Speakers

Mr. Trebucq brings more than 24 years of experience in sustainable development, climate change, social cohesion, peace and development, crisis prevention and humanitarian action with the United Nations and International Organizations. He previously served as the UN Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean states, covering 10 countries and territories and leading a sub-regional team of more than 20 UN Agencies Funds and Programmes. His extensive experience with the UN also includes serving as the UNDP Country Director in Brazil, the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative respectively in Peru and Guyana, and the Team Leader for Crisis Prevention and Recovery with UNDP India.

Before joining the United Nations, he worked as Head of Delegation of the French Red Cross in Colombia and Ecuador, with Doctors Without Borders in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and the private sector in France.

He holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development with a specialization in environmental economics from Imperial College London (UK), and a Maîtrise in Business Administration and Management from the Institut Français de Gestion (France).

With a public sector career spanning over 20 years, he held several positions within the Mexican Government. In 2015 he was appointed as General Administrator of Customs by the President of Mexico, with ratification by the Senate. During his tenure, Mr. Treviño Chapa promoted digitalization of Customs procedures as well as cooperation with other border agencies and with the Customs administrations of Mexico's main trading partners.

Since January 2018, after being elected and re-elected in 2022 by the WCO Council, Ricardo Treviño Chapa has held the post of Deputy Secretary General. During this time he has driven an important change in the Organization through the definition and implementation of the Strategic Plans 2019-2022 and 2022-2025.  

He is now leading the process to define a Modernization Plan, which is an ambitious process to reform WCO governance and accountability to adapt to current global realities and emerging Customs needs. 

Stanley Trief is currently the Manager of the Vanuatu electronic Single Window (VeSW) Project. The VeSW Project is funded by the Enhance Integrated Framework (EIF) and the Australian Government with support from the Vanuatu Government. Using ASYCUDA World as the system’s platform, the VeSW Project commenced in 2019.

Prior to managing the VeSW Project, Stanley was the Manager of Vanuatu’s ASYCUDA World Project from 2016 – 2018. The Project was to upgrade the Customs system in Vanuatu from ASYCUDA++, which Vanuatu was using since 1999, to the latest version of ASYCUDA.

Stanley is a customs manager by profession, managing the Customs Border Control and Enforcement unit of Vanuatu Customs from 2011 to 2015. He is also a qualified Computer Science graduate and was managing the Information, Communication and Telecommunication unit of Vanuatu since 2004 prior to moving to Customs operations.

In the Pacific region, Stanley has conducted multiple Customs modernization assessments in Pacific Island countries since 2006 to 2019, before the borders closed due to the pandemic.

Stanley holds a Bachelor of Science from the New Zealand University of Waikato and a Master of International Customs Law and Administration from the Australian University of Canberra. He is passionate about implementing reform and modernization initiatives in both Customs and in the areas trade of facilitation.

Mr. Francisco J. Trujillo Ramírez is currenlty Director of the Port Authority of Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain. He has held different responsibilities in public and private companies in the economic and financial sector in Gran Canaria.

His professional career has been from Head of Administration and Financial Director in the private sector, Managing Director of the Economic Promotion Society of Gran Canaria, S.A. (2004-2008), Member of the Board of Directors of the Port Employment Center of Las Palmas, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, Secretary of the Board of Directors of Megaturbinas de Arinaga, to Head of the Economic and Financial Division of the Port Authority of Las Palmas (2008-2020).

He is a graduate in Business Management and Administration, Diploma in Economics and Business Sciences, has a Master in Business Taxation INESSE and a Master in Port Management and Planning and Intermodality.

Victoria Tuomisto is a trade facilitation and policy adviser at the International Trade Centre. Since 2016, she has conducted ITC's technical assistance programmes towards the implementation of trade facilitation and policy reforms, notably the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, in Africa and Asia, with a focus on regional integration. Victoria also manages the editorial development of ITC's trade facilitation and policy for business section.

Prior to joining ITC, Victoria worked as an editor and analyst for The Economist Group, where she managed research projects on industry, economics and business topics as well as forecasting for emerging markets across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She holds an MSc in Political Economy and a BSc in Economic History from the London School of Economics.

