Taro Boel is currently an Associate Economic Affairs Officer working in the Commodities Branch, Division on International Trade and Commodities of UNCTAD.
He has been involved in a project designed to foster local content in the oil and mining sector through developing linkages between the Transnational companies and the local private sector especially in Angola, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of Congo. He has also conducted research on the access of smallholder farmers to the international markets (UNCTAD Commodities and Development Report 2015) as well as the contribution of diamonds revenues to economic development in Botswana and Sierra Leone (UNCTAD Commodities and Development Report 2017).
Previously, he worked for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) based in Addis Ababa (2008-2012). During this period, he contributed to many substantive reports, including the Economic Report on Africa 2009 “Developing African Agriculture Through Regional Value Chains”, the “Sustainable Development Report on Africa” and the Seventh African Development Forum on Climate Change. He penned and presented a paper titled “risk management strategies and labour productivity in rural Africa” at the Center for the Study of African Economies (CSAE) located at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
He graduated in development economics from the “Université d’Auvergne” in France and successfully passed the National Competitive Examination (NCE) of the United Nations while he was an external collaborator with the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva.
Professor Freddy Boey was previously Deputy President (Innovation & Enterprise) at the National University of Singapore from January 2018 to December 2022, and Provost (January 2011 – December 2017) and Chair of the School of Materials Science and Engineering (January 2004 – December 2010) at the Nanyang Technological University.
As the School Chair of the new school which started in 2000, he transformed the school into a powerhouse of Materials Science in the world in research and education, ranking 6th in QS world subject ranking and 2nd in US News & World Report world ranking in Materials Science by 2016, with an outstanding reputation for generating start-up technologies that can be commercialised. The school has continued to be ranked in the top three globally in Materials Science in recent years.
As Provost of the University, he went on to propel the university from 74th in the 2011 QS World University Rankings to 11th and top in Asia by 2017.
As Deputy President in the National University of Singapore, he transformed the university’s efforts in deep technology commercialisation, increasing the number of deep tech start-ups by 4X in the first three years, through the Graduate Research Innovation Program (GRIP), making it Singapore’s foremost deep tech start-up program.
He was conferred Singapore’s highest Scientific Award, the President’s Science & Technology Medal for lifetime achievement, and the prestigious Imperial College London Faculty of Medicine Fellow award, both in 2013, for his biomedical research achievements. His research team also won the 2014 Singapore President’s Technology Award for using nanostructures with a novel drug delivery approach to combat blindness from glaucoma. As Provost, he built Singapore’s second Undergraduate Medical School, partnering with Imperial College London, for which he received the 2016 Singapore National Day Public Administration Gold Medal. He has also been conferred an Honorary Doctorate from Loughborough University, and Honorary professorships from the University of Indonesia, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications and Nanjing Tech University.
Jenny Bofinger-Schuster was appointed as a full-time member of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) in August 2022, effective 1 December 2022.
Prior to joining the ISSB, Ms Bofinger-Schuster served as Senior Vice President for sustainability and operational excellence at Siemens. In this role she was responsible for developing the company’s sustainability strategy and for implementing new disclosure requirements.
Prior to this she held senior positions at Siemens Management Consulting and Horváth & Partners Management Consultants.
Ms Bofinger-Schuster holds a Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Augsburg and an MBA from the University of Dayton, Ohio.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin took office as Secretary-General of the International elecommunication Union (ITU) on 1 January 2023.
Ms Bogdan-Martin has held leadership positions in the field of international telecommunications policy for over three decades, with a track-record of brokering innovative partnerships to expand digital inclusion and connectivity for everyone around the world. Following her historic election by ITU Member States in September 2022, she became the first woman ever to head the organization, which was first established in 1865 and became a UN specialized agency in 1947.
As Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau for a four-year term starting in 2018, she helped put sustainable digital development at the forefront of international cooperation, including with the private sector and civil society.
