Dr Keith Kendall was appointed Chair of the Australian Accounting Standards Board in May 2020. He is also a member of the (Australian) Financial Reporting Council and the New Zealand Accounting Standards Board and is presently Vice Chair of the Asian Oceanian Standard Setters Group and co-Chair of the International Forum of Accounting Standard Setters.
Previously, Dr Kendall worked as an accountant and a lawyer for 25 years. Dr Kendall also serves on a number of boards of not-for-profit organisations, including as Finance Director of Rugby Victoria.
He holds degrees from Monash University, the University of Melbourne and the University of Chicago, obtaining his doctorate from La Trobe University applying behavioural law and economics to the regulation of insider trading.
Omar Kennedy is the co-owner and Executive Director of AnimeKon Inc., the Eastern Caribbean’s largest pop culture convention. AnimeKon, which is dedicated to promoting the region as a pop-culture hub to the world by encouraging Caribbean citizens to create, develop and nurture their skills so that they can develop viable export-oriented, pop culture businesses.
AnimeKon Inc. has spearheaded a Geekcation project which provides holiday packages for pop culture enthusiasts around the world. It also facilitates the All-Stars program, an incubator for creatives which provides training and developmental aid and has just launched the AnimeKonDesign Group, which creates videogames.
He is also the sole owner, principal author and publisher of TSC Universe – the holding company of The Soltreian Chronicles, a creator-owned universe for writers to build and create novels in a dystopian universe which focuses on Caribbean nationals, after a world ending apocalypse. The Soltreian Chronicles videogame is set for release in 2022.
Maxine Kennett is an accomplished international commercial lawyer and trade law specialist with 20 years of experience and a proven track record of managing trade affairs for international organisations, government agencies and multinational corporations in global and regional roles. She is currently the Head of Trade Compliance & Security for Hitachi Energy, a global energy company with more than 40,000 employees in over 90 countries, where she is responsible for leading the Global Trade department to ensure trade compliance and to optimize trade-related business operations across the entire organization. Maxine Kennett has a strong academic background in law, languages and economics and speaks French, Russian and Chinese in addition to English.
His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta is the Fourth President of the Republic of Kenya and the party leader of the ruling Jubilee Party.
He has previously served as a nominated Member of Parliament, Leader of the Opposition, Minister for Local Government and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
President Kenyatta was re-elected for a second and final term in August 2017. His presidency has been underpinned by a commitment to economic and social transformation, national unity, good governance, regional integration, and intra-Africa trade.
Under President Kenyatta’s leadership, Kenya has become one of the fastest-growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa and ranks among the top three African countries on the ease of doing business. Kenya has consolidated its position as a leader on issues such as Climate Change, the Blue Economy and digital technologies and Nairobi has emerged as a regional hub for major international organisations and corporations. Kenya. In January 2021, Kenya started its two-year term as a non- permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
Following the promulgation of a new Constitution in 2010, President Kenyatta presided over the rolling out of an ambitious program to restructure the Kenyan state involving large-scale political, fiscal, and administrative decentralization.
At the regional level, President Kenyatta has championed regional integration, intra-Africa trade and a stronger role of the African continent on the global stage. He has been at the forefront in promoting peace and security efforts in the region and has brokered peace agreements in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
President Kenyatta is currently the Chair of the African Union Peace and Security Council, and Chair of the Summit of East Africa Community Heads of State. He is also Chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) a coalition of African Union Heads of State and Government to drive accountability and action for results against Malaria, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) and nutrition.
President Kenyatta is the current President-in-Office of the Organization of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) which comprises 79 African, Caribbean, and Pacific states. He is also a member of the High-Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy, a unique initiative of 14 serving world leaders to build momentum towards a sustainable ocean economy.
President Kenyatta serves as a Global Leader for the Young People’s Agenda under the UN-led Generation Unlimited Initiative (GenU) which seeks to ensure that by 2030 all young persons aged 10-24 are in school, in training or employment.
Argyro Kepesidi serves as an Associate Legal Officer in the Policy and Legislation Section of the Trade Logistics Branch of UNCTAD, carrying out research on legal and regulatory developments affecting transport and global supply chains. Before joining UNCTAD, she worked as a private consultant in Belgium and in Greece, at the European Commission and as a lawyer.
Argyro has concluded her PhD at the University of Athens specialising in aspects of comparative, maritime and energy law, as well as Law of the Sea and holds a Greek law degree and two LLMs in Commercial Law and Oil and Gas Law from the University of Athens and the University of Aberdeen respectively. She is a Member of the Piraeus Bar Association.
