Key speakers
The Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Q.C., M.P., became Barbados' eighth and first female Prime Minister on 25 May 2018.
Ms. Mottley was elected to the Parliament of Barbados in September 1994 as part of the new Barbados Labour Party Government.
Prior to that, she served as one of two Opposition Senators between 1991 and 1994. One of the youngest persons ever to be assigned a ministerial portfolio, Ms. Mottley was appointed Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture from 1994 to 2001.
She later served as Attorney General and Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados from 2001 to 2008 and was the first female to hold that position.
Ms. Mottley is an Attorney-at-law with a degree from the London School of Economics, specialising in advocacy. She is also a Barrister of the Bar of England and Wales.
In 2002, she became a member of the Local Privy Council. She was also admitted to the Inner Bar, becoming the youngest ever Queens Counsel in Barbados.
Mr. Antony Derjacques was appointed Seychelles Minister for Transport on 3rd November 2020.
The following falls under his portfolio: The Department of Land Transport, the Department of Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine, Air Seychelles. Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority, Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority, Seychelles Lands Transport Authority, Seychelles Ports Authority, Seychelles Public Transport Corporation and Vehicle Testing Station.
He is a Lawyer and been in practice for 30 years. He was trained in British Universities.
Mr. Arsenio Dominguez Velasco is Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization. He joined the IMO Secretariat in 2017 as Chief of Staff. In 2020 he was appointed as Director of the Organization's Administrative Division and in 2022 he was appointed Director of the Marine Environment Division.
Mr. Dominguez has extensive experience in the maritime sector, closely related to the work of IMO, and chaired the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) from 2014 to 2017.
Prior to his current post, Mr. Dominguez was the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Panama to IMO, as well as the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) and the International Mobile Satellite Organisation (IMSO) from 1998 to 2017.
Mr. Dominguez holds a Bachelor’s degree in Naval Architecture from Universidad Veracruzana in Mexico. He obtained an MBA in Management at University of Hull and a Certificate of Higher Education in International Law and European Politics from Birkbeck University in England.
Juan Edghill is the current Minister of Public Works with responsibility for infrastructure and transportation (land, maritime and aviation), former Minister within the Ministry of Finance (2011-2015), current Chairman of the Parliamentry Sub-Committee on Economic Services, Member of the Public Accounts Committee and Member of Parliament.
He is an Ambassador for Peace (IIFWP), International Speaker and recipient of the Medal of Service National Award for outstanding service.
He earned a Doctorate in Divinity from Christian Faith University (Nigeria) and completed extensive professional training in Leadership, Mediation, Conflict Management and Resolution.
He is an exemplary Transformational Leader.
In Curaçao politics Charles Fernandes Cooper has held several positions: Commissioner of Health and Social affairs of the island territory, island council member, Commissioner of Infrastructure and Public Transportation of the island territory, Member of Parliament, and currently Minister of Traffic, Transportation, and Urban Planning.
As minister, he focuses on improving the infrastructure with an ambitious multi-year maintenance plan. Other topics that have his attention are aviation, shipping, public transport, living, working, road safety, telecommunications, cyber security, and cyber management. His goal is to create a clear noticeable improvement for a sustainable, livable, and prosperous Curaçao.
After completing his vocational study in electrical engineering, he continued in the Netherlands where he obtained degrees in instrument engineering process techniques, and a bachelor chemical engineering at the university of applied sciences in Breda. In 1992, he received his master degree of chemical engineering at the university of Zulia with support of the Isla refinery.
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.
Mr. Ren Hongbin, Secretary of the CPC Leadership Group and Chairman at the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).
He worked successively as Commercial Counselor (deputy director-general level) in China's Embassy in Hungary, Party Secretary and Vice President of Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, MOFCOM (director-general level), Director-General of the Department of WTO Affairs and Director-General of China WTO Notification and Inquiry Center, Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade and Deputy Director-General of National Mechanic and Electronic Import and Export Office, MOFCOM, Assistant Minister of Commerce and Vice Minister of Commerce.
Gilbert F. Houngbo was elected as the 11th Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) by the ILO’s Governing Body in March 2022.
