2016 WCO IT Conference and Exhibition
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Mr. Abdelwahab ZRAMDINI
Vice President, Business Development
Cotecna

Abdelwahab holds a PhD in Computer Science and an Executive MBA from the University of Geneva Switzerland. He has also received specific training in WCO Customs Data Model and Customs Valuation and Transfer Pricing.

Through his 12 years’ experience as Information Systems Manager within Cotecna, Abdelwahab managed the analysis, design and deployment of wide range of Customs technical assistance solutions including risk management; classification, valuation and investigation, transit monitoring and business intelligence. Abdelwahab is now a member of Cotecna’s Business Development Department leading the design of new technical assistance services for Governments in the area of trade, finance and security.

Before joining Cotecna, Abdelwahab was active in academic research at Swiss Universities in the areas of document and workflow management & image processing.

 
Abdoullah Cisse
Lawyer, Carapaces Strategies and Compliance
Institute for Democratic Governance,CODESRIA
 
Dr. Alex CORENTHIN
Manager
National Commission Guidance (NIC) University Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar
 
Mr. Alioune CISS
Executive Director for Sales
Webb Fontaine

After 24 years of service in the United Nations System working for the ASYCUDA project, Alioune CISS has joined Webb Fontaine in 2015 as Executive Director fir Sales. Alioune currently coordinates the companies marketing activities for its Trade Facilitation solutions such as its Customs-Centric Single Windows, its Ruling Centre and its Customs automated systems.

On a personal note, Alioune is born in New-York, holds a Swiss and a Senegalese passport and he is married with 2 children.

 
Mr. Alioune DIONE
Director of the Customs Information System
Senegal Customs

State Doctor of Law, Mr. Alioune Dione is patented by the National School of Administration of Senegal and also holds the Certificate in Legal Profession (CAPA) of the Bar of the Court of Appeal of Paris

Mr. Dione worked as trainee lawyer for Cabinet Fénéon Delabrière & Associés in the 16e Arrondissement in Paris

 He currently serves as Director of the Customs Information System.

Mr. Dione offers courses at the National School of Administration and various Senegalese and European public universities.

 
Amadou Ba
Minister of Economy Finance and Planning Senegal
 
Mr. André SCEIA
Information system officer
UNECE, Sustainable Transport Division

André Sceia holds a masters in econometrics from the University of Geneva and PhD in environmental economics from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.

He has been working for more than 15 years in UNECE, where he has been managing various projects, inter alia, the eTIR project, which aims at the computerisation of the TIR procedure and, more recently, various related pilot projects . He has also contributed for many years to the work on the WCO data model, in particular on transit.

 
Mr. Ballé PREIRA
Head of Communication Section, Senegal Customs
 
Ms. Bineta TOURE
Head of Communications for the Customs Information System’s
Senegal Customs

Master’s degree in Web content and Web projects management 2005 from Metz University France

Master’s degree in Communication and Information sciences at Paul Verlaine’s University France

Former Manager in IT business.

Head of Communications  for the Customs Information System’s.

 
Mr. Cao QUAN
Head of Project Division
Department of Science and Technology of General Administration of China Customs (GACC)

Mr. Cao QUAN is the Head of Project Division, Department of Science and Technology of General Administration of China Customs (GACC), is the assistant of Mr. Chen. At present Mr. Cao is primarily responsible for the construction of the IT projects in JINGUAN PROJECT II . He is familiar with customs information systems. After Mr. Chen’s speech, he will answer any technical questions.     

 
Ms. Catherine Ache Shoh Mudoh
Manager, Customs Scanner Unit
Ministry of Finance, Customs Department,Cameroon
 
Mr. Cheikh Tidiane DIOP
Secretary General of the Ministry
Ministry of Economy, Finance and Planning, Senegal

Mr. Cheikh Tidiane DIOP is the Chief Inspector of the Treasury.  He was Head Office in the Directorate of Public Accounting and Treasury, municipal Receiver/ collector of Louga, Paying Rufisque, Technical Advisor to the Minister of Economy, Finance and Planning, in charge of public finance issues, he was then Coordinator of the Directorate of public Accounting and Treasury, and Executive Secretary of the Coordination Project Budget reforms and Financial Coordinator of the Project to support public finance reforms.

Since December 2014 he occupies the function of Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Planning.

Mr. Diop graduated from the National School of Administration and Magistracy -section Treasury. He completed a post-graduate training at the Sherbrook University in Canada, the John Fitzgerald Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University, the Training Institute of the International Monetary Fund and the West African Training Centre for Banking Studies of the BCEAO

Mr. Diop represented Senegal in various organizations and boards including the Regional Council for Public Savings and Financial Markets WAMU, the Board of Directors of Chemical Industries of Senegal, the National Electricity Company and the Tunisian/Sénégal Bank which merged with CBAO.

 
Mr. Chen ZHENCHONG
General Director
Department of Science and Technology, General Administration of China Customs (GACC)

Mr. Chen Zhenchong graduated from the University of International Business and Economics of China, majoring in Customs Management, and received a Master’s of Public Administration from Peking University.

Mr. Chen has been working for China Customs for nearly 30 years. He has worked across several departments, including the Policy and Legal Affairs, General Office, Customs Control and Inspection, Processing Trade and Customs Bonded Operation, and others. He also served as Deputy Director General of Shenzhen customs. Since May 2013, Mr. Chen has held the role of Director General of the Department of Science and Technology, with overall responsibility for China Customs’ IT planning and implementation management. Mr. Chen has a deep understanding of international trade and customs business, and has expertise in organization and management. At present, he is leading the construction of JINGUAN projects II, which adopt new concepts and technology, and provide critical support for the comprehensive deepening reform of China Customs, and for the overall trade facilitation and border security.



 
Ms. Christine MACQUEEN
Member of the Board
International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA)

Christine is a member of the founding Board of the International Tax Stamp Association, which was set up in late 2015. She has been Director of Corporate Affairs at SICPA since 2011, following almost 30 years in the British Diplomatic Service. An economist by training she has extensive government experience dealing with international organisations and defence and security issues.

 
Mr Christophe RENARD
Marketing Services Director
SICPA

With an MBA, aeronautics engineering and six sigma credentials, Christophe accumulates over 27 years of working experience in several countries, including senior positions in multinational companies.

He contributed to the significant development of the products and systems certification business, managed innovation and marketing departments, successfully conducted business and government improvement projects.

Christophe is the SICPA Government Solutions Marketing Services Director: His role includes the identification of market trends and opportunities, the marketing support to innovative track and trace solutions, in response to the growing governments’ battle against fraud.

In relation to Customs, thanks to former responsibilities in the inspection, certification and conformity business, Christophe has animated risk management panels at WCO ICT conferences and has delivered several presentations at WCO conferences on traceability solutions, product integrity, law enforcement and tax collection.

