Ecuadorian by birth, married and with a daughter. He is an economist with training in foreign trade, has a master's degree in business management and a diploma in competitiveness as well as several training courses on public policies, trade and business. With extensive experience in the union sector, from where he has developed actions to improve the business environment, in particular for the Ecuadorian export sector.

He has also worked as consultant and advisor and has been a professor of macroeconomics at some universities.

Dr. Markus Lehmann is an economist by training and is currently the acting Director of the Scientific, Society and Sustainable Futures Division of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, being responsible for work programmes on biodiversity mainstreaming, finance and resource mobilization, business engagement and agriculture. Amongst his past accomplishments, he was part of the core team preparing the report for national and international policymakers under the global initiative on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), and was the coordinating lead author of chapter 6 of this report, on subsidy reform. Prior to joining the United Nations, he held various research and teaching positions in economics in Germany, including with Free University Berlin, the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. He published extensively on various aspects of environmental and resource economics. He holds a doctorate in economics (Dr. rer. pol.) from Free University Berlin, Germany.

Natália Leite is a legal expert specializing in consumer protection and communication, currently serving as a Lawyer at the International Affairs Department of the Directorate General for Consumers since April 2024.

From January 2023 to March 2024, She served as Head of Unit in the Communication to Consumers Department, where she led initiatives to enhance public awareness and transparency in consumer rights.

Between 2017 and 2022, she worked as both a lawyer and communication officer at the European Consumer Centre Portugal, playing a key role in providing legal assistance and cross-border consumer dispute resolution.

In parallel, from 2019 to 2022, she also served as an advisor at Portugal’s national contact point for the EU Online Dispute Resolution Platform, contributing to the development of accessible digital channels for resolving consumer complaints across the European Union.

Nathaniel Lekatompessy is a Senior Associate at Deloitte, with a bachelor’s degree from the Netherlands and United Kingdom, continuing his Master degree studies in management in IE Business School.

Nathaniel has always had a passion in economic development, poverty alleviation and education for the youth and has had the opportunity to build schools in the state of Gujarat, India. Currently, he is the coordinator for Youth Action Hub Jakarta that aims to improve basic infrastructure and education quality with the aim to alleviate poverty in Indonesia. 

During the pandemic, he has started up his own venture called Steril+ in the healthcare industry that aims to provide the best food-grade hand sanitizers in the market as well as PPE to offer the best protection and comfort towards frontline and essential workers. 

Irakli Lekvinadze has served as the Chairman of the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency since 2019, leading the institution through a critical phase of institutional development and reform. Under his leadership, Georgia has significantly enhanced its competition framework and introduced enforcement mechanisms for consumer protection and anti-dumping legislation. His tenure has been marked by decisive actions in key markets—including pharmaceuticals, fuel, and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG)—resulting in greater market fairness and improved consumer welfare.

Mr. Lekvinadze has also played a central role in elevating Georgia’s international standing in consumer policy. Through his strategic vision, the Agency’s enforcement efforts were recognized with awards from the World Bank Group and the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) in 2024, highlighting Georgia as an emerging global example in effective consumer protection.

Mr. Lekvinadze brings to the role over two decades of interdisciplinary experience in economics, public administration, business journalism, and academia. He previously served as Business Ombudsman of Georgia and as Deputy Mayor of Tbilisi, where he oversaw municipal transport and urban economic development.

A Doctor of Business Administration, Mr. Lekvinadze is also an Associate Professor at Caucasus International University and has taught business and economics at leading institutions, including Ilia State University and the International Black Sea University. Earlier in his career, he was active in business media and consultancy, and he co-founded the economic newspaper Caucasian Business Week and the business portal BPI.ge.

He has participated in numerous international training programs, including leadership development with the Asian Development Bank in Tokyo, and served on the Advisory Board of Georgia’s Ministry of Finance. His doctoral research focused on the impact of administrative decisions on competition policy in Georgia.

Mr. Lekvinadze combines strategic vision with practical governance experience and is widely respected for his commitment to institutional transparency, market fairness, and economic development.

