Massimo Meloni is Chief of the Policy Research Section in the Division on Investment and Enterprise of the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
At UNCTAD, Mr. Meloni leads the organization’s global research and analysis on national investment policies. He coordinates the national investment policy monitoring programme, authors the policy chapters of the annual World Investment Reports and provides expert policy advice to Governments, particularly in support of improving the legal and regulatory framework for sustainable investment. He has also contributed to high-level multilateral deliverables, including the G20 Compendium on Promoting Sustainable Investment adopted under the Indonesian Presidency.
Before his current role, Mr. Meloni coordinated the preparation of Investment Policy Reviews (IPRs) for over 20 developing countries and economies in transition. These comprehensive assessments evaluate a country’s policy, regulatory and institutional environment for investment. He also oversaw follow-up technical assistance to support governments in areas such as investment law reform, sector regulation, tax policy, and investment facilitation.
Prior to joining UNCTAD, Mr. Meloni worked in the Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, where he developed performance assessment tools and authored the organization’s annual self-assessment report.
Mr. Meloni holds a master’s degree in International Economics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, and a master’s degree in Political Science from LUISS University in Rome.
Since December 2022, Mathilde Mesnard is Deputy Director for the Environment Directorate and OECD Co-ordinator for Climate and Green Finance. She supervises work on climate and green finance and investment, as well as on environment and economic integration.
From 2021 to 2022, she was the OECD Deputy Deputy Finance for the G7 and G20 and acting Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs. From 2016 to 2022, she was Deputy Director of the OECD Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, responsible for the policy areas of financial markets, corporate governance and corporate finance, anti-bribery, as well as the Centre for Responsible Business Conduct.
From 2013 to 2016, she was Co-ordinator of the New Approaches to Economic Challenges (NAEC) Initiative where she supported the development of multiple innovative projects across the Organisation, promoting new approaches with an impact on OECD analytical work, data collection and publications. From 2009 to 2013, Mathilde was Senior Advisor to the Secretary-General and Counsellor in his Office, where she supported the delivery of his Strategic Agenda, including in the preparation of the Ministerial Council Meetings, advancement of the relationships with Key Partners and the OECD Accession Process. She also supported the development of the CleanGovBiz Project, a strategic horizontal initiative on anti-corruption and integrity.
From 2001 to 2009, Mathilde worked in the Corporate Affairs Division of DAF where she led and contributed to a number of projects on corporate governance in South-East Europe, the Russian Federation, Asia and China, and developed the OECD Guidelines on corporate governance of SOEs. Mathilde has previously held positions as management consultant with Deloitte & Touche, Assistant Professor in Economics, and Financial Analyst at Citibank.
Mathilde has a degree in Philosophy, a Master’s Degree in Finance from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris and an MBA from Drexel University. She received her PhD in Economics from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales.
Mathilde is a French national.
Alex is Senior Advisor with the IPSASB, supported by World Bank funding, to develop a public sector reporting standard focused on climate-related disclosures.
Previously, Alex worked at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), where he led the global accountancy body’s public sector strategy. He concluded his tenure at ACCA with an internal secondment to the Strategy Leadership Team. In this role, he developed the organization’s sustainability strategy, increased the maturity of its net zero approach, and produced the organization’s ISSB implementation roadmap. Earlier in his career, Alex worked across central, provincial and local government in the UK and Canadian civil service, including as a Senior Economist - specializing in tax policy - at the Ontario Ministry of Finance.
Alex is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). He studied at Oxford, Cambridge and Queen's universities.
Hartmut Meyer is the project leader for the ABS Capacity Development Initiative and the BioInnovation Africa project at GIZ.
He has also worked for various GIZ projects including ones focused on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, IPR and genetic resources. He served as the Information Manager for GENET, the European NGO Network on Genetic Engineering. He has also served as the Coordinator for the European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER). He was Chair of the Steering Committee of the Coordination Mechanism for Biosafety Capacity Building of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and served as a Consultant to the German Protestant Church Development Services (EED) on ABS and Benefit-sharing.