 
Mr. Craig FEDCHOCK
Coordinator
Plant Production and Protection Division, International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)

Mr.Craig Fedchock is currently the Coordinator of the International Plant Protection Convention Secretariat, a semi-independent body housed at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. As Coordinator, he manages the activities of the Secretariat in fulfilling the mission of the organization to establish and implement international standards for trade in plants and plant products.  He previously held several positions with the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Division, including Director of International Capacity Development, Associate Executive Director of Plant Health Programs, and Director of the Phytosanitary Issues Management staff. Before joining PPQ, Mr. Fedchock was the Director of Bilateral Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Affairs at the Executive Office of the President, Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).  Prior to this, he was also the Chief of Staff for APHIS International Services, and the Director for Asia Trade Policy in APHIS International Services. While at USTR he was the lead negotiator for the United States on SPS issues in multiple Free Trade Agreement negotiations and World Trade Organization accession discussions with several countries. Mr. Fedchock also worked in the Codex Office of the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, managed the activities of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods; the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration and as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Defence. He also served as a Russian linguist in the United States Army.

 
Mr. Eduardo GARCIA-GODOS
Executive Director
Instituto Peruano de Facilitacion del Comercio, Peru

Lawyer. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (1996). Master degree in International Economic Law - LL.M. 2001, University of Warwick (UK). Post graduate studies in Seoul, Geneva (ITC and UNCEFACT) and Buenos Aires; economic studies at Mises Institute,  Alabama. Currently founder and CEO of Instituto Peruano de Facilitation del Comercio (Peruvian Institute of Trade Facilitation) engaged in providing technical assistance in single window regulation and foreign trade regulatory bodies in the Region; partner at Comercia Consulting, leading consulting firm in market access and trade compliance in the Andean region and IADB consultant. He served as trade facilitation component leader of the USAID funded projects run by Nathan Associates: Facilitando Comercio and Standards Alliance for 3 years. He is past officer and negotiator of international trade agreements from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) of Peru. In the private sector, he was member of law firms in the practice of international trade and corporate law. Lecturer of foreign trade courses in national and foreign universities, and also speaker and panelist in international events related to trade facilitation.

 
Prof. Edward HUMPHREYS
Professor of cyber risk, governance and resilience
Chartered Fellow of the BCS - FBCS CITP, CISM

Edward Humphreys is a professor of cyber risk, governance and resilience.  He is also the chair of the ISO/IEC working group responsible for the family of ISO/IEC 2700o information security management system standards. He has worked in the field of information security and risk management for more than 37 years.  During this time he has taught in Universities in Europe, Asia and the Americas and has worked as a senior advisor to major international organizations, many governments as well as to the European Commission, Council of Europe, UN, WHO and the OECD.

In 2002 he was honoured with the Secure Computing Lifetime Achievement Award for his achievements on the internationalisation of the information security standards, in particular, as the recognised "father of the ISO/IEC 27001 family of information security management systems standards".  In 2007 he was given the international information security management excellence award for his work in championing the development and promotion of ISO/IEC 27001 accredited certification around the world.  In 2014 he was awarded the prestigious UK Wolfe-Barry gold medal award for his outstanding contributions and services to international standards. 

He has had 11 books published on information security and risk management, has written hundreds of articles and conference papers in this field.

 
Mr. Gilles Thierry BEUGRE
Directeur IT
COTE D’IVOIRE CUSTOMS

Director Information Customs since 2014

President Of the Regional Working Group on IT development of the AOC area of MDG

Previously as director of production and as director of studies and head of the development team in the migration project SydamWorld

Head of BI project

Computer engineer , graduated from the National Polytechnic Institute in Yamoussoukro in 2001.

 
Mrs. Gnagna DIOP SOW
Senior ICT Technical Advisor of the Minister
Ministry of Economy, Finance and Planification of Senegal

Mrs Gnagna DIOP SOW is working at the ministry of economy, finance and planification of Senegal since 29 years. She is presently the senior ICT technical advisor of the minister. Mrs SOW was priory project manager in charge of the computerization of debt and investment and after Research Officer. On the academic plan, Mrs SOW is a Computer scientist engineer, titular of a master’s degree in economic science. Mrs SOW is also titular of an MBA in Banking and Finance and a master’s degree in Judicial expertise and legal engineering in ICT law. Mrs SOW participated in all works related to the laws on the information society, telecom law and the Process of implementation of the digital terrestrial television in Senegal. Mrs SOW also works in Financial market and securities market of the national debt and in digital finance and electronic payment.

 
Mr. Guy-Roger Pivaud MINTCHIL
Inspector Analyst Valuation
Directorate General of Customs, Benin
Mr. Guy-Roger Pivaud,

Inspector Analyst Valuation, Directorate General of Customs, Benin

Holder of a Master in Accounting and Audit Control.

Customs’ inspector in the department of the unit value since April 2015.

The following positions are the relevant professional backgrounds:

Development of regulatory provisions governing the exercise of the activities of the same area as the implementation of customs services.Verification,conformity control and liquidation of customs duties and taxes of goods imported by the Port of Cotonou. Customs investigations, revision of statements and companies accounts control.

Currently, Inspector analyst value in charge of the validation process for imported goods in Benin after their assessment at the value unit.

 
Mr Henri BARTHEL
Vice President System Integrity and Global Partnerships
GS1 Global Office in Brussels

Henri Barthel has been working for GS1 since July 1988 and is currently Vice President System Integrity and Global Partnerships at the GS1 Global Office in Brussels. He is responsible for protecting the integrity of the GS1 system throughout the GS1 standards and services development process. He is a co-chair of the GS1 Architecture Committee that oversees the development of GS1 standards and advises the strategic direction of the GS1 product portfolio. Henri Barthel is also responsible for managing the partnerships that GS1 enjoys with external standards organisations such as ISO and UN/CEFACT. He chaired the ISO working group dealing with RFID standardisation for item management for seventeen years. He also chaired the European standards committee on Automatic Identification and Data Capture Technologies and Applications for six years.

 
Mr. Henry VITALI
Scanner Group Manager
Cotecna

Henry Vitali has worked for the last ten years in the design and deployment of major non-intrusive inspection technologies projects in Latin America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.  After leading programmes and key accounts for a renowned X-ray Scanner manufacturer, Henry joined Cotecna to reinforce and lead its scanning division, where he also had the responsibility for scanner operations and maintenance.

In 2015, he initiated the development of Cotecna’s own scanner operation management platform – CoView.

Henry holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University – USA, and a Master in Engineering from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers of Paris – France.

 
Mr. Hoon-goo CHO
Director General, Information & International Affairs Bureau
Korea Customs Service (KCS)

Director General, Information & International Affairs Bureau

Date/Place of Birth

December 27, 1962 / Yang-ju, Gyung-gi Province

EDUCATION

Feb. 2011    Korea University Graduate School of Public Administration (MA in Economics)

Feb. 1983    National Collage of Taxation of Korea

Feb. 1980    Uijeonbu High School

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Aug. 2015    Director General, Information Management & International Affairs Bureau, Korea Customs Service (KCS)

Director General, Bureau of Comprehensive Customs Duties Information Network of Korea, KCS

Aug. 2014    Deployed to Customs Border Protection, U.S.

