UNCTAD16 parallel event: Igniting entrepreneurial potential – UNCTAD Empretec in the age of transformation

Mr. Pedro Manuel Moreno of Spain, is Deputy Secretary-General of UNCTAD.

He has over 20 years of experience of working for multilateral and intergovernmental organizations in programme, management and strategic positions both in the field and at headquarters.

He was Deputy Secretary-General of the Communication for Development Committee at the Spanish National Commission with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (1999-2004), and for the United Nations Development Programme, at the Country Office in Ecuador and, in New York City, as part of the Human Development Report team, at the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean and at the Executive Office.

In 2014, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Ibero-American Conference in Madrid, where he coordinated key political processes and South-South cooperation projects.

In September 2021, he was named Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of the Secretary-General of UNCTAD.

Carlson Manuel is the Minister Plenipotentiary of Curaçao, representing the Government of Curaçao in the Netherlands and internationally. Since 2021, he has advanced Curaçao’s economic diplomacy agenda by fostering partnerships that promote innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development.

He led the positioning of Curaçao as a hydrogen and renewable energy hub through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Netherlands, and created the Curaçao Experience: Ambassador Edition, which brought 26 ambassadors representing their countries in The Hague, to the island to explore opportunities in trade, investment, and entrepreneurship.

A strong advocate for empowerment and inclusion, he also initiated measures that facilitate student integration and strengthen Curaçaoan communities abroad. With a background in business management, IT, and music, Minister Manuel blends creativity and strategy to position Curaçao as a bridge for innovation and entrepreneurial collaboration between the Caribbean, Europe, and the world.

Ana Isabel Xavier is Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in the Government of the Portuguese Republic.

Before that, she served as Secretary of State for National Defense (April 2024 to June 2025); Associate Professor at Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa (UAL); Visiting Professor at Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa; Integrated Researcher at the Centre for International Studies (CEI-Iscte); Researcher at CISD-IUM – Centro de Investigação em Segurança e Defesa of the Portuguese Military University Institute.

She also served as Deputy Director-General for National Defence Policy; President of the Board of the Association of Auditors of National Defence Courses; President of the Board of DECIDE - Association of Young Auditors for Defence, Security and Citizenship.

Ms. Xavier holds a PhD in International Relations from the Faculty of Economics
of the University of Coimbra; a Master's degree in Sociology of Development and Social Transformation (2006) and a degree in International Relations (2003) from the same Faculty.

She also holds a postgraduate degree (2005) in Human Rights and Democratization from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra.

Eng. Sultan Al-Hamidi is the Chief Executive of the Social Development Bank (SDB), appointed in February 2024. He has been instrumental in steering the organization towards realizing its strategic vision of creating a comprehensive ecosystem of superior and unique financial products and services tailored for entrepreneurs and the community, in line with Saudi Vision 2030. His leadership has been pivotal in spearheading digital transformation initiatives, enhancing operational efficiency, and driving innovation to maximize impact on the growth of the national economy. He has played a crucial role in developing sustainable finance strategies and forging strategic partnerships to broaden SDB's impact and support economic diversification.

He previously served as the Chief Business Officer at SDB since October 2019, where he played a prominent role in helping SDB achieve its strategic objective of developing an integrated system of high-quality and distinctive financial products and services, aimed at Saudi entrepreneurs and members of society.

Sultan played a significant role in launching several financial and non-financial services, as well as savings and training programs, as part of SDB’s efforts to foster a culture of entrepreneurship, encourage a savings mindset, support various segments of society, and nurture the growth of startups and SMEs.

Sipho Ngcai is the Acting Group Executive for Business Development Services at the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA) in South Africa. With over 15 years of expertise in enterprise development, his career has focused on empowering SMEs through strategic programmes and funding initiatives. Prior to his current role, he held senior positions at the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), including leading the technology programme and heading technology business incubation—supporting entrepreneurs to innovate and scale. Sipho holds an MBA and is pursuing a PhD in Entrepreneurship. His passion lies in creating sustainable, scalable growth paths for small businesses across South Africa.

Nan has over 25 years’ experience in strategic management roles both with the United Nations and the private sector across Asia, Africa, North America and Europe. She currently leads a global team in investment and sustainable finance research, policy, investment promotion and facilitation, enterprise development, and technical assistance to governments in over 160 countries. She chairs the Governing Board of the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, leads the World Investment Forum and the inter-governmental Working Group on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting.

Before joining UNCTAD, she served as the Global Director of Sustainable Investments and Innovation at UNOPS, where she led a team to promote infrastructure investments in many developing countries and co-invest with DFIs and private investors. She served as UNOPS focal point in the UN Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development.

Previously, she served as the Head of UNDP SDG Innovative Finance and as Head of South-South Cooperation and Investment at UNDP's Asia Pacific Center in Bangkok. She led a team to engage public and private investors and developed national policy dialogues and networks on SDG investment, piloted SDG-aligned funds, bonds and projects in multiple countries. She helped to position UNDP as a pioneer in the UN on sustainable investment and innovative finance. She also held positions as Policy Specialist in Capacity Development and Public-Private Partnerships in New York and Johannesburg since 2009, overseeing a regional portfolio in Eastern and Southern Africa.

