speakers His Excellency Mninwa J. Mahlangu Ambassador of South Africa to the U.S., South African Embassy

Transcription

1 speakers His Excellency Mninwa J. Mahlangu Ambassador of South Africa to the U.S., South African Embassy Mninwa Johannes Mahlangu is the current Ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to the U.S., having presented his credentials in Mahlangu s public and political life started in the 1960s when he was elected president of the Student Christian Movement in what was then Eastern Transvaal. From 1973 to 1976, he served as Assistant Secretary of the Transvaal United African Teachers Association. Mahlangu is one of the leaders who played a critical role in the processes leading up to the first democratic South Africa. Between 1991 and 1994, he was a negotiator at the Congress for Democratic South Africa (CODESA) and the Multiparty Negotiation Forum. In 1993, he became Co-Chair of these organizations. During 1993 to 1994, he was a member of South Africa s Transitional Executive Council. After the first democratic elections in 1994, Mahlangu joined the National Assembly in the Parliament of South Africa as a representative of the African National Congress. He became a member of the Constitutional Assembly (CA), the body that drafted the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. As a member of the CA, he chaired the Core Group of the Theme Committee on Chapter 4, dealing with Parliament. During his tenure as a member of the National Assembly he also served as Chair of the House Committees. In 2002, Mahlangu was elected Permanent Deputy Chair of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Parliament. After the third democratic elections in 2004, he was re-elected Permanent Deputy Chair of the Council. The following year, he was elected Chair of the NCOP, and was re-elected in He served in this position until the fifth democratic elections were held in Mahlangu has represented South Africa in many international platforms, including the United Nations and G20 Speakers Conferences. He was the leader of the South African Parliament s delegation to the Pan-African Parliament. His duties in this continental body included serving on the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline. He has also held the positions of Chair of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Africa Region) and President of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (International), respectively.

2 Justin Barnard President and CEO, Barnard Equipment Co. Justin Barnard is president and CEO of Barnard Equipment Co. (BEC) in Brandon, Miss. BEC specializes in crane sales and rentals, and is a provider of earth moving, high lift, genset power and industrial equipment. Established in 2006, the company immediately found markets that journeyed beyond the U.S. To date, Barnard Equipment has conducted business in more than 50 different countries around the world with revenue totals exceeding $70 million since Barnard created a company that is user-friendly to many repeat overseas and domestic buyers. Scott Eisner Vice President, African Affairs U.S. Chamber of Commerce Scott Eisner is vice president of African Affairs and International Operation at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He represents the Chamber s interests in sub-saharan Africa through its Africa Business Initiative (ABI), the business community s leading advocacy group aimed at strengthening U.S.-Africa trade relations. Eisner directs the strategic activities of the ABI as it engages with senior-level U.S. government officials, international business leaders and African governments. In addition to his Africa portfolio, Eisner oversees day-to-day management of the budget, staff and strategic direction of the Chamber s International Division. He plays an integral role in coordinating the activities of the division with internal and external stakeholders. Chamberlain Eke Senior Commercial Specialist U.S. Commercial Service - Nigeria Chamberlain Eke has been a commercial specialist with the U.S. Commercial Service Nigeria since He oversees the automotive/transportation, agri-business, financial services, food processing and packaging, travel and tourism, as well as general service sectors. Prior to joining the U.S. Commercial, Eke spent three years at ACNielsen where he coordinated a city-wide retail outlet census in one of Nigeria s largest cities. As the company s pioneer customized research manager, he provided consumer insights and market intelligence and analysis reports to multinational clients like Coca-Cola, Pepsi International, Procter & Gamble, Guinness and more. He later joined Research International Nigeria, in 2001, where he assisted the company re-engineer its retail measurement services department.