 
Mr. I.V. MAZORODZE
Advisor to the Commissioner of Customes of Sierra Leone

Mr I. V. Mazorodze, popularly known simply as ‘I.V.’, has 30 years Customs experience. He joined the Zimbabwe Department of Customs and Excise (now part of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority) in1980.

His stint with Zimbabwe Customs ended in 1992 when left the post of Head of Training to join the Human Resources Development Services at the World Customs Organization.

During the 7 years he spent at the WCO I.V. was involved in the development and implementation of the Customs Reform and Modernisation Programme.

On leaving the WCO I.V. joined the South African Revenue Service as the Customs Transformation Advisor - a position he held till 31 December 2010 when he left to take up the post of Commissioner of Customs and Excise in the newly established Swaziland Revenue Authority (SRA). He held this position till March 2016 when he left to joint Adam Smith International as an Advisor to the National Revenue Authority of Sierra Leone (NRA)

I.V. is a holder of a Masters degree in International Customs Law and Administration (Centre for Customs Studies, University of Canberra). This article is submitted in his personal capacity and the views expressed herein are his own and not necessarily those of either the NRA or Adam Smith International.

 
Mr Ibrahima Nour Eddine DIAGNE
Managing Director
GAINDE 2000

Ibrahima Nour Eddine DIAGNE is currently the Managing Director of GAINDE 2000, the Chairman of the African Alliance for E Commerce (AAEC) and the Rapporteur of Africa of the UNCEFACT since 2006. Mr. DIAGNE has 20 years in depth experience on trade facilitation and paperless trade.

Prior to taking the position as General Manager of GAINDE 2000 since 2002, entity operating the Senegalese Single Window, he served as Director in Trade Point Senegal and headed the e-business department. Ibrahima led the Senegalese single window implementation from inception in 1995 to full operation of the platform in 2002.

He has been involved in many international activities in Africa, Europe and Asia to promote the concept of paperless trade and cross border transactions. He has directed the Single window implementation Guide developed by the African Alliance for E-Commerce regrouping 17 countries in Africa. Mr DIAGNE holds a B.Sc, MBA and M.Sc from HEC Montreal and HEC Paris.
 
Mr. Intikhab SHAIK
Group Executive: Business Systems
South African Revenue Service (SARS)

Intikhab is currently the Group Executive: Business Systems based at South African Revenue Service headquarters in Brooklyn, Pretoria. His chief role and responsibilities include:

The replacement and continuous improvement of Customs and Tax legacy systems and implementation of modern innovative business solutions for all SARS core taxes as well as Customs.

Oversees the strategic design, planning and implementation of new products.

This portfolio supports SARS’ internal users as a whole, also providing specific services to the business community as well. These include customs trade intermediaries, tax practitioners as well as service providers who provide tax and customs business software.

Intikhab has some 25 years of experience in a diverse field of Customs and Tax activities, and therefore has developed an acute knowledge and understanding of the key operational issues which affect the day to day activities of the country’s import and export business community, and more recently taxpayers.

 
Mr Jalal BENHAYOUN
Vice Chair AAEC/ General Manager PORTNET S.A.

Graduated from  Mohammadia School of Engineers and Al Akhawayn University Jalal Benhayoun began his career at Groupement pour un Système Interbancaire Marocain de Télécompensation « GSIMT » as a project manager before occupying the position of IT and Operations Manager. He then joined in 2011 Fenie Brossette subsidiary of SOMED group as Supply Chain Director. In may  2014 he was appointed General Manager of PORTNET S.A. « National Single Window for Foreign Trade » function that leads him to work in close contact with public and private operators in order to improve and facilitate international trade.

 
Mr. Jean-Luc DELCOURT
Head of Sector
European Commission – DG TAXUD

Early career in Belgium customs dealing notably with transit, temporary admission and tariff issues.

Currently responsible in EU Commission for Customs data integration and harmonisation, which comprises data collected via customs declarations, pre-arrival / pre-departure declarations, e-manifest, applications and decisions. This also includes the development of the EU Customs Data Model (EUCDM).

Chief Data Officer and Chair of the EU "DIH" Union Customs Code committee and expert group. European Commission Representative for data issues with WCO and other international bodies.

Also in charge in the European Commission of customs air and sea baggage controls legislation.

 
Mr. Jean-Michel MATTEI
Chief Information Officer
Directorate General of French Customs and Excise
 
Mr. Jean-Paul FORGET
Senior Vice-President – Chief Information Officer
Cotecna

Jean-Paul Forget has built a solid 30 years background in driving business change and digital transformation in various industrial and service-based multinational companies, focusing on standardization, exchange of information and integration of IT solutions. Before he joined Cotecna as Chief Information Officer in April 2015, he was The Technical Sales Director of a well-known Government Security Service Company, also leading the field operations of the excise tax protection solution in Morocco as a General Manager during 2 years. He holds a Master's in Business Engineering from the ICHEC Brussels Management School.

 
Mr Johan RUTHSTROM
Head of Business Development Government Solutions
CHAMP Cargosystems

Johan Ruthstrom heads up the Government Solutions Business Development department within CHAMP Cargosystems.  As part of this role, Johan focuses on how CHAMP and IT can address import / export challenges and inefficiencies experienced by authorities around the world.

Johan, who joined CHAMP in 2008, is a dedicated champion of paperless processes and a supporter of the IATA e-freight and WCO SAFE Framework of standards.

With more than 25 years of professional experience, Johan has held several senior positions in the logistics industry in different parts of the world, such as United Parcel Service, Operational Manager and Tradevision North America, VP Sales & Marketing.

Apart from his profound industry knowledge, Johan has played a pivotal role in positioning CHAMP and its portfolio to the specific trade and security requirements Governments and Authorities have when dealing with air freight matters. 

Johan, a Swedish national, holds a degree in Marketing & Economics from Frans Schartau Business Institute Stockholm, Sweden.  Married and with two children, Johan enjoys walking his dog, reading and spend time with his family.

 
Mr. Jonathan KOH
Senior Director,Trade Facilitation Centre of Excellence
CrimsonLogic

Jonathan Koh heads CrimsonLogic’s Trade Facilitation Centre of Excellence team, which oversees CrimsonLogic’s flagship trade solutions (Single Window, Customs Management System, Port Community System, Free Zone Sstems); provides domain expertise in trade and logistics.

Jonathan and team provide expertise in the areas of trade facilitation, and regulatory compliance, as well as developing Reference Models for Single Window and Customs Administration.  

Jonathan is a supply chain strategist with over 20 years of experience designing, implementing streamlined trade processes and regulations and in managing supply chain and trade facilitation projects as well as in advising on business, technology and policy issues,

He has worked extensively in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Latin America. He currently serves on the International Advisory Committee for the United Nations Network of Experts for Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (UNNeXT).

