Paul F.M. Hurks RA (1958) is International Accountancy Director at NBA Amsterdam (Dutch Professional Organization for Accountants), member of PAODC (Professional Accountancy Organizations Development Committee) of IFAC, member of the Steering Group of Common Content and lecturer for postgraduate accountancy education at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. In his present capacity at NBA, Paul is responsible for the NBA policy for international accountancy coordination, accountancy development work in Eastern Europe and Suriname and harmonization of accountancy education in EU. Paul has been a practitioner for 25 years for audit clients at KPMG Amstelveen and as a founding partner of Omnyacc Accountants Heerhugowaard. Paul served in international and national capacities as accountant, auditor, entrepreneur, quality control reviewer (audit practice and accountancy education), educator and consultant in the field of financial auditing.

Ms Gail Hurley is Co-Director of RESI and an ODI Research Associate. She is a specialist in innovative financing models for the blue economy, with a particular focus on developing financing solutions in the Global South.

She was Director of Advisory at Finance Earth from 2022-2023, and worked for 10 years as a Policy Specialist and Advisor on Development Finance with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York.

Georgina Hurtado works as Head of the Department of International Organizations for Basic Products of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Commerce (MIFIC) of Nicaragua. Her main function is to carry out economic analysis of the commercial behavior at the national and international level of basic products, mainly the coffee, cocoa and sugar items. Monitor and follow up on the resolutions and/or agreements made with International Commodity Organizations such as the OIC, OIA and ICCO according to their regulatory framework and those established by the Common Fund for Commodities for the financing of projects.

Dr Victoria Hurth is Associate Professor of Marketing and Sustainable Business at Plymouth University. She is the convenor of the first truly global governance standard: ‘Guidance for the Governance of Organizations’ (ISO37000) a member of the UNEP/UNCTAD Task Force for developing a methodology for SDG indicator 12.6.1 and committee member for a British Standard to define and measure Social Value. She was the UK lead for development of ISO37120 (indicators for sustainable cities). She is a faculty member of Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership and has published in journals including: Nature Climate Change, The New Scientist and Carbon Management. Victoria previously worked for Accenture with companies including Marks and Spencer and J Sainsbury. She is a Chartered Manager, Chartered Marketer a founder member of the UK’s South West Mutual Community Bank. She has been engaged by organisations such as The British Council, British Standards Institute and LEAD International.

The Honourable Cheryl Sandra V. Husbands currently holds the portfolio of Minister of Training and Tertiary Education. Prior to her current position, Ms. Husbands served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

By profession, she is a management consultant. She has worked in broadcasting, sales and marketing, as well as market research, tourism, public relations and total quality management.

Additionally, she has trained in adult learning, facilitation, Covey leadership training, business process management and total quality management.

Ms. Husbands holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and Law and a Masters in International Trade Policy.

Lisa Huyen is one of the founders of Vietnam Staraniseed Cassia Manufacturing and Exporting Joint Stock Company (VINASAMEX., JSC), the leading enterprise in cinnamon and star anise manufacturing and exporting in Viet Nam.

Lisa is working with the passion to further improve the living and working condition of every single farmer and minority people in farming area all over Viet Nam.

After contributing more than 9 years being a CEO of leading Vietnamese company, Lisa has successfully achieved valuable certificates for VINASAMEX., JSC, such as: Organic EU, Organic JAS from Control Union, Netherlands; USDA; ForLife from Ecocert and HACCP from Quacert.

Gyubin Hwang is the Global Coordinator of the Children and Youth Major Group to UNEP, the mandated youth constituency to the UN Environment Assembly. Since 2020, he has worked to broaden the constituency’s reach in areas including science-policy interfaces, chemicals and waste, and resource management. His professional career has focused on energy investment and critical minerals analysis. He holds degrees from University College London and the University of Oxford.
 

Dr. Eun Kyoung Hwang is a Senior Researcher at the Seaweed Research Institute, National Institute of Fisheries Science, Republic of Korea.

Specializing in seaweed cultivation and breeding, Dr. Hwang focuses on optimizing mass production methods for various seaweed species, including brown, green, and red seaweed. Her research aims to improve cultivation techniques, enhance seaweed quality, and explore commercial applications in food, pharmaceuticals, and bioenergy.

She has significantly contributed to the field through extensive research papers and comprehensive seaweed manual books. She was invited as a keynote speaker at the 24th International Seaweed Symposium (ISS 2023) in Australia and the 8th Congress of the International Society for Applied Phycology (ISAP 2024) in Portugal, highlighting her leadership in the field.

She earned her Ph.D. from Pukyong National University and was a post-doctoral fellow at Queen’s University of Belfast.

Veterinarian and specialist in aquaculture with 20 years of experience working on fish health, food safety, and sustainability topics. Dr. Ibarra has led and managed multidisciplinary teams during his professional work covering sanitary challenges, food safety, and research in the salmon industry in Chile. He has collaborated with different aquaculture companies, universities, governments, donors, and NGOs worldwide, carrying out recommendations and research in disease management and sustainable production models. In recent years, Dr. Ibarra has been involved in issues related to sustainability in aquaculture worldwide, with a particular focus on the impact of aquaculture associated with the use of chemicals under a One Health approach.

Dr. Gamal Ibrahim is the Chief of Economics Governance and Public Finance Section, Macroeconomics and Governance Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). He currently leads ECA's technical work on economics governance, public finance and illicit financial flows. Previously, he led the secretariat of the United Nations High Level Panel on Financial Accountability, Transparency and Integrity.

Dr. Ibrahim has an MA in Development Economics from the University of Leeds and a PhD from Nottingham Trent University. He taught Economics at Nottingham Business School before joining the Fragile States Unit at the African Development Bank and then the Arab Monetary Fund in Abu Dhabi, as a Senior Economist.

Dr. Ibrahim has published widely in books and leading economics journals. His main field of specialization is institutional economics with a particular emphasis on development planning, economic governance, finance for development, illicit financial flows and private sector development. He served as a resource person for the African Economic Research Consortium research and training programmes. He is a research fellow for the Economic Research Forum (ERF).