3 Alan F. Enslen Attorney - International Trade Team, Maynard, Cooper & Gale Alan Enslen leads Maynard Cooper & Gale s International Trade group and is a co-founder of the firm s Government Solutions group. He practices in international trade with an emphasis on export controls, economic sanctions and anti-corruption, specialized civil litigation and government investigations. Enslen represents firm clients in all areas of international trade compliance, including export controls (defense/itar and dual-use/ear), economic sanctions programs, customs/import controls, anti-boycott restrictions, anti-corruption laws, foreign direct investment, anti-money laundering compliance and foreign market access. In addition, he advises clients regarding export jurisdiction, product classification and licensing issues. Patrick Griswold President and Founder, Why Africa Now Patrick Griswold is the president and founder of Why Africa Now, a boutique consulting firm specializing in expert knowledge, advice and implementation skills. His client list includes companies and investors ready to participate within the continent that has the most significant, projected economic growth on the planet for the next three decades, Africa. In 1992, Griswold became the CEO of a $40 billion global firm s tire manufacturing business in Sub-Sahara Africa, a position he held for 10 years. Griswold was also a founding member of one of the largest and most influential CEO roundtables in Africa, and held memberships in several company boards and business policy influencing organizations. In 2013, Griswold was nominated as an Honorary Consul to the U.S. for the United Republic of Tanzania. Jeffrey Hunter Director of Business Development, McSweeney Holdings LLC Jeffrey Hunter is the director of business development for McSweeney Holdings LLC. The company represents a group of global companies engaged in multi-industrial design and engineering, custom commercial and personal automotive transportation, plastics manufacturing, real estate, fine leather goods and custom painting. Hunter s job focuses on strategic product and market diversification initiatives for the company s portfolio clients and brands under management. He has been instrumental in helping leverage and adapt historical core competencies to pursue growth in emerging second-stage automotive market segments around the globe. Currently, Hunter focuses his attention on managing strategic partnerships and crafting strategy to rapidly scale business in this highly specialized, $7.8 billion-plus, lifestyle enhanced luxury niche market.

4 David Newton Economic and Commercial Officer, U.S. Embassy, Lomé - Togo David Newton is the economic and commercial officer at the U.S. Embassy in Lomé, Togo. Prior to joining the U.S. State Department in 2014, Newton was an attorney in the International Trade Group at Maynard, Cooper & Gale PC. During this time, his practice focused on regulatory, enforcement and litigation matters for the firm s foreign and domestic clients. Newton also served in the U.S. Army as a signal officer in the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. While a member of the 101st Airborne, he served in Iraq in 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Brent Omdahl Deputy Senior Commercial Officer, U.S. Commercial Service, Johannesburg Brent Omdahl serves as the deputy senior commercial officer at the U.S. Mission to South Africa in Johannesburg, where he manages the daily operation of the U.S. Department of Commerce office. His primary role is to assist U.S. firms to grow their exports to South Africa, improve market access conditions and advocate on behalf of U.S. firms to the South African government. From their office in Johannesburg, Omdahl and his team support the U.S. State Department commercial partner posts at 20 U.S. embassies throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to serving in Johannesburg, Omdahl was the acting director of the Atlanta, Ga. U.S. Export Assistance Center. Travis Short President & CEO, Horizon Shipbuilding Travis Short is the founder, owner and president of Horizon shipbuilding Inc. in Bayou La Batre, Ala. As president, Short is responsible for the day-to-day operations and has introduced the company into international markets and constructed the largest steel vessel ever launched in Bayou La Batre at the time. In 2002, Horizon began expanding manufacturing capabilities, including the acquisition of additional adjacent facilities, eventually quadrupling the shipyard land holdings, equipment, annual sales and employment. Short continues to expand domestic and international markets and the grade of manufacturing methods of Horizon. Charles A. Sinunu Director International Sales, DSC Dredge Charlie Sinunu is the current director of international sales for DSC Dredge LLC in Reserve, La. He has 35 years of experience in international sales and more than 33 years in the field of international dredge sales. He has negotiated complex multimillion dollar global contracts in both private and public sectors. Sinunu has extensive business experience in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. DSC closed several sales to clients in Nigeria facilitated by Ex-Im financing and recently delivered the deepest digging sand mining dredge in Nigeria.

