Mag. Peter Geršak is the State Secretary of the Government Office for Digital Transformation of Slovenia.
From mid-2015, he worked as IBM's technical director or chief technology officer (CTO) in Southeast Europe. One of his principal tasks was the promotion of innovation and introduction of new technologies such as cloud computing, data science and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and enterprise blockchain technology. He was a member of the supervisory board at the Ljubljana University Incubator until 2020, when his term of office expired. He joined the Ministry for Digital Transformation on 31 August 2021 as State Secretary and IT solutions expert, having previously been State Secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration.
He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana (mechatronics programme) in 1997, obtaining a university degree in mechanical engineering. In 2005, he gained the title of Master of Science at the Faculty of Economics (information and management studies programme).
Natnael Getachew Muluye is a dedicated and driven undergraduate student at Addis Ababa University School of Commerce, specializing in the field of Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
Hailing from the vibrant nation of Ethiopia, he is deeply passionate about utilizing his knowledge to contribute to his country's sustainable development. With a passion for sustainable solutions, Natnael is committed to making a positive impact in the world of international trade and development.
Throughout his academic journey, he has developed a deep understanding of the intricate dynamics and challenges within the logistics and supply chain industry. Natnael is particularly interested in exploring sustainable practices that promote economic growth while minimizing environmental impact. With his dedication to sustainable development and expertise in logistics and supply chain management, Natnael is well-equipped to address the complex challenges faced by Ethiopia and contribute to the global efforts in building a more sustainable and inclusive future.
Gegham Gevorgyan is the Chairman of Competition Protection Commission of the Republic of Armenia since 2019. Prior to his current position he was the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia, Executive Director of Agricultural Development Fund, Project Manager of “Trade Promotion and Quality Infrastructure” Project of World Bank and RA Ministry of Economic Development and Investments, Chief lawyer of State Agency “National Centre for Legislative Regulation” at the Staff of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, EU Law lecturer at Public Administration Academy of Armenia, Short-term Expert at OSCE Office in Yerevan.
He got his Master of Law at Yerevan State University, after he continued his postgraduate study (research topic: “The problems of Legal Regulation of Concentrations in the European Union”) at Faculty of Law of the Public Administration Academy of RA. He holds a PHD in Law and has authored of numerous scientific articles.
Houssem Gharbi is currently responsible of the SME growth and trade programme in Universal Postal Union.
He has more than 17 years of expertise in international relations affairs related to politics, international trade and postal sector with expertise in the use of postal sector to promote ecommerce and trade inclusion of SME and women through the implementation of projects such as Easy export, TradePost, ecommerce hub.
He was the Head of international relations affairs in Tunisian Post since 2017 to 2022, and chaired several postal groups and committees such as: the UPU Council of Administration committee for the trade inclusion, financial inclusion and ecommerce from 2017 to 2019, the African postal commission of e-commerce and e-service from 2016 to 2019.
He's passionate for the use of ITC to facilitate trade and to promote digital trade.
He holds a bachelor's degree in international trade the Ecole Superieure du Commerce.
Pervez N. Ghauri is Professor of International Business at Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham. From September 2015 to March 2018, he was Director of PhD Programmes. This role entailed, management, education and policy issues for all (150) PhD students and supervisors in the school. The programme was reorganized to introduce several new policy issues.
His current research includes the MNEDEVELOP project, which is examining how Multinationals from advanced markets can contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by creatively serving disadvantaged communities in emerging markets, and create competitive advantage at the same time.
Professor Ghauri was founding Editor in Chief for International Business Review (IBR) and Consulting Editor for Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) since 2017, and is a Fellow of AIB and EIBA. He is an academic adviser and keynote speaker for several universities and institutions and has appeared on many TV and social media channels across the academic discipline and industry, including:
- Interview with Academy of International Business
- Q&A with Birmingham Chambers of Commerce on Brexit deal
- The Inclusive Digital Model (IDModel) with Oxford University Department of International Development
- Article ‘Why the UK should stop talking tough on a no-deal Brexit’, The Conversation (2020)
- Panel discussion on ‘Brexit Talks: Deal or no deal?’, TRT WOrld (2020)
Detailed social media engagement activities are available at Professor Ghauri's personal website.
Ambassador Syahril Syazli Ghazali is the current Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) upon his appointment on
1 November 2022. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia. Syahril joined the Ministry of Investment, Trade & Industry (MITI) in 2001, and has since served in various divisions, among others, the Industry Development, Sectoral Policy, Industry & Trade Support and Strategic Negotiations. He was involved directly in various bilateral and regional Free Trade Agreements (FTA), most notably as Malaysia’s Chief Negotiator for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in 2018. At the WTO, Syahril has served as the Chairperson for the Council for Trade in Services for the period of 2024-2025, and currently he assumes the role of regional coordinator during Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship year.
Jayati Ghosh is Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, USA. Before that she taught economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi for nearly 35 years.
She has authored and/or edited 19 books, including Never Done and Poorly Paid: Women’s Work in Globalising India (Women Unlimited, New Delhi 2009); the co-edited Elgar Handbook of Alternative Theories of Economic Development (2014); Demonetisation Decoded (Routledge 2017), and Women Workers in the Informal Economy (Routledge forthcoming) and nearly 200 scholarly articles. She has received several prizes, including for distinguished contributions to the social sciences in India in 2015; the International Labour Organisation’s Decent Work Research Prize for 2010; the NordSud Prize for Social Sciences 2010, Italy.
She has advised governments in India and other countries, including as Chairperson of the Andhra Pradesh Commission on Farmers’ Welfare in 2004, and Member of the National Knowledge Commission of India (2005-09). She is the Executive Secretary of International Development Economics Associates, an international network of heterodox development economists.
She has consulted for international organizations including ILO, UNDP, UNCTAD, UN-DESA, UNRISD and UN Women and is a member of several international commissions, including the International Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation (ICRICT) and the Commission for Global Economic Transformation of INET. She writes regularly for newspapers, journals and blogs.
Tamara Gibson is the driving force behind Native Caribbean Ltd., an artisan fragrance house based in Bridgetown, Barbados. As the founder and Cultural Fragrance Creator, she specialises in crafting aromatherapy, spa and home fragrances that uniquely capture the essence of the Caribbean landscapes, flora, language, cuisine and traditions.
With over a decade of experience in business development, Tamara has a diverse background. She spent seven years in regional and international agencies, helping businesses scale from micro to global commerce. For the past four years, she has dedicated herself to growing her own six-figure micro business from scratch.
Tamara holds a bachelor's degree with honors in Education and Linguistics and a master's degree in Testing, Measurement and Evaluation from the University of the West Indies.