Therese Turner-Jones is the Director of the Projects Department of the Caribbean Development Bank after managing MaxGwen Ltd, a consulting firm she founded in 2022. Between 2013 and 2022, she worked at the Inter-American Development Bank, where she served as general manager of the Caribbean Group (CCB). Her purview spanned IDB operations in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and her home country, The Bahamas.

Previously, she served the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for over 20 years both at a staff and Board level.

She holds a master's degree in Economics from the University of East Anglia. Her publications include a book on Caribbean Fiscal Challenges. A member of the International Women's Forum, Therese is passionate about financial inclusion, gender equity, children, vulnerable communities and the environment.

She is an ardent champion of development issues facing small island developing states and considers climate change one of the most existential threats of our lifetime.

Pamela Ugaz is an international trade lawyer with over 15 years of experience in trade policy, trade facilitation, regional integration, and project management. She collaborates with the Trade Facilitation Section, UNCTAD since 2013, conducting technical assistance and capacity building projects towards the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement in African Asia and Latin America. She also conducts research on trade facilitation topics. Prior to joining UNCTAD, she worked as Associate Economic Affairs Officer at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and as Legal Affairs Officer at the World Trade Organization. As legal Adviser to the Vice-Minister of Foreign Trade of Peru, she negotiated transparency and dispute settlement provisions in several Regional Trade Agreements between Peru and its trade partners, including the EU, China, the US, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Canada, and the EFTA. Ms. Ugaz holds a Ph.D. in International Trade Law from the University of Geneva and a Master in International Law from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

Jenny Ann Urban is the Managing Director of Air Charter and Maintenance for NATA, the leading association representing the business interests of general aviation service companies on legislative and regulatory matters at the federal level. In this role, Jenny Ann monitors executive branch agency activities and serves as the team liaison to NATA’s Air Charter and Maintenance Committees.

Prior to joining NATA, Jenny Ann was a Manager of Transport and Logistics at PwC Middle East. She advised government executives on aviation regulations and air traffic development throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. She previously served as an associate at the international law firms of Cozen O’Connor and K and L Gates LLP, counseling clients, including airlines, trade associations, airports, and manufacturers on regulatory compliance.

Jenny Ann earned her LL.M. in Air and Space Law, J.D., M.B.A., and B.A. all from the University of Mississippi.

AnneMarie van den Berg of the Netherlands was appointed Assistant Secretary-General for Supply Chain Management, in the Department of Operational Support on 10 April 2023. 

Ms. van den Berg has over 25 years of experience within the United Nations system, leading and coordinating complex logistical and supply chain initiatives. She was the Coordinator of the Global United Nations COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment and Chair of the United Nations System-Wide COVID-19 Medevac Taskforce, which are two of the Secretary-General’s initiatives to provide critical and preventive care to United Nations personnel, their dependents, humanitarian and development partners. 

She also led the Logistics Division in both the Departments of Operational Support and Field Support. Ms. van den Berg began her professional career in logistics and supply chain management in the private sector and served for 13 years at the World Food Programme (WFP), predominantly in emergency response, humanitarian and operational roles in Africa, Latin America and Central Asia. 

She also served at the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS), the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). 

Ms. van den Berg holds a master’s degree in Latin American Studies from Leiden University in the Netherlands, and a Master of Business Administration from the Open University in the United Kingdom. She is fluent in Dutch, English, French and Portuguese.

Jean-Jacques Verdeaux joined the World Bank Group in 2002 as Senior Procurement Specialist in the Africa region and has held various positions including Senior Counsel in the Legal procurement group, Procurement Coordinator for the Andean Countries, Lead Procurement Specialist for the Middle East and Northern Africa. Previously, he was the Senior Procurement Adviser for the Energy Department at the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg.

Hi is currently Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean where he leads a team of 40+ World Bank procurement specialists who supervise operations in 32 countries.  The portfolio includes operations in critical infrastructure, education, environment, health, including the procurement of vaccines during the pandemic.
 
The unit also engages in a dialogue with Borrowers on how to increase the efficiency of their procurement systems in a time of high inflation and need for climate action.
Admitted to the Paris Bar, Jean-Jacques is also a lecturer in international procurement operations and law.