Rebeca Grynspan, of Costa Rica, became UNCTAD's eighth Secretary-General on 13 September 2021 and is the first woman to lead the organization.

Prior to her UNCTAD appointment, she was the Ibero-American secretary-general from 2014 to 2021, also the first woman to head the organization. During her mandate, she has coordinated the 22-member Iberoamerican Conference and led four key summits of Heads of State and Government. 

In 2010 she was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and prior to that was UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.  

Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. Grynspan served as Vice-President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998. She was also Minister of Housing, Minister Coordinator of Economic and Social Affairs, and Deputy Minister of Finance. In 2021 she was named Special International Advisor to the newly created Economic and Social Council of Argentina and invited to join as member of the G20 High-Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

In addition to her experience as a lecturer and advisor to several international organizations, she has been actively involved in key United Nations initiatives, such as the Millennium Project's Task Force on Poverty and Economic Development and the High-level Panel on Financing for Development.  

In 2014 and 2015, she was recognized as one of the 50 leading intellectuals of Latin America.  And she was recognized as one of the 100 most powerful women in Central America by Forbes magazine.

Ms Grynspan holds a degree in Economics by the University of Costa Rica and a MSc in Economics by the University of Sussex. She has been awarded a Doctorate Honoris Causa by the University of Salamanca, the University of Extremadura and the European University of Madrid in recognition of her outstanding professional achievements. 

Johannah Christensen is Chief Executive Officer of the Global Maritime Forum.

The Global Maritime Forum is an international not-for-profit organization committed to shaping the future of global seaborne trade to increase sustainable long-term economic development and human wellbeing. It brings together a broad spectrum of leaders from across the industry to find new solutions to the most important challenges facing the industry today and in the future. The Global Maritime Forum is a Founding Partner of the Getting to Zero Coalition.

Prior to establishing the Global Maritime Forum, Johannah has helped businesses to address global challenges in a variety of different roles at INDEX: Design to Improve Life, at leading Scandinavian think tank Monday Morning, at the World Economic Forum and as an independent advisor.

Patrick Antoine serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Technical Director of the CARICOM Private Sector Organization (CPSO) Secretariat, mobilizing private sector participation in CARICOM.

Patrick Antoine is a respected Caribbean Intellectual and Region Thinker with vast experience in both public and private sectors. As an economist, he has over 30 years of experience across the Caribbean, North America, Latin America and Africa. He has consulted multinational corporations and governments in the Caribbean, Africa, and Latin America on trade, investment, and macro-policy issues.

His extensive roles include serving as Ambassador to various organizations and countries, including the WTO and CARICOM. Dr. Antoine has also been a Special Advisor to the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). He is a director on regional boards and has lectured at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, and authored numerous papers on macroeconomic subjects.

Professor Maximo Quibranza Mejia is the eighth President of the World Maritime University (WMU), a university established within the framework of the IMO and a global centre of excellence for maritime and ocean education, research, and capacity building.

He is the first President from Asia and the first President who is a graduate of WMU. As the Chief Executive Officer, Professor Mejia oversees and directs the academic programmes, operations, and administration of the University.

With over three decades of professional and academic experience, Professor Mejia is a passionate international advocate for the promotion of safe, secure, sustainable, and efficient shipping on clean oceans.

Charles Bud Darr is the Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy and Government Affairs, MSC Group.

An experienced global maritime leader in the areas of policy, government, and related law, Bud Darr is Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy and Government Affairs of MSC Group which operates in 155 countries.

Having served in the US Navy, Merchant Marine, and Coast Guard, as well as being an accomplished ocean yacht racer, Bud’s longstanding connection with the sea and ships is both personal and professional. Bud began his education in Submarine Nuclear Engineering and later obtained his formal undergraduate education at the US Merchant Marine Academy, where he was trained as a Deck Officer. During his service with the US Coast Guard, he studied law at the George Washington University Law School. He most recently led the Maritime Policy efforts of the Cruise Lines International Association prior to joining the MSC Group in 2017.

Today, Bud is engaged across MSC’s Cargo and Passenger divisions, developing the company’s central Government Affairs function, based at the Group’s headquarters in Geneva. He is closely involved in MSC’s response to developments in environmental public policy and regulation and other industry wide issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, maritime security, safety at sea, and international shipping policy.

He serves on the Boards for the UK Chamber of Shipping, BIMCO, International Chamber of Shipping, Liberian Shipowners’ Council, and Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel.

