Ricardo James, Head of the Trade Policy Development within the Division of Economic Affairs and Regional Integration of the OECS Commission, is responsible for providing leadership, advice, analysis and reporting to the Commission and Member States in the coordinating and harmonisation of the formulation, development and implementation of trade policy.

Previously, Mr. James was a Senior Technical Specialist for Business Environment and Export Development at the Commission’s Competitive Business Unit (CBU), where he was responsible for strengthening the policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks for MSME competitiveness trade and exports in the OECS.

He was also Head of the Permanent Delegation of the OECS in Geneva as Chargé d'Affaires responsible for advancing the interests of the OECS in the multilateral trading system at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). He served as lead technical spokesperson for the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) Group of Countries in the negotiations on trade facilitation and fisheries subsidies rules.

Deborah James is the Director of International Programs at the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) in Washington, DC, where she facilitates the campaign to stop WTO expansion with the global network, Our World Is Not for Sale (OWINFS).

Ms James current efforts focus on stopping the Big Tech industry from using trade agreements to rewrite the rules of the global economy, and instead to preserve policy space for governments to pursue digital industrialisation strategies for shared prosperity. She led the successful campaign with public services trade unions to stop the proposed Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) from being concluded. Before working at CEPR, for ten years she held various positions at Global Exchange, where she started the US campaigns for Fair Trade Certified coffee. She graduated cum laude from the University of California at San Diego, and holds a Masters in International Policy and Planning from the George Washington University.

Seema is the Technical Director of the UK Endorsement Board (UKEB), the body responsible for influencing the development of IFRS accounting standards and their adoption for use by UK listed companies. Seema also represents the UKEB on the Government’s Policy Implementation Committee (PIC), which advises on the UK endorsement of ISSB Standards.

From 2017 until 2020, Seema worked as the Head of Accounting and Reporting Policy at the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. In that role, she represented the UK at the European Commission’s Accounting Regulatory Committee, European Council working groups, the UN’s Accounting Expert Group and at numerous UN conferences.  

Seema’s previous experience includes working as an accounting standard setter at the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), and at KPMG as an auditor of listed and investment banking clients. 

Seema is a fellow of the Institute for Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
 

Felipe is the FAAS leader for the Latin- America Market. Felipe is part of the Global and Americas board for FAAS. Felipe’s professional experience of more than 24 years has been primarily with industrial and service entities of the Banking and financial services, retail, manufacturing and mining sectors in LATAM, United States and European Union. Additionally, he has the international accreditation, granted by the Firm in IFRS. Felipe is a member of the IFRS global team with seat in London and New York. Particularly, he is part of the IFRS 1 first-time adoption global team.   He is in charge of the Climate Change and Sustainability Services in LATAM. He has been in charge of the audit and specific reviews, under IFRS and US GAAP, of important economic groups in Colombia and Latin America. He has also been in charge of the conversion of the financial statements to U.S. GAAP of important economic local and Latin American economic groups. Currently, he leads the technical committee of the Firm in U.S. GAAP and IPO related topics. He is a well know professional in accounting technical matters as well as in economics and finance.   Within his academic formation the following is highlighted:

• Doctor in Business Administration (DBA) of Business Administration Maastricht School of Management, The Netherland
• Ph.D Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Master of Philosophy de Maastricht School of management, The Netherland
• Master in International Leadership from EADA.
• Global MBA from EADA, Barcelona and Centrum Graduate school of management, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Perú. Expetional academics results honor diploma.
• Business initiative in Latin-American countries, Program from Centrum graduate school (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Perú)
• BABSON executive education: EY Strategic Leadership for EY partners.
• Harvard Business publishing: Felipe participated in the Harvard Leadership program for EY Partners.
• Harvard Business School: Felipe graduated from the Leading Professional Service Firm program.
• Northwestern University (Kellogg School of Management): Felipe graduated from the CEO Management Program from Kellogg Business School.
• Harvard Business School: GMP (general, management program)
• Harvard Business School: AMP (Advanced management program)
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW): Felipe obtained the IFRS International Certification
• The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA): Felipe obtained the IPSAS International Certification
• Finance specialist from Universidad del Norte.

Felipe has been a university professor in economic, local and international accounting, auditing, finance from the most important and well-known universities in Latin-American and Spain. Currently, Felipe is a member of the executive corporate board of EADA Business School Barcelona and HHL Leipzig School of Management. Felipe is a professor (MBAs and Master degrees) in the most recognized Universities in Colombia, Ecuador and Spain. Felipe is an invited professor at EADA for the international master's programs, and professor of the Executive MBA of Universidad de los Andes, UEES Ecuador, CESA and GBS Universidad del Rosario. Felipe has been a certified instructor of the IFRS course dictated by Fundación CEDDET of Spain, the Instituto Iberoamericano de Mercado de Valores, supported by the Spain Embassy in Colombia and a representative in the team for the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards for Colombia. Felipe used to be the president of the ad-honorem technical committee of the industrial sector which supports the Technical Council of Public Accountancy and is member of the IRS committee of expert advisors for the National Government and member of the regulation desk of Law 1314 (IFRS) led by the Ministry of Commerce and Finance and Public Credit. For several years, Felipe has been working tirelessly with the Colombian Government and regulators to advance IFRS adoption in Colombia and giving economics advice to the Central Bank. Felipe is a columnist and has been interviewed by important journals and economic magazines of the country and abroad. Felipe is a board member of Centrum Católica, EADA School of management Barcelona and Leipzig School of management. Felipe is columnist at El Espectador, Portafolio, La República. Aithor of “Anunciado en mi Columna”.