Jonathan has hands-on field experience in many Trade Facilitation / Single Window projects. He had served as Lead Consultant for the Government of Hong Kong SAR’s next generation Single Window, as well as Project Director for Kenya’s Single Window project. He also served as an expert resource to Government of Greece, helping to develop Greece’s National Trade Facilitation Strategy and Roadmap. He had conducted trade facilitation studies for international organisations including APEC, ASEAN, ADB, as well as for countries including Peru, Mexico, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Oman, Qatar.

 
Mr. Joonhyoung BAE
Assistant Deputy Director
Korea Customs Service

Joonhyoung Bae is an expert in Import and Export Clearance. He joined Korea Customs Service (KCS) in 2006 and serves as an Assistant Deputy Director in the field of implementing and enforcing Free Trade Agreements (FTA) between Korea and other major exporting countries.

While working for KCS for over 10 years, he completed special assignments at the WCO Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific (RILO A/P), where he was involved in collecting and analyzing data as well as disseminating information on trends, modus operandi, routes and significant cases of fraud. He was also a member of the promoting team for the communication with business and the public using social network service (SNS) at the regional level.

Mr. Bae holds Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Economics degrees from Kyungpook National University in Daegu, Korea.

 
Mr. Julian PAYNE
Product Marketing Director
De La Rue

Julian Payne is the De La Rue Product Marketing Director. He leads the Identity and Product Authentication business lines. He has specialist skills in Identity management, border management, civil registry, traceability and secure supply chains and product development.

Julian has instigated a culture of digital service development at De La Rue, launching three new software platforms in the last 18 months, as well as accelerating innovation from De La Rue’s material science capability.

A product management and marketing professional with over 18 years’ experience in the international B2B and B2G markets Julian has held senior product and business leadership roles at a number of IT and Telco businesses managing portfolios as diverse as submarine cables, mobile telephony, wide area networks, data centres and CRM and billing IT services.

 
Ms. Karin BURGER
Team Manager Communications
Customs Administration, The Netherlands

Karin Burger graduated from University of Amsterdam and from Academy for Film @Television, also in Amsterdam. After a career of 10 years in film- and commercial production, she entered the Tax Administration of the Netherlands in 2000,where she joined the Corporate Communications department. In 2007, she was a member of the communications staff involved with a major reorganisation at Dutch Customs, after which she was asked to join Customs and be Manager of the Communications department at the main office in Rotterdam.  A position she still holds. Mrs Burger has since specialized in online communication and reputation management. She is married, with one son and lives in Amsterdam.

 
Mr. Kgabo HLAHLA
Group Executive Strategy & Architecture
South African Revenue Service (SARS)

Kgabo is a teacher by profession with specialisation in Mathematics and Physical Science at Setotolwane College of Education.  Kgabo furthered his studies in Computer Science and Physics at University of Western Cape, and graduated in 1995, followed by B.Tech in Information Technology completed at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in 1997.

In the last twenty years Kgabo has been in the ICT industry, starting as an ICT technician in Eskom (Electricity generation, transmission and distribution Company) in the Network Infrastructure environment, to holding different portfolios such as Project Leadership, IT Manager, Chief Information Officer, until he became the Deputy Director General at the Department of Home Affairs, South Africa. Kgabo joined the private sector as Executive Director: Business Development at Sourcecom Technology Solutions, an ICT company whose core business was the deployment and distribution of Network Infrastructure, and at Kenterton Consulting as Executive Director Business Development. He later became CEO at New Dawn Prophesy Business Solutions responsible for the profitability and sustainability of the company, and to deliver shareholder value.

In August 2015 Kgabo was appointed as Group Executive: Modernisation Strategy and Design, which recently became Group Executive Strategy & Architecture at SARS, responsible for the development and implementation of Enterprise wide IT, Architecture and Information Security Strategies.

Kgabo values community involvement. He is involved in many community development projects and initiatives; he has been a board member in many companies, including community based Not-for-Profit Organizations over the years. He is a motivator, a coach, and a Pastor of note. 

 
0Ms. Koura Kane WANE
Ingénieur Informaticien
DTAI

Ingénieur Informaticien, avec comme compétence de base un Master 2 en Mathématique Appliquées de l’UCAD de Dakar, Mme WANE Koura KANE est un en service à la DTAI depuis 1987. Elle a servi successivement comme (i) Ingénieur de conception et de développement dans le « Projet Trésor » chargé de la Gestion budgétaire et comptable depuis l’élaboration de la Loi de Finance, l’exécution budgétaire et comptable jusqu’à l’édition de la Loi de règlement ; (ii) Coordonnateur de la gestion du Bogue de l’An 2000 au MEFP ; (iii) Chef de la Division des Etudes et Développement des Applications. Elle occupe, depuis 2010 le poste de Directeur du Traitement Automatique de l’Information et à ce titre est le « Coordonnateur technique du CGPID - DGD »,  Membre du Conseil de Gestion du Gie GAINDE 2000, Membre du Conseil de Surveillance de l’ADIE et Président du Comité technique du projet de mise en place du Système Intégré de Gestion de l’Information Financière (SIGIF) du MEFP.

 
Mr. Kristian VANDERWAEREN
Director General
Belgium Customs
 
Mr. Kunio MIKURIYA
Secretary General
World Customs Organization (WCO)

Mr. Mikuriya has been Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) since 1 January 2009.  He provides leadership and executive management for the global Customs community’s priorities, including developing global Customs instruments, standards, and tools; securing and facilitating global trade; realizing revenues; building Customs-business partnerships; and delivering capacity building in support of Customs reform and modernization.  In addition, Mr. Mikuriya is leading efforts in support of implementation of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement.

Prior to joining the WCO, he worked for Japan's Ministry of Finance for 25 years. During his career with the Ministry, Mr. Mikuriya occupied a variety of senior posts, which have given him broad experience and knowledge in Customs, trade, development, budget, and financial policies. He served as Director of Enforcement where he led efforts to fight illicit trade, then as Director of Research and International Affairs paving the way for the conclusion of the first regional trade agreement for Japan, and then as a Counsellor in the Tariff and Customs Bureau. He also served as Director of Salaries and Allowances to coordinate remuneration levels for the entire government workforce, and as the Budget Controller for Foreign Affairs, Official Aid, International Trade and Industry, in the Budget Bureau. In addition, he spent time as a Counsellor at the Japanese Mission to the WTO in Geneva and participated in the GATT Uruguay Round trade negotiations.

Mr. Mikuriya has a degree in law from the University of Tokyo and a Ph.D in international relations from the University of Kent.
 
Ms. Louritha GREEN
International Trade Liaison
Office of International Affairs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Lou Green serves as an International Trade Liaison within the Office of International Affairs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  Lou joined CBP in 2002 as an attorney in the agency’s Office of Chief Counsel, where she specialized in trade, procurement, and enforcement law.   In 2008, she assumed her current position.  Since then, she has represented the United States in several fora, including the World Customs Organization, World Trade Organization, International Civil Aviation Organization, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.  Lou also represents the United States in its free trade negotiations, including the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement, Trans-Pacific Partnership, and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. She also works closely with the WCO in the areas of supply chain security, trade facilitation, air cargo security, and data model matters.  In addition, Lou has successfully negotiated 11 mutual recognition arrangements on behalf of the United States. 