Audun has been with FAO for 25 years, where he is currently the Deputy Director of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Division. Audun was for many years also the Secretary of FAO’s Sub-Committee on Fish Trade (COFI:FT), the main international body for discussion and recommendations on trade and market issues in the sector, as well as the Coordinator of the GLOBEFISH project.

His thematic work areas include aquaculture policy development and management, commodity price trends and price indexes, policy issues related to international trade and market access, market-based instruments, social responsibility, certification, traceability, trade and food security, gender issues, and domestic and regional market development.

Before joining FAO, he worked as an independent agribusiness consultant, project manager at Norway’s Embassy in Italy, and financial analyst on the Oslo Stock Exchange.

Audun has a Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences from the Sea Fisheries Institute in Poland, a Master’s in Business Administration from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the Norwegian School of Economics.

Enrique Lendo es economista graduado del Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey con Maestría en Política Ambiental de la Universidad de Indiana. Se ha desempeñado por más tres décadas en las áreas de medio ambiente, cambio climático, finanzas sostenibles (ASG), comercio internacional y responsabilidad social corporativa con gobiernos, empresas y organismos internacionales.

Actualmente es Director General en México de EAWD, empresa especializada en soluciones para enfrentar los retos de agua y energía mediante tecnologías innovadoras y sostenibles. Antes, fue Coordinador de Finanzas Sostenibles del Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente, en donde apoyó a diversas instituciones financieras de México y América Latina en el manejo de riesgo climático y la movilización de activos financieros.

De 2007 a 2018, fue titular de la Unidad Coordinadora de Asuntos Internacionales de la SEMARNAT, a cargo de la administración de más de 150 acuerdos internacionales, posicionando a México como líder en materia de desarrollo sostenible. Entre sus logros destaca la incorporación de los intereses de México en el Acuerdo de París de Cambio Climático, la Agenda 2030 de Desarrollo Sostenible, la Estrategia de Crecimiento Verde del G20, el Convenio de Diversidad Biológica y más recientemente el Tratado México-Estados Unidos-Canadá (T-MEC). También ha publicado diversos artículos en revistas especializadas, libros y periódicos.

Mauricio León es Jefe de la Unidad de Recursos no Renovables en la División de Recursos Naturales de la CEPAL. 
Economista (Universidad Central del Ecuador), Máster en Economía (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales), Doctor en Ciencias Sociales (Universidad de Salamanca). Fue Viceministro de los Ministerios de Coordinación de la Política Económica, Coordinación de Desarrollo Social, e Inclusión Económica y Social del gobierno del Ecuador entre 2007 y 2013. 
 

Dr. Hyginus ‘Gene’ Leon is the sixth President of Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the regional development finance institution based in Barbados. He was elected at a Special Meeting of the CDB Board of Governors held on January 19, 2021 for a five-year term, and assumed office on May 4, 2021.

Dr. Leon has over 30 years of experience in economic development and has directed macroeconomic and financial policy support to government authorities in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, and the Caribbean. He worked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for more than 24 years, serving as Mission Chief for Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, The Bahamas, and the Gulf States of Oman, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates, as well as IMF’s Senior Resident Representative in Jamaica and Nigeria.

Prior to his engagement with the IMF, Dr. Leon was an Associate Professor at State University of New York at Old Westbury in the United States. He has also served as Director of Research at the Central Bank of Barbados and Country Economist at CDB.

Dr. Leon holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Economics from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom (UK) and a Bachelor of Science Degree (B.Sc.) in Economics from the University of London also in the U.K.

Úrsula Desilú León Chempén is a Peruvian lawyer and public official, who has been serving as the Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism since September 2024.

With over 29 years of experience in public management, she has held key roles including Secretary General in various ministries, Deputy Minister of Justice, and Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

She has also served in executive positions within the Health, Education, and Justice sectors, as well as the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. Her expertise includes labour and administrative law, and she has taught at the postgraduate level.

She has contributed to significant regulatory initiatives in health, education, public investment, and aquaculture.

Ms. León Chempén holds a master's degree in corporate law from the Catholic University of Santa María in Arequipa.