Before joining UNDP, she spent about 10 years in the private sector in China and the USA, covering market entry and investment strategy, merger and acquisition, business development and sustainability. She holds a master’s degree in business administration from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and participated in the Executive Leadership program at IESE, and Finance Executive program at Tsinghua University.

Ashutosh Chadha is responsible for building partnerships with the UN and other international organizations to enable the responsible use of technology through policy and programmatic interventions that advance the Sustainable Development Goals and socio-economic growth, fostering innovation ecosystems, inclusion, and security.

Previously, he was Director and Country Head of Corporate Affairs and Public Policy for India and South Asia at Microsoft. In this role, he worked closely with government, academia, industry, and multilaterals to help frame policies that deepen technology adoption, drive digital inclusion, and ensure innovation and safety in the digital ecosystem.

Over a 37-year career, Ashutosh has worked with Mastercard, Wipro, Intel India, Shell India, NIIT, and the National Dairy Development Board. A management graduate from the Institute of Rural Management Anand (Gujarat), he has extensive experience in business development, strategic planning, corporate affairs, government relations, and policy advocacy.

A regular speaker at national and international forums, including the WB, WTO, UNICEF, and UNESCO, Ashutosh is passionate about using technology for socio-economic development through education, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He also mentors startups and coaches students and executives as a certified Level 2 NS-NLP Executive and Corporate Coach.

Eddie Chen's career path spans from IT executive and senior diplomat

to senior private equity partner, and has been posted in USA, Sweden, France, Singapore and China.

Currently, Co-Chairman for China Carbon Neutral Development Group Limited in Hong Kong.

2022-2025, Managing Director of Temasek-Holdings owned Fullerton Fund Management (US$45b AUM).

2013-2022, Senior Partner, EURAZEO Group, a leading French PE Fund (€35b AUM).

2020-2022, Managing Partner, France-China Cooperation Fund.

2002-2013, Vice President and Chief Representative for China, and Senior

Diplomat at Invest Sweden Agency - a Swedish government agency.

1985-2002, Chief of the Information Technology Group, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Jessica Anuna is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Klasha, a technology company established in 2021 that builds cross-border solutions to power African commerce. As a solo founder, Jess created Klasha to enable African consumers and businesses to access global goods and services seamlessly. Through Klasha’s technology, international merchants can sell online to Africa with ease in local payment methods and currencies. Klasha is backed by leading venture capital firms, including Greycroft and American Express Ventures.

Before founding Klasha, Jessica spent five years living and working in Shanghai, China, and held roles in technology and e-commerce with global companies including Amazon, Net-a-Porter, and Shopify. She was educated at City University London and Cambridge University.

Prof. Heba Kurdi is a distinguished Professor of Distributed Artificial Intelligence at King Saud University, a Fellow at MIT's School of Engineering, and a Senior Member of the IEEE. She is also the founder of Mata Logistics, a smart logistics start-up and was named among the Top 100 Saudi Pioneer Women 2025. Prof. Kurdi earned her PhD from the School of Engineering and Design at Brunel University.

Following her doctorate, she was awarded a scholarship from Aramco to conduct postdoctoral research at MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. She later joined MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering as a research fellow, where she remains actively affiliated. With over 120 publications and eight patents, Prof. Kurdi is recognized among the top 2% of highly cited scientists worldwide, as per the Stanford system. She has held numerous leadership roles, including Chairman of the Cyber Security Master Program at King Saud University, Vice Chair of the Department of Computer Sciences, Vice Dean of the College of Computer and Information Sciences, and Vice Dean of the Career and Entrepreneurship Centre at Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University.

Dr. Martin Zhu is a PhD graduate from the School of Energy and Environment at the City University of Hong Kong and a member of the Green Technology and Finance Development Committee of the HKSAR. He has been recognized among the 3rd Guangdong-HK-Macao Greater Bay Area Outstanding Entrepreneurs and was featured on the 2022 “Innovation China” Youth Entrepreneurship List – Shenzhen U30.

Dr. Zhu’s research focuses on the fundamentals of heat transfer, energy conversion, and engineered materials, with an emphasis on integrating theory and experimentation. Through the HK Tech 300 incubation program, he and his team founded i2Cool, a startup dedicated to commercializing innovative cooling technologies developed in the laboratory to advance energy efficiency.

Sanya Rajpal is an Oxford MBA graduate, lawyer, and international development consultant with a track record in systems-change across health, education, and economic inclusion. Her work with the United Nations, governments, and the private sector has focused on building innovation ecosystems that enable young people and communities to thrive through entrepreneurship and human development.

She now leads AdagioVR, a pioneering neurotechnology company operating out of the UK and India, which is redefining how mental health and high performance are achieved through VR/AI. AdagioVR integrates neuroscience, cutting-edge precious therapeutics, and immersive technology to deliver adaptive, scalable interventions that strengthen mental wellbeing, cognitive function, and leadership capacity.

Bridging her experience in policy, innovation, and technology, Sanya is passionate about how youth innovation can solve systemic challenges, from access to healthcare to the future of work. Her mission is to make transformative mental health and human potential tools accessible across socio-economic divides, combining empathy, science, and business to create lasting impact.

She regularly speaks at global platforms including the UN, World Health Summit, and WEF, on how to unlock innovation and integrate purpose.