Lou holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (1994), Master in Public Policy from Harvard University (1997), and Juris Doctor from Tulane University Law School (2001).

“IT Connectivity, Single Window, & Public-Private Partnership: The US experience”

 
Mr. Luciano Paolo PUGLIATTI
Senior Trade Facilitation Specialist
World Bank

Luciano Pugliatti is a senior trade facilitation consultant with the World Bank who has worked on projects in many countries mostly involving Information Technology for Customs reform and modernization and, increasingly, dealing with trade information and Single Window.  Luciano designed and implemented the Lao Trade Portal and provided assistance for the implementation of the Lesotho Trade Portal.  Luciano has also designed the World Bank Trade Information Portal Toolkit which has been used to develop the national trade portals of Bangladesh and Botswana as well as the Cambodia National Trade Repository. Luciano is also assisting governments with the process of classifying, reviewing and simplifying Non-Tariff Measures (NTM) to meet WTO and regional commitments.

Luciano has contributed to the strategic definition and design of the national Single Windows in Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and Ethiopia. Luciano holds a Master of International Customs Law and Administration from the University of Canberra (High Distinction). Luciano is the author of the World Bank’s toolkit guide “Developing a Trade Information Portal” and of “Cloud Single Window - Legal Implications of a New Model of Cross-border Single Window” a paper published in the World Customs Journal. Previously, for over 10 years, Luciano was senior Director with line management and business development responsibility for a commercial division of a major Public Finance Management consultancy offering ICT solutions for the Public Sector and implemented ICT solutions for Customs and revenue administrations in many African Countries including Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola, Uganda and Lesotho.

 
Mr. Macky SALL
President of the Republic of Senegal
 
Mr Marco SORGETTI
Director General
FIATA

Marco Sorgetti was appointed to the position of director general of FIATA on the 1 January 2012. Prior to his current role in FIATA he was CLECAT’s director general in Brussels for nine years, and well known to EU institutions and peer organisations.

Marco has been an entrepreneur in freight forwarding for over 20 years, before switching to the sector’s associations in 2000.  Aside from his work in the industry’s private sector and associations, Marco has served as a member of the Turin Chamber of Commerce, where he is still a registered expert. He has also been a teacher of logistics and trade facilitation as a defending professor at MEL, Erasmus University Rotterdam. Marco has published extensive literature, inter alia, in 2002 a forwarding and transport manual which has been adopted by many Italian universities. His media and public presence in recent years is appropriately conspicuous.

 
Mr. Marjan OSVALD
Director
International Mail, Head, International Postal Operations, Republic of Slovenia

Management and implementation of various international projects within Post of Slovenia.

National QoS Coordinator, UPU QoS Fund, EC funding, regional projects, etc.

EPG Steering Committee member within IPC.

Speaker at international conferences and events.

Appointed Lecturer in International Postal Operations at the Vocational College of Postal Services and Telecommunications, Ljubljana since 1999.

 
Mr Michael EADS
Managing Director
Sovereign Border Solutions

Michael Eads is the Managing Director of Sovereign Border Solutions, providing consultancy services to leading multinational companies as well as Governments and NGOs. Sovereign Border Solutions specializes in developing business strategies and information technology solutions to transform the business of Customs.  Through the course of his career Mr. Eads has gained first-hand experience in virtually all aspects of global trade, including: logistics, regulatory compliance, supply chain security, customs and revenue modernization and related information technology (IT). In the latter part of his career, Mr. Eads has focused heavily on E-Government initiatives working on numerous modernization and business transformation projects including implementation of Customs IT systems, Single Window implementations and secure supply chains.

Prior to establishing Sovereign Border Solution, Mr. Eads held several executive positions including:   Director of Modernisation Strategy for The South African Revenue Service, President of GlobalLink Trade Consulting in Washington DC, and Board Member of TATIS SA of Switzerland.

Mr. Eads received his B.A. in Political Science, from Ohio University and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Johns Hopkins University.  He is a recipient of the World Customs Organization’s Meritorious Service Award and a frequent speaker at global conferences and events.

 
Mr. Michael MILFORD
First Assistant Secretary, Head of Major Capability Division
ACBPS

Mike Milford was appointed to the position of First Assistant Secretary, Major Capability Division in the Department of Immigration and Border Protection in August 2015. The Major Capability Division is responsible for the design, coordination and project management for all new major capabilities.

Prior to this appointment Mike was promoted to MAJGEN and appointed as the Head of ICT Operations (HICTO) in the Chief Information Officer Group at Defence. In this role he held overall responsibility for delivery of the Single Information Environment as a global end to end information and communications capability, including the provision of satellite communications, electromagnetic spectrum and networks to support military operations.

During this period he was also the principal Strategic Adviser (Strategic J6) to the Chief of the Defence Force and the Commander Joint Operations on communications and information systems and electromagnetic spectrum.

Mike entered the Royal Military College Duntroon in January 1980. Upon graduation he served in a number of Signals Corps and general appointments both in Australia and overseas, most notably in the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) as OC 152 Signal Squadron (as the Defence Adviser to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade), as Commanding Officer of the 1st Joint Support Unit, and as Director of Personnel – Army.

While posted to CIOG, Mike was also  the Director General Information and Communications Technology Policy and Plans from 2008 and then went on to fill the role of Chief Technology Officer responsible for strategic guidance and technical direction for the architecture, design and purchase of ICT products and services in Defence for a period of eight months before. He retired from the Army in March 2015.

He is a Distinguished Academic Graduate of the National Defense University Washington and in 2006 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours list for his work in command and as Director of Personnel - Army.

Mike is married to Jenni and they have three children, Rachel, Christopher, and Emily. Mike is an avid reader and fisherman.

 
Ms Milena BUDIMIROVIC
Technical Officer
World Customs Organization (WCO)

Milena Budimirović works as a Technical Officer in the Procedures and Facilitation Sub-Directorate of the World Customs Organization (WCO).

Her responsibilities cover work related to the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), including managing the WCO Working Group on the WTO TFA (TFAWG) and cooperation with Annex D+ organizations. She also manages the Permanent Technical Committee and is involved in the development of trade facilitation instruments and tools. She is also responsible for the WCO IT Conference agenda.

Before joining the WCO Secretariat in May 2012, Ms. Budimirović served as Brussels-based Customs Attaché of the Republic of Serbia for three years, during which she worked closely with the European Commission and the WCO covering all areas of Customs business. In 2011 she was accredited WCO Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Technical and Operational Advisor.

Prior to moving to Brussels, she served for ten years in the Customs Administration of Serbia. Her first six years in service she spent working as Customs Inspector at different border posts, after which she moved to the International Affairs Department in the Headquarters. She managed the WCO SAFE Implementation Project and was involved in many modernization projects with the WCO and the European Union (EU).

