“TESS comes at a critical moment for the trade and sustainable development agenda. With less than 10 years left to achieve the SDGs, Tess provides a welcome platform for the inclusive dialogue required to advance.”

Vanessa Erogbogbo is Chief, Sustainable and Inclusive Value Chains section at the International Trade Centre and a member of ITC’s Management Action Group. She has over 20 years of experience working in both international development and the private sector.

Vanessa oversees ITC’s work on sustainable value chains, as well as trade and gender, as part of a wider Trade for Sustainable Development programme which focuses on supporting SMEs for a sustainable future. She is also the lead for ITC’s SheTrades initiative, which works to connect millions women to international markets.

Vanessa is a member of the advisory board of the Geneva Trade Platform at the Graduate Institute and is vice-chairperson of the EQUALS Global Partnership steering committee. She previously held positions at the International Finance Corporation, Standard Chartered Bank, and as an entrepreneur.

She holds an MBA from the London Business School, an MSc Information Technology and B.Eng Hons in Civil Engineering from Loughborough University, UK.