Carlos Felipe Jaramillo is the World Bank Vice President for the Latin America and the Caribbean Region, overseeing Bank relations with 31 countries and a portfolio of ongoing projects, technical assistance and grants of almost US$32 billion. Under his leadership, the Bank’s operations in the region focus on fueling growth, reducing poverty, supporting equality and protecting the environment.

Jaramillo was previously the World Bank country director for Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda, based in Nairobi. There he managed an operational portfolio of more than 80 projects representing a total investment of more than US$12 billion to help countries share and apply innovative knowledge and solutions to the challenges they face.

Prior to his role in Africa, Jaramillo was the senior director of the World Bank Group’s Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice (MTI), where he led a global team of more than 450 economists. Since joining the World Bank in 2002, he has also served two terms as country director in the Latin America and Caribbean Region.

Before joining the Bank, Jaramillo was a public servant in the Government of Colombia, holding offices in the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank and the Ministry of Trade. Jaramillo holds an M.A. and a Ph. D. in development economics from Stanford University. He has taught at the Department of Economics of the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogota and at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Lorena Jaramillo is an economic affairs officer at UNCTAD.

She has been working in the area of BioTrade since 2001, internationally with UNCTAD and also in her native country, Ecuador. Lorena is currently responsible for the UNCTAD BioTrade Initiative, which is being implemented jointly with partners in more than 90 countries. Additionally, she has worked in the development and implementation of sustainable development projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America in relation to biodiversity, sustainable trade, business development, sustainable sourcing, climate change, among others.

During her career of more than 20 years, Lorena has written several publications, for instance related to sustainable development, sustainable trade and biodiversity, the development of value chains and sustainable supply, reconstruction and peace.

She is an economist specialized in sustainable development from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador and has an MBA from the University of Geneva, Switzerland.

Mr. Vladimir Jares is the Director of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. He has dealt with many issues concerning the law of the sea, in particular those related to the implementation of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and related Agreements. Since 1997, he has been involved in providing services to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf and has served as its Secretary. He has also been involved in capacity-building activities of the Division, delivering many of its training courses, including on UNCLOS article 76 implementation.

Mr. Vladimir Jares is the Director of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS), Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. He has been a staff member of the United Nations Secretariat since December 1992.

During his more than three-decade long career at the Division, he had a large variety of responsibilities, initially dealing with fisheries issues in the context of the United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks. Thereafter, he was a member of the team which deals with issues related to maritime spaces.  He served for many years as the Secretary of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

He oversaw the development of the website of the Division and was the editor of the Law of the Sea Bulletin. He was involved, in various capacities, in supporting the work of intergovernmental processes serviced by the Division, most recently as the Secretary of the Intergovernmental Conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.

He continues to be involved in capacity-building activities of the Division and has delivered numerous lectures on topics related to ocean affairs and the law of the sea.

Prior to his career of an international civil servant, he was in diplomatic services of Czechoslovakia. 

Fanta Kaba Jawara is a lawyer and an entrepreneur currently working at Ida D Drameh & Associates, one of the leading legal firms in The Gambia, with keen interest in sustainable development, entrepreneurship, business and investment. She was called to the Bar of the Supreme Court of The Gambia in February 2021. She has taken part in international moot court competitions and now provides guidance and coaching to upcoming mooters and law students.

Fanta is the owner and founder of a Bakery in The Gambia called KJ Cupcakes. It has been in existence for over 4 years and prides itself with Quality, High-Standard and Aesthetics. She also organises events for kids to allow them to explore their passion and talents, to be expressive, creative and outspoken. Fanta has been honored to be interviewed by the BBC about business in The Gambia as a young female entrepreneur.

She is also a member of the Tax Advisory Committee created under the Ministry of Finance of The Gambia and is the Coordinator for the Youth Action Hub Gambia.

As CEO of Barbados Port Inc. (BPI), David Jean-Marie leads the commercial and operations management of the Port of Bridgetown.

With over 25 years of experience in the shipping and finance sectors, he brought his passion and financial expertise to guide BPI’s short and long-term business strategies and to safeguard its profitability.  He is one of the visionaries crafting the Master Plan which will guide the Port’s green and technology-driven growth, renewal and expansion over the next decade, through 2030.

A Fulbright scholar, Mr. Jean-Marie attended the University of New Haven, attaining a Master of Business Administration, Finance. He is also a graduate of Victoria University of Manchester, with a BSc (Hons) degree in Computer Engineering.

His experience in public sector management has allowed him to build and leverage an enviable network of industry leaders in Barbados and beyond. He is currently Immediate Past President of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA), having previously served as President, 2015 to 2018.

Mr. Jean-Marie has served on several boards including City of Bridgetown Co-operative Credit Union and Cooperator’s General Insurance Company Limited. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Bridgetown Cruise Terminals Inc., Consumers Guarantee Insurance Company Ltd. and United Commercial Autoworks Ltd (UCAL).