 
Mr. Mokhtar KETANI DOUCOURE
Coordinator
Senegal Customs

Customs Inspector of Exceptional Class the Colonel Moktar Kettani DOUCOURE is specialised in Fraud and criminal investigation with a brilliant career in the Senegal Customs several times designated head of department and services he has served the Customs since 1993 he has been head of the customs intelligence services and then Investigation Director for several Years

He graduated from the National Administration School of magistracy and holds a Master in Business Science was a brilliant student who won the national economy competition  before entering to the Cheikh Anta Diop’s University.

With several trainings abroad (Taïwan, United States France the Ivory Coast and Burkina) he has a knowledgeable  experience in Customs core investigation processes and has taught Law and economic courses as well as customs clearance courses at the National Administration School of Magistracy (ENAM).

 
Mr. Olivier MOREAU
Vice President Business Development of the Government Services & International Trade Division
Bureau Veritas

Olivier MOREAU is Vice President Business Development of the Government Services & International Trade Division of Bureau Veritas, one of the world's leading providers of import control and inspection services on behalf of governments, international organizations, traders and operators. Bureau Veritas operates in the field of Trade Facilitation as per the recommendations of the World Bank Group, World Customs Organization, World Trade Organization and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. The Group has almost 66,000 employees in 1,400 offices and laboratories located in 140 countries.

Olivier Moreau has responsibility of the Government Services and International Trade Activities' development for Eurasia. In addition, he is also engaged globally in the E-governance issues and particularly Single Windows solutions.

Prior to his assignment within Bureau Veritas, Olivier Moreau used to work for worldwide leaders like AP Moller Maersk in the fields of shipping, integrated logistics and freight forwarding.

Olivier Moreau holds an Executive MBA from ESSEC Business School and a Master in Cost Accounting from Paris XII University.

 
Ms. Oumou NDIAYE
Managing Director
ModelSiS

Expert in risk analysis, project management, statistical data analysis, workflow modelling, among others, Ms Oumou NDIAYE is a mathematician and statistician by training, holding a DESS degree in mathematical models and IT methods (Major in statistics) obtained in Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France.

Specialised in customs and tax procedures, Ms NDIAYE has conducted several studies and projects for public administrative bodies and African economic integration institutions. She has been Director for Africa of the Computerised Risk Management System at the COTECNA Liaison Office, Director of Statistics, IT and Documentation at the Public Procurement Regulation Authority (ARMP) of Senegal. She has travelled to many African countries as part of the deployment of the customs risk management system. She has been Project Manager for ICF (Investment Climate Facility) as part of the Senegalese customs’ modernisation and paperless project.

In 2008, Ms Oumou NDIAYE founded the ModelSis firm with the view to strengthening the experience acquired with regards to the implementation of paperless formalities and procedures, the design of information systems, the development of strategies and project management.

It was in 2014 that ModelSis was entrusted the development, under a PPP and in grouping with COTECNA, of top-notch systems aimed at automating and modernising customs administrations. These include a dynamic database for the analysis of customs valuation (VALOREM), an automated transit management system (TOTEM), and a platform for data interchanges between customs and other public administrations (TANDEM). The implementation of these systems is sustained by a large-scale training and skills transfer programme to end users.



 
Mr. Panagiotis MENOUDAKIS
Head of Global Customs & Trade Solutions Mgmnt
Intrasoft International SA

Mr. Menoudakis has been working with Intrasoft International for the last 7 years, currently holding the position of “Global Customs & Trade Solutions Mgmnt Head” (2015 - present). Leading a team of Consultants, the position is primarily responsible for Intrasoft's "Customs & Trade" Business Strategy and Solutions Management worldwide. Key activities of the department include the productization of solutions, products & assets promotion, key partnerships, presales support, setup of worldwide focused Sales campaigns and Business Planning of activities in new opportunity areas.

During the first 5 years at Intrasoft as a “Global Customs & Trade Senior Business Manager” (2009 - 2015) he was responsible for planning and running Sales Coverage Campaigns, Solution Awareness events and for the establishment of new partnerships in the business area of Customs & Trade.

Prior to his current engagement with Intrasoft International, Mr. Menoudakis was employed by XEROX Hellas for 11 years holding critical managerial positions including: Pre-Sales Analyst Manager (1998 - 2001), Production Systems Marketing Manager (2001 - 2004), Large-Scale Projects Manager & 6σ Specialist (2004 - 2009)

His early career steps had a technical orientation working at IBM Canada as “Senior Associate Development Analyst” for 4 years and at INTRACOM as “Senior Associate Development Analyst” for 1 year.

Mr. Menoudakis graduated from the National University of Athens with a BSc degree in Applied Electronics / Physics (1991) and from McMaster University in Canada with a MSc degree in Computer Science (1993).

 
Mr. Papa OUSMANE GUEYE
Director General Customs
Ministry of Economy, Finance and Planning, Senegal

Master in Business Law in 1985 with a brilliant career in the Customs Administration he has served in the Port of Dakar’s then in the control criminal investigation services

He has served in the regions of Tambacounda, Kaolack & SinenSaloum (central and eastern regions) as well  as chief of sub division.

He successfully passed the State General Inspector exam in 2003 (IGE)

and has been designated head of several customs legislations and other important services within the customs administration he has then been successively nominated State Secretary General and head commissioner at the Supreme Court and Secretary general for the Minister of Economy and Finance before being designated as General Director of the Senegal’s Customs Administration.

 
Mr. Raheem J. HOSSEINI
General Manager – Transformation
Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS)

Raheem Hosseini leads the Botswana Unified Revenue Service - Transformation Agenda, serving a coordinating role in alignment of organizational strategy, project management standards and operational excellence and standardization. Over the past 25 years he has led increasingly complex modernization, change, and transformation initiatives, in large scale multinational manufacturing, NGO and now Government agencies. While most often IT solutions have been integral to the change, Raheem’s record of delivering results is anchored in detailed attention to all the human systems that underpin the successful design and execution of the transformational change. This attention to human systems is at the core of the BURS Transformation and Modernisation Agenda.

Raheem has served Kgalagadi Resources Development Company, UNICEF Botswana, Photocircuits Corporation (USD1Billion), the Beaulieu Group (USD2Billion), USA as Director - Strategic Initiatives, Southwire Company, USA (USD5 Billion) as Vice President – Operational Perfection and Vice President – Global Strategic Alliances. IT systems involved in these assignments included, complex supply chain algorithms, automated data mining and analysis, automation of partnerships and integrations with widely varied stakeholder systems, migrations from legacy systems etc.

Mr. Hosseini who holds a BSc Mech. Engineering, WPI, Massachusetts, USA and MBA, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA,  provides perspectives and solutions drawn from solid and varied technical pedigrees, work with some of the world’s best human system practitioners and global exposure in 46 countries.

 
Mr Ray MC DONAGH
Head of Administration and Personnel
World Customs Organization

Before joining the WCO he worked for more than thirty years in Irish Revenue on Customs and taxation issues. His work included determination of national policy on a wide range of taxation and Customs issues including budgetary and legislative matters. He was a member of the High Level Group on the abolition of Fiscal Frontiers within the European Community that was established to oversee the creation of the Internal Market.

