief Executive Officer, Agence De Développement Et D'Encadrement Des Petites Et Moyennes Entreprises ( ADPME )
- Director General of the Agency for the Development
Mr. Diabira has been the Director General of the Agency for the Development and Supervision of SMEs (ADEPME) since 2017. Under his leadership, ADEPME achieved its ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications from the Bureau Veritas. He is currently the President of SAPME UEMOA, the West Africa Regional Network of public SME support organisations.
Previously Mr. Diabira served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Priority Investment Guarantee Fund (FONGIP), and as special advisor to former Senegalese Prime Minister Aminata Toure. He founded the Pan African economic intelligence firm Interface Africa which coordinated the Macky Sall's campaign presidential platform in 2012, that became Plan Sénégal Émergent (PSE).
Born in France, Mr. Diabira belongs to the Soninke's diaspora, an ancient West African ethnic group and founder of the empire of Ghana or Wagadou. He is the president of an NGO that promotes this language.
Mr. Diabira holds a master's degree in fundamental physics, petroleum, advanced finance, and e-management from Paris-Saclay, Paris-Dauphine and Stanford Universities.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director / Qatar Export Development and Promotion Agency, Qatar Development
- Executive Director, Qatar Export Development and Promotion Agency
In his current position Mr. Al-Mana provides leadership to QDB's export development, finance, and promotion programs, aiming to empower Qatari SMEs to develop their exportation potentials and reach international markets in line with the National Vision 2030.
Mr. Al-Mana previously held leadership positions at Royal Dutch Shell and Qatar Foundation. He held international posts in Washington DC and The Hague.
Mr. Al-Mana holds a BSc in Finance from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals, and an MBA from HEC Paris. He also received specialized diplomas from London Business School and Brookings Institute.
He is currently the Chairman of Al Shams Advanced Lighting Technologies, Board Member of ELAN, Board Member of International Trade Centre, Board member of Middle East Leadership Academy (MELA).
In his current position Mr. Al-Mana provides leadership to QDB's export development, finance, and promotion programs, aiming to empower Qatari SMEs to develop their exportation potentials and reach international markets in line with the National Vision 2030.
Mr. Al-Mana previously held leadership positions at Royal Dutch Shell and Qatar Foundation. He held international posts in Washington DC and The Hague.
Mr. Al-Mana holds a BSc in Finance from King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals, and an MBA from HEC Paris. He also received specialized diplomas from London Business School and Brookings Institute.
He is currently the Chairman of Al Shams Advanced Lighting Technologies, Board Member of ELAN, Board Member of International Trade Centre, Board member of Middle East Leadership Academy (MELA).
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Programme Officer
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer / Export
- Chief Executive Officer, Export Barbados
- Founder of Innogen Technologies
Mr. Hill has brought a new focus to Export Barbados, formerly known as Barbados Investment & Development Corporation, on exports, innovation and diversification. His vision is to rethink exports and be focused with a purposeful and aggressive approach tailored to build a new export economy in Barbados. His vision for the organization is also shaped by his design background and experience in both the public and private sector, embracing an understanding of design as a strategy, well beyond styling or process.
Mr. Hill is the founder of Innogen Technologies and Biogen Biotechnologies, two research and development companies in the clean technologies market. He is also an MIT-trained product and service innovation specialist using Design Thinking methodology.
Job Titles:
- Director General
- Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency
- Director General, Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency
Mr. Vu Ba Phu is the Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade), Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOIT). Since his promotion to this position, he has been actively steering Vietrade on a path to sustainability, in line with the government strategy and demands of the business community.
Previously, Mr. Phu served as the Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Petroleum Group (PETROLIMEX), where he sharpened his knowledge on business and corporate governance. In other key positions he served as the Director General of the Planning Department, MOIT; the Director General - Minister Counsellor, Head of Commercial Section at the Embassy of Viet Nam to the European Council, Kingdom of Belgium and Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; and the Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Competition Agency.
Mr. Phu holds a master's degree in public management and economics. He has contributed to several publications on policy, e-commerce, the Vietnam trade outlook, and export development for potential export sectors.
Job Titles:
- Business Ecosystem and Networking Expert
Job Titles:
- Executive Director / International Trade
Job Titles:
- Benchmarking and Strategy & Performance Expert
- Senior Programme Officer
Penelope Hurndell is ITC's Senior Programme Officer, Benchmarking and TSI Capacity Building. With over 25 years' experience in both the public and private sectors, Pennie has a strong background in strategy development and implementation, performance measurement, governance frameworks, machinery of government and project management. Pennie was director strategy and measurement at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, and was also responsible for its government monitoring relationship. She has been head of strategy and performance at a national financial institution and has also been responsible for major civil development projects in a capital city. At a large city council, Pennie was responsible for strategic and annual planning and was the strategic advisor to the chief executive on economic and urban development.
Job Titles:
- Trade Support Services Expert
Job Titles:
- Director General / Geneva Chamber of Commerce and Industry