He is the first person from the African region to have been elected to this post. His primary focus is promoting greater social justice, fighting inequalities and discrimination in the world of work, and achieving better working conditions through national action and building more effective multilateral coordination and leadership.
To achieve this, he is emphasizing universal social protection, decent work in global supply chains and in the platform economy, the fight against child and forced labour, protecting the rights of migrant workers, promoting social dialogue and freedom of association, ensuring just transitions, and attaining gender equality.
Additionally, Gilbert F. Houngbo chairs the Board of the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) and is a board member of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA).
Ms. Amina J. Mohammed is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.
Prior to her appointment, Ms. Mohammed served as Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where she steered the country’s efforts on climate action and efforts to protect the natural environment.
Ms. Mohammed first joined the United Nations in 2012 as Special Adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the responsibility for post-2015 development planning. She led the process that resulted in global agreement around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms. Mohammed began her career working on the design of schools and clinics in Nigeria. She served as an advocate focused on increasing access to education and other social services, before moving into the public sector, where she rose to the position of adviser to four successive Presidents on poverty, public sector reform, and sustainable development.
Ms. Mohammed has been conferred several honorary doctorates and has served as an adjunct professor, lecturing on international development. The recipient of various global awards, Ms. Mohammed has served on numerous international advisory boards and panels.
Gerd Müller, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as of 10 December 2021, has had various leadership positions from an early stage in his career. Between 1980 and 1989, he was a teacher at vocational schools and a civil servant at the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs. From 1989 to 1994, he served as a Member of the European Parliament, during which time he was a member of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Between 1994 and 2021, he served as a Member of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany, and as a member of the Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs and Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development.
In 2005, he was appointed Deputy Minister at the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, in charge of international relations, development projects and world food affairs.
In 2013, he was appointed Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, a position he held until 2021.
Gerd Müller has many years of experience in the fields of multilateral cooperation, sustainability and innovative agriculture. Key focus areas of his work are the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Beijing Declaration on Gender Equality. Furthermore, he is a strong advocate of fair trade, and initiated legislation in Germany and the European Union on social and environmental standards along supply chains.
Key Speakers
Speakers (A-Z)
Kjersti Aass works for the UN Global Compact and leads the Maritime Just Transition Task Force, an initiative started by the International Chamber of Shipping, International Transport Workers' Federation, the International Maritime Organization, the International Labour Organization and UN Global Compact to ensure that shipping's response to the climate emergency puts seafarers at the heart of the solution.
In addition to her work with the UN Global Compact, she serves as Sustainability Development Director at Yara International. This large industrial and crop nutrition company is committed to driving a green transition in agriculture and shipping through clean ammonia production.
Kjersti also serves on the board of Höegh Autoliners, a global shipping company in the RoRo segment. Kjersti's previous roles include working with Doctors without Borders in Ethiopia and Afghanistan, and with the Red Cross in Nepal. She's on the emergency response unit roster of the Norwegian Red Cross.
Ramatu Abdulkadir holds a Ph.D. in Transport Logistics from Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK. Before joining the Kühne Foundation, Ms. Abdulkadir made significant contributions to healthcare supply chain transformations in Nigeria, in collaboration with governments, donors, and private sector partners.
She led the transformation of the Kaduna State health supply chain systems, serving over 10 million people to save lives. She is recognised for her contribution to logistics and supply chain management as a policy analyst, development strategist, circular economy champion, and subject matter expert.
Ms. Abdulkadir is committed to assisting organisations and policymakers in resolving intricate supply chain problems by leveraging her knowledge and experience in creating impactful and sustainable solutions. Her collaborative and result-driven approach has made her a trusted partner in addressing the dynamic landscape of supply chain capacity development. She has been engaged in teaching and supply chain capacity building both locally and internationally.
Noura Al Dhaheri, CEO of the Digital Cluster and Maqta Gateway at AD Ports Group, is a pioneering force in global trade digitalization.
With a vision to simplify trade through Abu Dhabi, she spearheads groundbreaking digital solutions that revolutionize transport and logistics worldwide.
Joining AD Ports Group in 2014, her foresight laid a scalable digital foundation, driving international expansion across 42 countries. Under her leadership, the Digital Cluster drives transformative initiatives, including Abu Dhabi's Advanced Trade and Logistics Platform.