From 1991 to 1997 Ray served as Customs Attaché to the European Community during which time he was responsible for the customs aspects of the 1996 Irish Presidency of the European Union. During this period he also represented Ireland in the negotiation of the Common Customs Code which is applicable throughout the European Community. His brief also extended to WCO matters and he attended meetings on a range of issues including the development of the revised International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (revised Kyoto Convention). His brief later included the development of Customs policy with particular reference to e-commerce, trade facilitation and inter-agency co-operation. He was also the Irish Customs representative on WTO matters.

As Head of Administration and Personnel at the WCO, Ray is responsible for a wide range of issues including overseeing preparations for the Council, Policy Commission, Finance Committee and Audit Committee. He is also engaged in overall Policy issues and developing the relationship with Members and external bodies.

Born in August 1953, Ray is married to Gretta, they have two adult daughters, Lisa, a research chemist working in Australia and Carol a travel consultant working in London.

 
Mr. Ruslan DAVYDOV
Deputy Head
Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation

Mr. Ruslan Davydov was born in September 21, 1960 in Sverdlovsk, USSR.

In 1984 he graduated from the Moscow Engineering Physical Institute with «Automatics and Electronics» specialty. Further he worked in research institutions of the USSR Ministry of the middle-level machinery.

In 1993 he graduated from the Russian Presidential Academy of State Service with «Economic and Management» specialty.

Since 1995 he began his diplomatic work: Vice-Consul of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Saint-Francisco (USA), Deputy Head of the Representative of the Russian Center of International Science and Cultural Cooperation in Buenos Aires (Argentina).

Mr. Davydov has been working for Federal Customs Service of the Russian Federation (FCS of Russia) since 2008 as: Advisor, Chief Advisor of the Head of the FCS of Russia, First Deputy Head of the General Directorate on Organization of Customs Clearance and Customs Control.

Since March, 2012 he assumed his position as the Deputy Head of the FCS of Russia.

He supervises issues of improving mechanisms of the state customs control, application of the modern information technologies, organizing information collaboration with the state authorities and shift to provision of state services in electronic form, as well as practical implementation of tasks specified in the roadmaps of the National Business Initiative on Improvement of Investment Climate in the Russian Federation.

Lieutenant-General of Customs Service

Decorated with state and customs awards

 
Mr. Seung Hyun CHA
Strategic research team manager
Customs UNI-PASS International Agency (CUPIA)

Seung Hyun is the manager of Strategic Research Team at Customs UNI-PASS International Agency or CUPIA. He has been involved in a number of e-customs projects in Korea and around the globe and has provided numerous policy advices on customs modernization and trade facilitation to various countries and institutions. Currently he is involved in making a customs development and trade facilitation master plan with the Kyrgyzstan Customs governed by the Korea Customs Service which involves sharing knowledge and experience of the two customs authorities on customs modernization. He is specialized on customs to customs(C2C) data exchange and single window and actively working with various international organizations for their promotion.

 
Mr. Simon OUTTARA
General Manager
West & Central Africa, Microsoft

M. Simon Ouattara is the General Manager for Microsoft in West & Central Africa (WCA), a position he has held since July 2011. He joined Microsoft in 2001 as an infrastructure consultant. Shortly after that he was given the responsibility of managing the Microsoft Services business in WCA.

He held various roles in Microsoft Services focused on the WCA region before taking the role of Microsoft Services Delivery Practice Manager looking after three of the four WECA sub-regions at the time including Nigeria, WCA and the Indian Ocean Islands (IOI).

Before joining Microsoft, Simon worked for Unisys as development engineer for ATM systems, at DHL as support engineer for 13 countries and also at CIE, the national electricity company in Côte d’Ivoire as deputy CIO in charge of systems and networks.

Simon is passionate about technology and believes that it is the fastest way to give life to Africa’s development dreams. He holds an Engineering degree in Computer Science as well as a Masters in Engineering and Management of Telecommunications Networks from Institut National des Telecommunications in Paris.

He is married to Mrs. Mahimounat Bamba Ouattara with whom he has 3 children.

 
Mr. William ASIKO
Chief Executive Officer
President of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation

William is the President of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation. He started his career with The Coca-Cola Company in 1995 as inhouse corporate attorney in his home country, Kenya. In this role, William held various positions of increasing responsibility in a number of countries including the United States, Morocco and the United Kingdom, rising to the position of General Counsel for Africa in 2001.

In 2007, William was appointed President of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation & Director of Public Affairs and Communications for Coca-Cola Africa based in Johannesburg, South Africa. William has served on the boards of The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Egypt and The Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Barcelona, Spain and currently serves on the boards of Coca-Cola Africa (Pty) Limited in South Africa, Beverage Services Kenya Limited, The Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, the Africa America Institute, the global board of the HIV Free Generation, the global board of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), the Africa Regional Board of Junior Achievement and the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce in South Africa . He also chairs the Coca-Cola East & Central Africa Limited Staff Provident Fund board of Trustees. He is the current Chair of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Investment Climate Facility for Africa and in that capacity sits on the board of the Investment Climate Facility for Africa as an observer.

Prior to joining The Coca-Cola Company, William served 5 years as State Counsel in the Office of the Attorney General for Kenya and 2 years as a partner in the law firm of Hamilton Harrison & Mathews in Nairobi, Kenya.

 
Mr. Xin XIONG
General Manager
NUCTECH SOUTH AFRICA

Xiong Xin (Kevin) is the General Manager, NUCTECH SOUTH AFRICAPTYLTD .

With more than 10 years of experience in security inspection field, he has been working intensively with many Customs Authorities on the African continent to assist them to bring non-intrusive inspection systems into their daily operations. His insight in marketing strategies has built up and further consolidates the market share of Nuctech on the Continent.

In addition, he is active in knowledge and technical transfer of Nuctech technology to the customers. To this end, he has been making energetic efforts in localizing Nuctech service in various countries in Africa.

As a member of Nuctech, Xiong Xin is devoted to providing first class products and services to his customers and it is also part of his endeavor in doing his humble part to promote the application of latest security inspection technology to bring more security into the continent.

 
Col. Yahya Moosa AL-MAIMANI
Program Director Customs Automation and Modernization
Directorate General of Customs, Royal Oman Police

Col. Yahya Al-Maimani Program Director Customs Automation, Directorate General of Customs, Royal Oman Police. Yahya graduated from Secondary School in 1981 with the highest aggregate score for a student that year, which qualified him for a Government scholarship to study Computer Engineering in the United States. He graduated with a Bachelors Degree from University of the Pacific in 1986. On return to Oman Yahya joined Royal Oman Police as an Officer in the Directorate General of Information Technology. In the early nineties he was appointed as assistant to the Director General of IT, a role which he filled until he was appointed Director General of IT. As Director General of IT he had responsibility for the maintenance and in many cases development of IT systems and services for the Royal Oman Police. The ROP is a large organization with multiple enforcement roles, including Customs, Immigration, Coast Guard, Border Security, Fire and Ambulance services as well as the usual domestic policing roles. During his time as DG of IT Yahya led and oversighted the development and implementation of multiple systems across all branches of ROP.In early 2012 the Inspector General of Police and Customs appointed him to lead the Customs automation and modernization program. This was done due to the scope and complexity of what has now been named the BAYAN systems. The Bayan systems include an Integrated Customs Management System (ICMS) and a Single Electronic Window (SEW) for industry reporting and permit issue and management on behalf of multiple government agencies.

