Issue No. 07 | June 2026
TradeExperettes in Action
Showing Up for Our Members: the First Half of 2026
Six Months, Many Rooms, One TradeExperettes Community
The first half of 2026 was a busy and energising period for TradeExperettes members. From SkillsLabs and Inspirational Stories to Confidentials, in-person networking, and high-level policy conversations, we created spaces for members to learn, practise, connect, and exchange with leading voices in trade. Alongside these member-focused activities, our Road to Yaoundé series supported negotiators, policymakers, and trade officials from developing and least developed countries with practical tools for engaging in digital trade discussions ahead of WTO MC14. Together, these activities reflected what TradeExperettes does best: opening doors, building confidence, and turning expertise into shared value across the trade community.
Stay connected as we continue to unlock new opportunities for our members in the coming year. Together, let’s keep building a vibrant community dedicated to advancing #TradeAsAForceForGood.
Ready to join our growing network? Become a member today!
TradeExperettes turns 8!
Save the date for our anniversary celebration on Friday, July 17 at 2:00 PM CEST / 8:00 AM EDT.
Register here — we hope you will celebrate with us!
More details coming soon in your inbox!
Road to Yaoundé: Getting Ready for WTO MC14
As the global trade community geared up for the WTO Ministerial Conference (MC14) in Yaoundé, TradeExperettes launched the “Road to Yaoundé” Digital Trade Readiness Series — bringing together policymakers, experts and practitioners to unpack the fast-moving world of digital trade governance.
Through interactive sessions, the series explores the big questions shaping tomorrow’s trade agenda:
💻 e-commerce rules
📊 cross-border data flows
🤖 artificial intelligence
🌍 digital inclusion and development
CuraTEd Series
Session 1 (December 11, 2025)
Read the Policy Recap: here
Framing Digital Trade: The Evolving Landscape of Global (e-)Commerce and Digital Policy Trends
Explore how digitalization is reshaping trade rules and institutions and discuss how developing countries can leverage digital trade opportunities, especially for SMEs and women-led enterprises.
Speakers:
H. E. Dr. Richard Brown, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Jamaica at Geneva
Devi Aryani, Executive Director at Indonesia Services Dialogue Council
Hanna Norberg, TradeExperettes
Sofia Boza ,Ambassador of Chile to WTO, UNCTAD, WIPO and ITC
Roberto Echandi ,Lead Trade Specialist at World Bank
Session 2 (January 22, 2026)
Read the Policy Recap: here
How Is Digital Trade Governed? AI, Data, and Cross-Border Regulation
Understand the emerging global architecture of digital trade rules and their implications for developing countries, including negotiations around data flows, electronic commerce disciplines, and AI governance.
Speakers:
Johannes Fritz, CEO of the St. Gallen Endowment for Prosperity through Trade
Khalil Gharbieh, Senior Director, Trade Policy at Microsoft
Isabel de Sola, Head of the Coordination Unit, UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies
Moderator: Dr. Hanna Norberg, President of TradeExperettes
Session 3 (February 12, 2026)
Read the Policy Recap: here
Trade and Frontier Technologies: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence and Others for Inclusive Growth
Examine how AI and emerging technologies transform trade flows and discuss policy frameworks needed for inclusive growth.
Speakers:
Eunice Huang, Ai Policy Lead in APAC, Google
Louise Wigget, Founder and Managing Director, Global Trade Solution, South Africa
Marta Soprana, Technology and International Affairs Project, Associate, LSE IDEAS
Quan Zhao, Trade Policy Advisor, ITC
Moderator: Dr. Hanna Norberg, President of TradeExperettes and Cedric Amon, Research Associate, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Geneva
Session 4 (February 26, 2026)
Negotiating for the Future: AI-Driven Scenario Training for MC14
No panels, no long presentations — just practical work.
In partnership with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, and with the support of DiploFoundation and Digital Policy Alert, this interactive workshop let TE Members test how AI tools can support trade negotiations in real terms. Through guided, scenario-based exercises, we explored how AI can help with preparation, strategy, and decision-making in digital trade discussions.
Road to Yaoundé Toolbox
These short videos follow a structured guide to answer key questions related to the topic, helping participants better understand the concepts and discussions presented in the series.
Full series available on YouTube: click here
With UNCTAD ECDE Part 1
With Javier Lopez Gonzalez
With UNCTAD ECDE Part 2
With Ashutosh Chadha
With Mia Mikic & Sherry Stephenson
With Rashmi Jose
More from the TradeExperettes
HAPPY NEW YEAR: LET’S PARTY!