Noura's achievements, recognized with numerous awards, underscore her impact, from Entrepreneur of the Year to Arab Woman in Technology.
A trailblazer, she holds patents and advocates for societal, environmental, and educational progress.
With a PhD in Multidisciplinary Engineering, she empowers women in digital sectors and cultivates talent for the future through initiatives like ATLG. Noura redefines trade and supply chains, pushing boundaries globally.
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.
The Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Q.C., M.P., became Barbados' eighth and first female Prime Minister on 25 May 2018.
Ms. Mottley was elected to the Parliament of Barbados in September 1994 as part of the new Barbados Labour Party Government.
Prior to that, she served as one of two Opposition Senators between 1991 and 1994. One of the youngest persons ever to be assigned a ministerial portfolio, Ms. Mottley was appointed Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture from 1994 to 2001.
She later served as Attorney General and Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados from 2001 to 2008 and was the first female to hold that position.
Ms. Mottley is an Attorney-at-law with a degree from the London School of Economics, specialising in advocacy. She is also a Barrister of the Bar of England and Wales.
In 2002, she became a member of the Local Privy Council. She was also admitted to the Inner Bar, becoming the youngest ever Queens Counsel in Barbados.
Alina Monica Antoci, Senior Private Sector Specialist at the World Bank Group's Trade, Investment, and Competitiveness Global Practice since 2004, led the "Logistics Performance Indicators" project for the "Connecting to Compete - Trade logistics in the global economy" reports.
She authored the "Trade and Transport Facilitation Assessment - A Practical Guide for Country Implementation" and contributed to publications like the World Economic Forum's Global Enabling Trade Report and the World Bank Group "Border Management Modernization."
Currently, she co-leads a book on trade facilitation trends, contributes to high-level policy dialogues, and leads operational implementation of projects in Trade Facilitation, Border Management, and Customs Modernization across 70 countries.
Previously at Harvard, the European Commission, and the Romanian Ministry of Finance, she holds a Master's in Mathematics and Information Technology, a Certificate in International Tax Policy and Administration from Harvard Law School, and a Master's in Public Administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
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.
Naa Densua Aryeetey is currently the Chair of the Trade and Gender Subcommittee, of Ghana’s National Trade Facilitation Committee. She is the Vice President (Maritime) of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and the Global Advisor of the Women in Logistics and Transport (WiLAT).
She is a trained Professional in Trade Facilitation, Trade and Gender, and Trade, Investment, and Climate Change. She holds a Master of Science degree in Maritime Affairs from the World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden, and other professional qualifications.
Naa Densua, worked with the Ghana Shippers’ Authority for almost 30 years dealing with the large, medium, and small-scale importers and exporters to bring solutions to their shipment challenges. She is the founder of the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) Ghana, and a former Director of WISTA International.
Regina Asariotis is Chief of the Policy and Legislation Section in the Division on Technology and Logistics of UNCTAD, where she is responsible for work on transport law and policy, covering a broad range of substantive issues. This includes extensive research, expert dialogue and technical cooperation, on the implications of climate change for maritime transport and trade, with a focus on climate change impacts and adaptation for seaports and other critical transport infrastructure, including in SIDS. Before joining UNCTAD in 2001, Regina was a Senior Lecturer in Maritime Law at the University of Southampton. She holds a German law degree, an LL.M, as well as a PhD from the University of Hamburg and is a Barrister (England & Wales) and Attorney at Law (Greece), as well as Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb).
Mr. Mark Assaf is the Chief of the Human Resources Development Section- TRAINFORTRADE at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva, Switzerland. He holds a Master's in Economics from the Free University of Brussels (Belgium).
Mr. Assaf has over 22 years of experience in International Institutions and private sector multinationals. He oversees major programmes in the field of International Trade Statistics, E-Commerce and Port Management to support sustainable economic development.
Mr. Assaf believes in building sustainable networks of knowledge to enhance national ownership and international cooperation as per SDG 17. He is a strong promoter of digital solutions and innovative thinking to enhance capacities of international trade players. He dedicates his efforts to support development-oriented trade policy to reduce poverty and to promote transparency and good practices within UN member states.