 
Dr. Yann ALIX
Head of Strategy
SOGET

Since April 2016, Dr. Yann Alix has been appointed as Head of Strategy – SOGET SA after acting as Business Dvp Manager for Africa & Latin America for SOGET SA over the last five years. He is the author of the SOGET White Paper entitled The future belongs to fluidity.

Since 2011, Dr Yann Alix is also the General Delegate of the Fondation SEFACIL which aims to set up, lead and animate a unique international think-tank of excellence around strategic & prospective analysis on themes related to the future of Maritime Transport, Ports & Logistics.

In 2012, Dr. Yann ALIX has founded a new collection of books (Les Océanides) with its first four releases on Transportation Corridors (2012), Bulk & Logistics (2013), Port-City Governance (2014) and Circular Economy & Port Ecosystem (2015). – The forthcoming fifth volume will be about Ports in Africa.

Dr Yann Alix has received his PhD from Concordia University and his Doctorate in Transport Geography from Caen University.

 
Prof. Dr. Yao-Hua TAN
Professor of Information and Communication Technology at the Technology, Policy and Management
Delft University of Technology

YAO-HUA TAN is professor of Information and Communication Technology at the Technology, Policy and Management of the Delft University of Technology. He is programme director of the part-time executive master Customs and Supply Chain Compliance of the Rotterdam School of Management of the Erasmus University Rotterdam. He was Reynolds visiting professor at the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania.

His research interests are IT innovation to make international trade more secure and safe; compliance management for international supply chains; multi-agent modelling to develop automation of business procedures in international trade, ICT-enabled electronic negotiation and contracting. He published five books and over 220 conference papers and journal articles.

He was (scientific) coordinator of various research projects on IT innovation to facilitate international trade; including the EU funded projects ITAIDE (2006-2010), CASSANDRA (2010-2014) and CORE (2014-2018).

He was vice-chair of the Committee on Trade of the Trade Division of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in Geneva. He also regularly acts as an expert for the Dutch government's Top Sector Logistics and the Dutch Logistics Information Platform (NLIP), and the European Commission.

 
Mr. Ziyaad BUTLER
Director: Business Strategy
Sovereign Border Solutions

Ziyaad Butler is the Director of Business Strategy for Sovereign Border Solutions. He is a qualified management consultant and strategy specialist who has first-hand experience in a variety of areas. He developed his knowledge base as a process engineer and management consultant and previously spent a number of years working as the Strategic lead for Customs, at the South African Revenue Service (SARS) where he worked on designing, developing and implementing the Customs Modernisation programme. In this role, he has attended and presented at many WCO committee meetings representing SARS.

In his current role, he provides management consulting to Government agencies, the World Bank and private enterprises and has worked on projects in Europe, Asia and Africa. His area of expertise is strategic consulting on border management and Customs and Excise modernisation which includes; conducting Customs and Excise diagnostics, assessing illicit trade crossing borders, reviewing single window projects, reviewing Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programmes and recommending strategies for improvement and modernisation.

 


2017 WCO IT Conference & Exhibition

Location: Tbilisi, Georgia

Date: 7-9 June 2017

Enquiries: WCOIT2017@wcoomd.org


Digital Customs

- Accelerating Connectivity – Bridging the Divide -

 

2016 WCO IT Conference

1-3 June, Dakar, Senegal


ITC in Senegal, the land of Teranga


The 2016 WCO IT Conference & Exhibition is moving to Senegal, the Land of Teranga.  In Wolof, the country’s national language, Teranga means hospitality, which is given such importance in Senegalese culture that it is widely considered to be part of the national identity. Senegalese people take pride in their hospitality and their country and make great efforts to welcome visitors and to introduce them to their language and customs.


The Customs Administration of Senegal is wholeheartedly inviting you to the 2016 WCO ITC in Dakar, the westernmost point in Africa and one of the key seaports on the western African coast. Dakar is one of tropical Africa’s leading industrial and service centers. It is a vibrant city and one of the most visited destinations in Western Africa.


Digital Customs


Do Customs administrations have the ability and flexibility to respond to the ever-growing challenges faced with the growth of trade and changes in trade patterns?

Experience shows that Customs is among the leading agencies, if not the leading agency at the border, when it comes to reform and modernization, especially when it comes to automation. But, can Customs afford to purely rely on its existing abilities to adapt to change in the digital world of today and tomorrow?


Embracing information technology, investing into research and development, fostering innovation and thinking out of the box are only the beginning of finding solutions to these questions. Whether we are ready or not, the digital world is here to stay and will influence how we do business in the future...


The WCO has launched comprehensive discussions on Digital Customs, as a response to the continuous challenges imposed by the demanding pace of the ever-changing digital landscape of today. Aim of the WCO Digital Customs Concept is to serve as a conceptual framework to support Member administrations in understanding and implementing the ICT-related standards, tools, instruments and guidelines that have already been developed by the WCO.


The IT Conference is an important WCO event contributing to the shaping of Customs ICT-related initiatives.  The Customs-Private Sector dialogue, taking place at this diverse and exciting forum, contributes and will continue to contribute to the shaping of Customs and other regulatory bodies’ IT solutions and efforts.


The 2016 WCO IT Conference will endeavour to explore technologically-enabled Customs-to-Customs, as well as Customs-to-Other Agencies’ cooperation mechanisms, and will take a look at emerging trends and technological developments that could provide new capabilities and opportunities, or impact how Customs currently facilitates trade and performs regulatory tasks.


The Conference will provide a platform for bringing together key partners from Customs administrations, relevant agencies and ministries, regional economic communities, private sector, international organizations, development partners and academia. It will allow sharing experiences and conducting strategic discussions on many topics of relevance for facilitating and securing the movement of information, goods and people across borders.


2016 Conference Objectives


Explore implications of the digital world on Customs and other Government agencies in the future.


Showcase private sector and Governments’ most recent technological developments that will provide new capabilities and opportunities and impact how Customs facilitates trade and performs its regulatory tasks.


Monitor emerging trends, including IT solutions for exchange of information between Customs and between Customs and other agencies.

Seek potential areas of synergy amongst relevant stakeholders at national, regional and international level.


Participant Profile


The 2016 WCO IT Conference and Exhibition will bring together Customs authorities, representatives from other border regulatory agencies, the IT sector, international organizations, development partners, regional economic communities, the broader business community including trade, transport and logistics bodies, lending institutions and other international trade stakeholders.


Conference Registration


This unsurpassed package comprises the three-day conference, refreshment breaks and lunches, dinners, and a delegate pack that includes access to all presentations. For further information on registration fees and conditions, please use this link.