Abdullah AlMunif is the Vice President of Commercial Business at Saudi Ports Authority -MAWANI-, bringing over twenty years of profound experience in the maritime and ports sector, with a focus on shipping and terminal and logistics operations. His impressive tenure at MAWANI is marked by significant achievements, showcasing his relentless dedication and superior leadership skills in the maritime and ports sector.

Before joining MAWANI, Abdullah spent fifteen years at Maersk, a worldwide leader in shipping services. At Maersk, he rose to become the Head of Operations for an essential group of countries, including KSA, Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Iraq. This role demonstrated his outstanding leadership capabilities and operational expertise.

Abdullah's deep knowledge and strategic perspective on the maritime sector establish him as a key influencer in the evolution of port and shipping operations.

Jan joined UNCTAD in 2003 and is Chief of the organization’s Trade Logistics Branch since 2016. The Branch implements research and technical assistance programmes in international transport and trade facilitation.

Previously, Jan worked six years for the UN ECLAC in Santiago de Chile, and two years for the IMO in London and Santiago.

Prior to this, he held part time positions as assistant professor, import-export agent, and seafarer. Jan has studied in Germany, UK, and Spain, and holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Hamburg.

Alicia Taylor is an Investment Management Lead Officer, in the Infrastructure and Energy division at IDB Invest in Trinidad. She is responsible for originating and structuring sustainable development financing projects in the energy, transportation, water and sanitation, and social infrastructure sectors throughout the Caribbean countries in which the Bank operates.

Before joining the IDB Group, she was a Partner at The Phi Group Limited providing financial advisory consultancy services to clients in several sectors including the Financial, Infrastructure, Energy, Hospitality and Manufacturing sectors.

With more than twenty years of experience in the Financial services sector, Ms. Taylor has held several senior positions such as Cash Manager and Trade Head (Caribbean) at Citibank, Assistant Vice President at AIC Finance Limited and Head of Scotiatrust and Merchant Bank Limited. Alicia earned an International Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) from UWI/Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business.

Ms. Stacy Richards-Kennedy is Regional Manager for the Caribbean for the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF). She has over 25 years' experience in multilateral negotiations, development management and international finance. Her diverse experience includes forging strategic partnerships, leading multi-disciplinary teams and marshalling resources for the successful execution of projects in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Stacy formerly served as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Affairs at The University of the West Indies, which is ranked among the top 1.5% of universities globally. She also has extensive experience working in multilateral development agencies. She was Assistant Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten; Chief Technical Advisor, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); Consultant, The World Bank, Washington DC and Programme Specialist, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris.

She holds a Doctorate in Education from The University of Sheffield.

Okechukwu Ihejirika serves as the Acting Chief Operating Officer, Caribbean Office at the African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank). With over 20 years of banking experience, he specializes in trade finance.

Before joining Afreximbank in 2015, he held senior positions in Nigerian banks, including Head of Trade Finance at Union Bank of Nigeria. He holds an MBA in International Business from the American Intercontinental University and a Bachelor's in Actuarial Science and Insurance from the Imo State University.

Additionally, he is certified in International Trade and Finance from the Institute of Financial Services London and holds the Certified Documentary Credit Specialist designation. Okechukwu serves on the ICC Taskforce on Guarantees and the digitization working group of the ICC.

He is a founding member of the African Council of BAFT, chairing its membership committee for the African Council and contributing to the global membership committee.

Andres Pizarro is currently the Head of Transport for South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Prior to working at AIIB, Andres Pizarro was an academic; he ran the Urban Planning Department in the Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento in Argentina where he taught transport policy, urban economics, and spatial planning.

Prior to this, he was Lead Transportation Specialist at the World Bank and earlier he worked in a large consulting firm (EGIS).

Andres Pizarro has worked in all continents and in 40 countries in all transport sub-sectors in policy, planning and engineering.

Avinash Persaud, Special Advisor on Climate Change to the President of the Inter-American Development Bank, has over 30 years of experience in finance, public policy, and academia.

Previously, he was Special Climate Envoy to the Prime Minister of Barbados and an architect of the 'Bridgetown Initiative.

Avinash is a member of the High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance of the COP26, 27 and 28 Presidencies and a member of the first Board of the new Climate Loss and Damage Fund. He previously served as Chairman of the Caribbean Community's Commission on the Economy and Commissioner of the UN Commission on Financial Reform. Avinash also used to be a senior executive at several major banks including J. P. Morgan, State Street and UBS.

An Emeritus Professor of Gresham College in the UK, he is 2024 Perry World Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and has won numerous awards in finance.