NTFC Session 8: Fostering private sector engagement in National Trade Facilitation Committees

José Raúl Perales is Deputy Director of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation where he oversees a team involved in the design and implementation of all in-country projects.

Raúl previously served as the Assistant Secretary for the Private Sector at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In this role, Perales advised the Secretary on the impact of the Department's policies, regulations, and processes on private sector companies.

Raúl has also served as the Director for the Americas at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, held roles at the Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America and the Wilson Center, and served as trade policy adviser to the government of Puerto Rico.

Wendy is the supervisor of International Relations at the Legal Department of the National Customs of Bolivia. She has several years of experience working with National Customs.

She has excelled in various areas of the customs domain, making significant contributions to technical capacities across Customs administrations, free zones, borders, the central customs office among others.

She is actively involved in the preparation of regulations and manuals for customs operations, Wendy is also a member of the technical secretariat of the National Trade Facilitation Committee of Bolivia.

Edna Ramirez-Robles has 20 years of experience as an international consultant in +58 jurisdictions worldwide. Her expertise is on legal and political issues of international trade and investment. She is the CEO and Founder of GoBizGlobal. She has carried out Technical Assistance Projects financed by USAID, EU, WTO, ICO, IsDB, TradeMark South Africa; UEMOA, IDB, UNDP, CIPE and UNCTAD. She worked at Secretariats of international organizations such as UNCTAD, WTO, and IDB.

Furthermore, she is a Professor at the University of Guadalajara campus Puerto Vallarta (CUC) and she has lectured at American University and worked at Georgetown University and at the Graduate Institute of International Studies.

Edna Ramirez-Robles graduated as a lawyer from University of Guadalajara, Mexico. Her PhD/SJD and LLM from the Universidad Complutense from Madrid (Ortega y Gasset Institute) are on European Studies and specialized on International Trade Law. Moreover, she has authored more than 60 publications.

Michelle Belgrave is Customs and Trade Compliance Director for the Caribbean, at DHL Express, where she oversees the operations of 31 countries and territories to ensure Customs compliance and drives operational efficiency through the implementation of global SOPs. 

Ms Belgrave has made a significant contribution towards achieving meaningful trade facilitation and Customs reforms throughout the Caribbean. She has a longstanding reputation as a business leader and global trade and customs professional.  

In her different leadership roles, she has worked collaboratively with government authorities, business associations, and international organizations, identifying key areas of opportunity to improve the business environment, sharing best practices, and representing the express industry in international fora, including as Lead Representative of the express industry at the Conference of Latin American and Caribbean Express Companies (CLADEC), and currently as a Board Member of AmCham Trinidad and Tobago.

Nirad Tewarie is the CEO of AMCHAM T and T. Nirad is also the Chairman of C15 studios, a Member of the Board of Directors of Aspire Fund Management, and the Loan For Enterprise and Network Development.

He serves as an observer-member of the National Trade Facilitation Committee.

Nirad was formerly the CEO of the T and T Coalition of Services Industries (TTCSI) and a member of the Communications and Public Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK.

He has also served on the board of US-based FinTech startup Fintanium, and of the Telecommunications Authority of T and T, among others.

He holds a BSc. in Mass Communications from Florida International University and an MSc in International Relations from the Institute of International Relations, UWI.

Nirad is trying to be a good husband and father to his three kids and is hoping to leave the world a little better than he found it.

Fabiola Gamboa is a Trade Facilitation Advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica. She is part of the Technical Secretariat of the National Trade Facilitation Committee, responsible for implementing the Trade Facilitation Agreement. She also oversees the Regulatory Commission of said Committee and is qualified as commercial negotiator for international trade agreements, focused on provisions related to Trade Facilitation and Customs Procedures.

Her role in trade facilitation also extends to projects for coordinated border management, infrastructure modernization, regulatory reform, representation of Costa Rica at the World Trade Organization, among others.

Fabiola is a lawyer, graduated from the University of Costa Rica, with a specialty in Banking Law and finance.