5 Robert Stackpole Director, Alabama Export Assistant Center Robert Stackpole is the director of the Alabama office for the U.S. Department of Commerce - U.S. Foreign & Commercial Service - U.S. Export Assistance Center (USEAC). The USEAC offers trade counseling, market intelligence, business matchmaking, advocacy and commercial diplomacy, and trade promotion programs all designed to increase U.S. exports and U.S. jobs as well as level the playing field for U.S. companies selling internationally. Stackpole joined the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2008 and has more than 15 years of experience and education in international trade, both in the public and private sectors. Carson Strickland Global Trade Finance Sales Executive, Regions Bank Carson Strickland has more than 15 years of experience in trade finance assisting companies involved in international trade with developing financing and risk mitigation solutions to grow their business. Strickland currently serves as the global trade finance sales executive for Regions Bank, leading a team of trade finance professionals across the bank s geography in 16 states and servicing a broad client base nationally. Regions Financial Corp. is a top 10 U.S. bank holding company with more than $120 billion in assets and 1,700 banking offices in 16 states. Yasmine Umutoni International Development, World Bank Yasmine Umutoni has 10 years of experience working in the socio economic development field mainly with International Institutions and primarily the World Bank. She is currently a consultant for the Enabling the Business of Agriculture project, working on the development of policy and regulatory indicators first on Selling Agricultural Goods topic and now on access to agricultural land. Prior to this, Umutoni participated in different World Bank projects in Agriculture and Rural Development and worked with the IFC s Investment Climate program in Rwanda. She also worked in the Rwanda Country Office supporting the implementation of projects in the sectors of Agriculture, ICT and Water & Sanitation. Umutoni participated in different research work for the International Growth Center, the Nike Foundation, On the Frontier Group and the Rwandapedia project under the Office of the President of Rwanda.

6 Conference Moderators Mike Lee President and CEO, Page & Jones Mike Lee is the president and CEO of Pages & Jones, an international freight forwarder and customs brokerage firm in downtown Mobile, Ala. Lee has been with the company since 1970, and the company now lists a diverse array of more than 1,000 clients. Lee has served as president and chairman of the Alabama World Trade Association, the Propeller Club of Mobile, the Mobile Forwarders and Brokers Association, the Mobile Traffic and Transportation Club and the Mobile Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau. Lee is currently the chairman of the Alabama District Exports Council, the University of Alabama International Business Advisory Board, the Regions Bank South Area Board of Directors, the Alabama French American Chamber of Commerce and the Rand Corporation s Gulf States Policy Council. Hilda Lockhart Director of International Trade, U.S. Department of Commerce Hilda Lockhart joined the Alabama Department of Commerce in 1998 and is the director of the International Trade division. Lockhart is responsible for leading the state s trade promotion and development efforts in selling Alabama products and services throughout the world. Prior to her employment with the Alabama Department of Commerce, Lockhart served as executive director of the Japan-America Society of Georgia and was the first executive director of the Japan-America Society of Alabama. Lockhart s also held positions with the Alabama International Trade Center, Alabama Power Co. and the Florida Department of Commerce s International Division. Conference Welcome William Sisson President and CEO, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce William Sisson is president and chief executive officer of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, a 2,000-plus business membership organization and the lead economic development agency for the city of Mobile and Mobile County. Prior to this appointment, Sisson worked as executive director of the Mobile Airport Authority. He earned a master s degree in business administration from The University of Alabama, and a bachelor s in business administration from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. He holds a diploma from the Institutes for Organization Management, and is a graduate of Leadership Mobile and Leadership Alabama. Sisson is a member of the International Economic Development Council, Economic Development Association of Alabama, Southern Economic Development Council and Rotary International.