He has a wide range of experience providing technical and policy advice for governmental and non-governmental organizations and conducting technical meetings of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and participating in negotiations of the UN CBD and its protocols (as NGO representative or member of the German delegation). Dr. Meyer holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Göttingen.
Ryad Mezzour is a Moroccan politician and engineer. He has served as Minister of Industry and Trade since his appointment on 7 October 2021.
Before that, he served as chef de cabinet of the Ministry of Industry, Trade, Green and Digital Economy. From 2013 to 2019, Mezzour served as director of the cabinet of the president for the Moroccan Economic, Social and Environmental Council.
Between 2006 and 2009, Mezzour held several management positions at SOMED. He was appointed General Manager of Suzuki Morocco in 2009.
After finishing his master's degree, he worked as a financial services consultant for Deloitte from 2000 until 2003. In 2003, he returned to Morocco and was the general manager of Budget Rent a Car. From 1996 until 1998, Mezzour worked at ABB in Switzerland as a research and development engineer.
Mr. Mezzour holds a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering (1996) and a Master in Business Management (2000) from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.
Dr. Edwin P. Mhede is a progressive leader who serves as Deputy Permanent Secretary of a cabinet-level Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries of the Tanzania Government. He is also an Advisory Group Member of the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) Domestic Resource Mobilization Program (2024–2027) in Finland. He has previously held various technical and leadership positions in the Government, including the role of Deputy Permanent Secretary of Trade and Investment with the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investments; Commissioner General of Tanzania Revenue Authority, and the Chief Executive Officer of the President’s Office Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit Agency. He has served in corporate Boards in roles as Board Chairman of NMB Bank Plc, Deputy Board Chairman and Chairman of the Finance and Investment Committee of the National Development Corporation, Non-Executive Director of CRDB Bank Plc, and Board Director of Dar es Salaam Water and Sanitation Authority and Export Processing Zones Authority.
He is an empirical development economist with over 17 years of hands-on experience in both the public and private sectors. He has extensive skills in the empirics of development economics, trade practices, banking, economic policy analysis, international negotiations, and industrial research and investment. He is highly recognized for his bold leadership in implementing multifaceted economic programs that foster growth in Tanzania’s public and private sectors which led him in 2019 to earn a prestigious international commendation award by the Government of Japan. He holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s Degree in Development Economics from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo, Japan, and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness from Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in Morogoro, Tanzania.
Rebecca Miano is the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry since October 2023. Formerly, she held the position of Cabinet Secretary for the East African Community, The Arid and Semi-Arid Lands and Regional Development, where her responsibilities included championing Kenya’s agenda in the East African Community, promoting development through Regional Development Authorities, and implementing measures to enhance resilience in Arid and Semi-Arid areas.
Breaking barriers, Mrs. Miano made history as the first female Managing Director and CEO of KenGen Plc, a role she held for five years prior to her appointment to the Cabinet.
Mrs. Miano is for her contributions to gender parity. She founded the Pink Energy forum to address gender issues in the energy sector and has been appointed to prestigious roles, including serving as a Council Member of the World Bank Group’s Advisory Council on Gender and Development, a position she holds to date.
Her accolades include being named among the Top 100 Women CEOs in Africa, being named Chairperson of the Year by Women on Boards in 2021 and receiving the Company Secretary of the Year award in the Champions of Governance Awards series in 2010.
Mrs. Miano, a registered Certified Public Secretary of Kenya. She holds a Bachelor of Law Degree, a Diploma in Law, and post-graduate studies in Comparative Law. In 2010, she completed the Advanced Management Program at Strathmore University and is also a member of the Law Society of Kenya.
Dr Antonis Michail is Technical Director at the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) and coordinator of the World Ports Sustainability Program (WPSP). As such, Dr Michail supervises the work of the IAPH Technical Committees on Climate and Energy, Risk and Resilience and Data Collaboration and oversees all initiatives under the WPSP umbrella.
Dr Michail is an engineer in background with 20 years of professional experience on port environmental and sustainability management. Before joining IAPH, Antonis worked for 8 years as Senior Policy Advisor on sustainability and safety matters at the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO). Since 2003 and until 2017, Antonis has been involved in the EcoPorts network of ports from various posts, including managing projects and coordinating the network's activities and development.