Agenda

Atty. Maria Katrina D. Rivera is the Assistant Director of the Department of Trade and Industry - Export Marketing Bureau (DTI-EMB), bringing with her extensive experience in policy , international trade law, international relations, and intellectual property.
Before joining the DTI-EMB, Atty. Rivera served as the Division Chief of the Policy Research and International Affairs Division of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). In this role, she led the Office’s international engagements at multilateral, regional, and bilateral levels, playing a key role in free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations and shaping IPOPHL’s stance on legislative measures affecting the country’s intellectual property framework.
Prior to her tenure at IPOPHL, she was the Assistant Division Chief of the International Relations Division at the DTI-Board of Investments, where she gained extensive experience in policy development and international trade relations. Her work contributed to strengthening the Philippines’ trade and investment landscape through strategic international engagements and initiatives.
Atty. Rivera holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Arellano University School of Law and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of the Philippines Manila. In 2022, she earned a Master's degree in Intellectual Property and New Technologies from Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland, expanding her knowledge of trade and intellectual property.

Birame N. Sock is a tech entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience building digital platforms across the United States and Africa, including two successful exits. Among her earlier ventures was a music recognition application mostly known today as Shazam, reflecting a track record of early-stage innovation at the frontier of consumer technology.

She is the founder and CEO of Kwely Group, a digital distribution platform headquartered in Senegal and the US that connects Made-in-Africa consumer goods to global markets. Kwely works at the intersection of digital trade, market access, and African economic development — bridging the gap between African producers and international buyers through technology and services.

Birame has served on multiple boards and advisory councils across the technology, trade, and entrepreneurship ecosystem as well as supporting entrepreneurs in Africa through the ITC. A 2010 Cartier Women’s Initiative fellow, she has contributed to global conversations on digital trade and women’s entrepreneurship through platforms including UNCTAD’s eTrade for Women and African Business Heroes, and has appeared at major global forums including the World Economic Forum.

Joe Schembri is a researcher and lecturer in International Management at the University of Malta, with a PhD from the Adam Smith Business School at the University of Glasgow. Following a 20-year career spanning advisory, change management, policy, and senior leadership roles, including within Malta’s trade promotion agency, he joined academia in 2020. His research on internationalization strategy, leadership, and export support is published in top journals, including the Journal of World Business and International Business Review. Presently, Joe is presently working on research projects on good practise export support systems, board leadership and the dynamics of the use of AI amongst University students.

Dr. Jesse Weltevreden is CEO and co-founder of RankmyAI, an independent platform that maps the global AI ecosystem and maintains a database of more than 63,000 AI tools and companies worldwide. Through rankings, ecosystem maps, reports, and data analysis, RankmyAI provides insights into the development, adoption, and market dynamics of AI across industries and countries. His work focuses on developing data-driven insights that help businesses, organizations, researchers, investors, and policymakers make informed decisions about AI.

He is also Professor of Digital Commerce at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, a member of the management team of the School of Marketing, and founder of the Centre for Marketing Innovation. His work focuses on applied research in AI, digital commerce, and sustainable marketing.

He is a frequent keynote speaker at national and international conferences and events, speaking on AI, e-commerce, digital innovation, and the digital transformation of business and society.

Website: https://www.rankmyai.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesseweltevreden/

Xavier Cornut is a Consultant Europe & CIS at Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), where he advises Swiss companies on business opportunities, market developments, and economic trends across Europe and emerging economies. His work includes providing market intelligence, assessing geopolitical and economic risks, and supporting companies in navigating complex business environments.

He has developed particular expertise in Eastern Europe and the CIS region, including monitoring the economic impact of the war in Ukraine, sanctions regimes, supply chain disruptions, and reconstruction-related opportunities. He regularly advises Swiss businesses on market access, regulatory developments, and investment conditions in countries undergoing significant political and economic change.

In addition to his advisory role, he collaborates with government agencies, business associations, financial institutions, and international partners to strengthen Switzerland’s commercial ties abroad and support the international growth of Swiss companies.

He holds an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) and has extensive experience in international trade, economic affairs, and cross-border business development.

Martin is a Senior Adviser at the International Trade Centre (ITC), providing advisory services to entrepreneurship & business support organizations, with a focus on digital transformation and and tech ecosystem development in emerging economies. He managed the $10 million NTF IV programme and subsequently led the $15 million NTF V programme (2021–2025), while overseeing a global tech sector portfolio supporting more than 300 start-ups and SMEs across 10+ countries. He also led the development of the ITC #FastTrackTech methodology and managed an international team of 11 experts. His previous experience spans outsourcing industry development in Bangladesh, Digital4Development initiatives in Africa and Central Asia, IT sector promotion in the UK, and SME export promotion in Kazakhstan. He holds an MA in International Business.