Mr. Zhan leads the UN World Investment Report and is editor-in-chief of the Transnational Corporations Journal. He chairs the Governing Board of the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (with members of all major stock exchanges worldwide).

Mr. Zhan has directed extensive research on key issues and led the formulation of global guidelines for a new generation of investment policies. He facilitated the formulation of outcomes at various international summits. He has also provided policy advice to governments (including heads of states and cabinets) and parliaments in over 100 countries.

Mr. Zhan is chief strategist for the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies. He has held several advisory positions in academic institutions (including Cambridge University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Oxford University and the University of Geneva).

Mr. Poonoosamy has a solid academic and professional background with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of investment promotion and has implemented targeted promotional campaigns to access emerging markets with a view to spurring FDI inflows in the ICT/BPO, real estate, financial services, biotechnology, logistics, seafood, manufacturing and the Freeport sectors.

He is also a much-solicited adviser and speaker at international conferences on Africa‐related investments, good governance for IPAs, ease‐of‐doing‐business practices, shipping, seafood and logistics, amongst others. Moreover, he currently serves on the boards of several important government bodies. Mr. Poonoosamy also served in the Mauritius Freeport after having been in employment at Deloitte and Touche.

Mr. Wessendorp is responsible for a global technical assistance program aimed at strengthening national capacities to promote and facilitate foreign investment for sustainable development. He has over 20 years of experience assisting more than 40 countries through advice and training on investment policies and promotion, including helping found the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) and initiating UNCTAD’s program on good governance and the promotion of green investment. He also led teams that organized UNCTAD’s World Investment Forums in Ghana, China, Qatar, Switzerland, and Kenya. He is an economic geographer and development planner and has an MSc from the University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Mr. Varndell is a chartered civil engineer with 17 years of experience in infrastructure development. His extensive experience includes interventions in the transport, energy and water sectors and has involved a strong focus on economic development and stakeholder engagement. Peter is passionate about the development of Africa and seeks to develop public-private sector collaborations that realise inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Mr. Lironel is the current Senior Program Officer – Investment and Finance, in the Directorate of Finance, Investment and Customs at the SADC Secretariat, in Gaborone, Botswana. Prior to joining SADC he served as Member of the Board of Directors of the Angola Government Agency for Private Investment and Promotion of Exports.

Mr. Lironel, also served as the Head Investment and Exports Promotion & International Business Department of AIPEX (Agency for Private Investment and Promotion of Exports under the umbrella of the Angola Ministry of Economy and Planning).

Lironel has over twenty years of experience on International trade, investment and economic diplomacy, having also worked for the World Food Programme for nearly 12 years with responsibilities on gender issues, food aid assessment and support to refugees, IDPs and returnees. Mr. Lironel holds two degrees: an LLM in International Commercial Law with specialization in International Banking and Finance Law and a BSC in International Relations.

Dr. Ikiara is the Managing Director of the Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest), a position he took on 11th February 2013. KenInvest is the state agency charged with responsibility of promoting both foreign and domestic investment in Kenya, facilitating investors, and policy advocacy with respect to investment in the country.

Dr. Ikiara holds a PhD in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics from the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. His previous academic qualifications include Bsc. in Agriculture and MA in Economics, both from the University of Nairobi.

Mr. You is an Associate Economic Affairs Officer in the Regional Integration & Trade Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. He contributes policy research and provides technical assistance on investment, intellectual property rights, competition, and digital economy issues. Prior to joining the UN, he spent 10 years in the private sector, mainly in banking and telecommunications, and co-founded an education non-profit in Cambodia. He received a Master degree of Public Policy from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Singapore Management University.

Mr. Hoosen has 18 years of experience in government, mainly in trade and investment promotion, economic development, international marketing, policy advocacy and government relations. He holds a degree in Business and Managerial Economics from Orient Centenary University.

Mr Gabriel is a business-savvy, management and technically sound professional with a strong educational background. He has “Hands-On” working experience within the ICT, Investment, Real Estate, Business Development, Construction, Banking and Aviation field over the past 15 years. He has worked in government, parastatal and the private sector, which gives him extensive, all-encompassing knowledge on the Seychelles Investment/ Business climate. He has held the post of Deputy CEO of the Seychelles Investment Board since October 2017

Mr. van Schalkwyk is an established Namibian innovator and venture/corporate development specialist who has been building and working with remote teams globally since 2008. Managing and building remote/WFH teams successfully is all down to culture and engagement. As a consultant, he has enabled clients and partners to operate more creatively, innovatively, and profitably.

Mr. van Schalkwyk has successfully delivered strategic commercial projects and outcomes both in start-up and corporate environments through M&A, investments and corporate partnerships. He has experience on long-term projects in Agriculture, AI/Taxation, SaaS/Cloud, Medtech/Devices and has advised global clients on building company culture in the age of pandemic.

He is currently heading the Investments & New Ventures department at the Namibia Investment Promotion & Development Board.

Hamed El-Kady is in charge of the work programme on international investment agreements (IIAs) in UNCTAD. He is part of the core team drafting the World Investment Report, and authored a number of UNCTAD’s series on International Investment Policies for Development. He provides technical assistance to Government officials and policy makers on issues related to investment policies for sustainable development. This includes advisory services on the revision of model bilateral investment treaties (BITs), and investment chapters in regional free trade agreements.

He coordinated the implementation of over 40 international, regional and national conferences, seminars and workshops on investment issues worldwide. He is also a member of UNCTAD’s core team for the World Investment Forum (WIF), and published various articles on international trade and investment policies and their development implications in academic journals. He is a frequent panelist in international conferences on investment policies.

As Head of Marketing & Communications in CINDE, Karin is responsible for country value proposition development and omnichannel marketing strategy design for Costa Rica´s Foreign Direct Investment initiatives. She also leads communications strategies across the organization.

With over 20 years of experience in e-Learning, e-Commerce y integrated marketing in companies such as Café Britt, Avon y Garnier Development.

She holds a Bsc. in Business Administration and a Master´s Degree in Integrated Marketing specialized in Direct, Database & E-commerce Marketing from Northwestern University.