Dr. Kessie has been a staff member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since January 1995. He is currently the Director of the Agriculture and Commodities Division and was Head of the WTO Delivery Unit. He has worked in different Divisions, including the Council and Trade Negotiations Committee Division, Development Division and the Institute for Training and Technical Cooperation. Between June 2012 and May 2017, Dr. Kessie took leave from the WTO to become the Chief Trade Adviser of the Pacific Island Countries and Chief Executive Officer of the Office of the Chief Trade Adviser located in Port Vila, Vanuatu. In this capacity, he provided technical advice on a broad range of trade and investment issues to the Pacific Island countries and supported them in the free trade negotiations (PACER Plus) with Australia and New Zealand.
Dr. Kessie has participated in many international conferences on international trade and written a number of articles on international trade issues. His principal areas of interest are regional integration, agriculture, trade and development and dispute settlement.
Edwini Kessie has a Doctorate Degree in Law from the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia and Masters' Degrees in Law from the University of Toronto, Canada and the University of Brussels, Belgium and a Bachelor's Degree in Law from the University of Ghana. He is admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Courts of England & Wales, New South Wales, Australia and Ghana. He has practised Corporate and Commercial Law in Sydney, Australia and International Trade Law and European Community Law in Brussels, Belgium.
Marianne Kettunen is a senior policy expert and advisor currently working with the Trade, Development and the Environment Hub (TRADEHub) and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) BioTrade programme.
Marianne has 20 years of experience on the science-policy interface for environment and sustainable development. During her career she has worked on multiple climate and environmental issues, cooperating with a range of international governmental and non-governmental organisations including UN organisations, the European Commission and Parliament, national governments, and European and international think tanks and NGOs. She has led numerous multi-stakeholder initiatives and projects aimed at supporting sustainable policy- and decision-making in Europe and globally. Marianne is an experienced speaker, convener and facilitator, and an author of numerous policy-oriented publications linked to climate, biodiversity and circular economy, with the latest focus on sustainable trade.
Marianne is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) providing expertise on the socio-economic benefits of biodiversity. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees for two not-for-profit organisations, Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and the Thin Green Line Foundation UK. She also regularly mentors the next generations of environmental sustainability experts, including currently in the context of the Global Development Network (GDN) and University of Turku.
At EMF, Marianne works on integrating circular economy across policy areas such as biodiversity, bioeconomy and trade.
Marianne is a senior policy expert and advisor with 20 years of experience on the science-policy interface for environment and sustainable development, working with think tanks and international institutions in Brussels, London and Geneva. She is an experienced speaker, convener and facilitator, and an author of numerous policy-oriented publications. She regularly mentors the next generations of environmental sustainability experts.
In addition to her role at EMF, Marianne is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) providing expertise on the socio-economic benefits of biodiversity, including links with trade and trade policy. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for two not-for-profit organisations, Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) in Brussels and the Thin Green Line Foundation UK in London. She is also an advisor to TULIP Consulting, a bespoke consultancy focused on sustainable trade law and policy based in Geneva.
Nathalie Khaled is an Economic Affairs Officer at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), where she leads regional initiatives on competition policy, consumer protection, national development planning, and the application of behavioral insights in public policy.
She currently coordinates ESCWA’s program on strengthening competition and consumer protection frameworks across the Arab region, among others. She has led the development of regional policy tools, knowledge platforms including the Arab Competition Forum, and e-learning courses, including the “Fighting Bid Rigging in Public Procurement” training.
Ms. Khaled also directs the implementation of the Arab Business Legislative Framework (ABLF) program, which assesses national business environments in Arab countries and offers legislative recommendations to enhance investment, regulatory transparency, and economic competitiveness. She is a lead author of key ESCWA publications, including the Arab Business Legislative Framework Report and the Survey of Economic and Social Developments in the Arab Region, where she contributes to gender-sensitive analyses.
She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Lebanese American University, a Diploma in the Economics of Competition Law from King’s College London, and a professional certificate in Public Sector Leadership from Cornell University. She is an ISO-certified consultant and previously worked as an auditor for the American Management Association.
Prior to joining ESCWA, Ms. Khaled served in United Nations peacekeeping missions. In 2018, she was awarded the UN Gender Equality Award for her efforts in mainstreaming gender perspectives across major institutional outputs.