From 2008 until 2018, Ms Bogdan-Martin served as Chief of ITU's Strategic Planning and Membership Department, overseeing corporate communications, external affairs, corporate strategy, and membership. Earlier, she headed the Regulatory and Market Environment Division and Regulatory Reform Unit in the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau.
Before joining ITU in 1994, she worked at the U.S. Department of Commerce as a Telecommunication Policy Specialist in the National Telecommunication and Information Administration.
Ms Bogdan-Martin holds a Master's in International Communications Policy from American University in Washington, DC, a post-graduate certification in Strategies for Leadership from the Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, and a certification in Accountability and Ethics from the UN Leaders Programme. She is also a qualified amateur radio operator.
Virginie BOHL is a senior international expert in devising and implementing strategies to optimize the cross-border movement of humanitarian aid.
She worked for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of the United Nations (UN-OCHA) for 20 years and has experience in coordination, preparedness, response, information management and capacity building support.
She is the coordinator of the inter-agency IMPACCT Working group created in 2017. This group represents a network of strategic partners, such as the World Customs Organization, UNCTAD, ITU, IFRC, MSF, Save the Children, Humanitarian Dubai, HELP Logistics, OCHA and the Global Logistics Cluster (currently the host of IMPACCT).
The mission of IMPACCT aims for countries and humanitarian organizations to be prepared to effectively manage customs clearance and importation processes for humanitarian assistance and equipment.
To achieve its mission, partners come together to develop collective and coordinated approaches to support national authorities and coordination mechanisms.
Ambassador Erwin Bollinger is currently the Head of the Swiss Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization and European Free Trade Association in Geneva since 1 September 2023.
From 2018 to 2023, he was Head of Bilateral Economic Relations Division and Federal Council Delegate for Trade Agreements. From 2008 to 2018, he was Head of the Export Controls and Sanctions Section and Deputy Head of the Bilateral Economic Relations Division. From 2005 – 2008, he was Head of Export Control Policy. From 2003 to 2005 he was Deputy Head of Bilateral Economic Relations Europe/Central Asia. From 1999 to 2003, Counsellor at the Swiss Mission to the EU in Brussels.
He joined the Federal Administration in 1992 starting at the former Integration Office FDFA/FDEA, transferring to the former Federal Office for Foreign Economic Affairs, World Trade/WTO Section in 1995.
Between 1989 and 1992. he worked at swissmedic, becoming Dep. Head of the Legal Affairs Service in 1991.
Maria Bolotnikov is currently trade facilitation consultant at UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Prior to joining UNCTAD, Maria was an economic analyst at the governmental agency Business France. There she specialized in enhancing foreign investments in France.
She holds a Master's Degree in International Relations and Foreign Affairs from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, where she specialized in Development Economics.
Richard Bolwijn is the Head of the Investment Research Branch in UNCTAD's Investment and Enterprise Division, based in Geneva. He leads the research for the annual World Investment Reports as well as UNCTAD’s technical assistance on investment promotion and facilitation in developing countries. Prior to joining UNCTAD, Richard was a senior manager in McKinsey & Company, Italy, advising corporate clients across Europe, Africa and the Middle East on strategy and business development. He also worked in the economics group of KPMG Consulting, UK. Richards holds degrees in International Economics from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, and in International Relations from Groningen University in the Netherlands.
Cecile Bonino is Chief of Staff at IFAC, and also bridges global organizations' relationship, policy support, event strategy, and brand visibility. A strategic affairs and communications leader at the intersection of policy, regulation, and global advocacy, she drives global public relations initiatives to elevate the global accountancy profession and strengthen its influence. A lawyer by education, Cecile has over 20 years of experience in public affairs and public relations. Prior to joining IFAC, Cecile worked for 13 years at ACCA, where she headed EU Affairs and the ACCA Brussels office, working with European decision and policymakers, global organizations, media and key influencers. In 2012, Cécile won the “Public Affairs Professional of the Year” prize at the European Public Affairs Awards.