NTFC Session 7: Border agency cooperation and regional trade facilitation - Contribution of the National Trade Facilitation Committees

Özlem Soysanli is a Senior Technical Officer at the World Customs Organization (WCO) in Brussels, Belgium.

She joined the WCO Compliance and Facilitation Directorate in August 2018. She previously worked in various capacities in the Turkish Customs Administration for over 22 years, mainly in the area of Customs legislation. She also worked as the Customs Counsellor at the Turkish Embassy in Brussels from 2014 to 2018 with the responsibility of representing the Turkish Customs at the WCO as well as at Belgium Customs.

Within the Procedures and Facilitation Sub-Directorate, she is primarily in charge of the Permanent Technical Committee (PTC), the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), the National Trade Facilitation Committees (NCTFs), the WCO Mercator Programme and the WCO Economic Competitiveness Package (ECP). She is also part of the Disruptive Technologies and Smart Customs Projects teams.  

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.

Eduardo José Espinoza Valverde is Director General of Economic Integration, Trade Facilitation, and Transport at Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA).

He is an Economist specialized in economic development, public policies, commercial intelligence, strategic analysis, trade policy, regional integration, and foreign trade. He has extensive experience in trade negotiations, economic research, and project management at the regional level.

He has held various positions at SIECA, including Director of the Center for Economic Integration Studies (2016-2021), Director of Economic Intelligence (2014-2016), and Macroeconomic Analyst (2013-2014). Additionally, he has worked as an Economic Consultant at the Executive Secretariat of the Central American Monetary Council (SECMCA).

Eduardo holds a Master's degree in Strategic Studies from Rafael Landivar University, a specialization in Public Policies from the same university, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the National University of Costa Rica (summa cum laude)

Surjit is Member Customs, CBIC and Special Secretary to the Government of India, having previously served as Director in Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

Born in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, Surjit, an IIT Delhi alumnus, holds a Masters in Chemistry and Modern Methods in Chemical Analysis and an MBA in Public Policy and Business Administration from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

His wildlife preservation commitment is evident through his Master's thesis on Tiger Reserve management. He served as a Jury Member for Earth Heroes Awards and India Sustainability Awards and actively participated in field-level biodiversity conservation activities. He chaired Study Groups on Intelligence Apparatus Modernization, Arrests under Central Excise Law and Customs, Role of Customs in Wildlife Preservation, and Customs modernization.

As an IRS officer of the 1989 Batch, he served in New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Bangalore, notably in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Directorate of GST Intelligence.

Ruari Bride joined the secretariat for the UK's National Trade Facilitation Committee in December 2022 and has been working to increase its profile and member engagement ever since.

Prior to starting at HM Revenue and Customs, Ruari worked for four years in agricultural trade at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, specialising in the rice and sugar sectors.