January 23, 2026
We opened the year with its 2026 New Year’s Party, bringing the community together for an informal moment of connection before the calendar filled up.
The gathering offered members a relaxed space to reconnect, meet new faces, and start the year in good company. With no formal agenda and no preparation required, it was simply an opportunity to come together, say hello, and celebrate the TradeExperettes community.
DRINKS IN BRUSSELS: WITH SABINE WEYAND
February 3, 2026
TradeExperettes, Women in Trade Network Brussels, and OWIT Brussels co-hosted an informal networking evening following the Borderlex Academy.
The event brought together trade professionals for a relaxed evening of conversation, connection, and exchange. Members and guests also joined a fireside chat with Sabine Weyand, Director-General of DG Trade, who shared insights with the Brussels trade community.
The gathering was made possible with the generous support of Global Counsel.
TE SKILLS LAB | JOB INTERVIEW
February 25, 2026
We held the SkillsLab “Job Interview” practice session as part of its monthly programme supporting members’ professional confidence and public speaking skills.
The session gave members the opportunity to practise interview techniques in a friendly, professional setting and receive constructive feedback from fellow TradeExperettes with relevant experience.
TE EVENT | USMCA 2026 REVIEW: WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR NORTH AMERICA
April 14, 2026
We convened an in-person forum on “USMCA 2026 Review: What’s at Stake for North America” at the German Marshall Fund in Washington, DC. The discussion brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and trade experts to examine the upcoming USMCA review, with a focus on market access, supply chains, trade and security, and implications for businesses and workers.
Speakers included Andrea Durkin, Vice President for International Policy at the National Association of Manufacturers and former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative, Darci Vetter, Principal at Sower Strategies and former USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Sarah Goldfeder, Executive Director for Government Relations and Corporate Affairs at General Motors Canada, Mari Pangestu, Special Advisor to the Indonesian President and former Minister of Trade, Susan Schwab, Strategic Advisor at Mayer Brown and former United States Trade Representative, and Francisco De Rosenzweig, Executive Partner at White & Case México City and former Undersecretary of Foreign Trade of Mexico.
The conversations were expertly moderated by Cesar Remis, Managing Director, Public and Government Affairs at Trade Envoy and former Chief Trade Negotiator for Mexico, and Cecilia Malmström, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and former European Commissioner for Trade.
TE CONFIDENTIALS | THE NEGOTIATING TABLE: A WORKSHOP WITH JOHN ALISTAIR CLARKE
April 23, 2026
We hosted a Confidential session, “The Negotiating Table: A Workshop with John Alistair Clarke”, bringing members into a practical discussion on trade diplomacy and negotiation.
The session featured John Alistair Clarke, former Head of the EU Delegation to the WTO in Geneva and former Director for International Affairs at DG AGRI, who shared insights from more than four decades in international trade. Drawing on his experience across the GATT Uruguay Round, WTO Doha negotiations, EU enlargement, agriculture, and geographical indications, he offered members a rare look at what happens inside high-stakes negotiating rooms.
The workshop was presented by Fiama Angeles, Senior Trade Policy Analyst at SGEPT and TradeExperettes member, and concluded with a live Q&A, giving members the opportunity to discuss negotiation dynamics, institutional memory, and lessons from the front lines of trade policy.
STRATEGIC GATEWAYS: THE EU PORT STRATEGY AND THE FUTURE OF FOOD SECURITY
April 24, 2026
We launched a new webinar series dedicated to the findings of our 2025 Ten Trade Wins report. The inaugural session, Strategic Gateways: The Future of Food Security and the EU Ports Strategy, provided critical insights into how the EU Ports Strategy may impact agri-food supply chains and a high-level examination of policy trade-offs between open trade and regional economic security and European supply chain resilience.
The discussion featured Torsten Klimke, Head of Unit for Ports and Inland Navigation at DG MOVE (European Commission), Darci Vetter, Principal at Sower Strategies LLC and former USTR Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Rasmus Hald Philipsen, Senior Advisor for Europe at Maersk. The event was moderated by Giulia Pasquali, Associate Director at advisory firm FGS Global.
TE EVENTS | NEXT-GEN TRADE ARRANGEMENTS
May 28, 2026
We organized the second webinar in the 10 Trade Wins webinar series. Bringing together Elena Cima, Senior Lecturer at ISE-GEDT and at the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva; Ieva Baršauskaitė, Lead, Trade and Green Transition at the International Institute for Sustainable Development; and Lee Ann Jackson, Head of Programmes at the Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS), this webinar unpacked how next generation trade arrangements are shaping the terms of trade and sustainable development, and what it means for governments, civil society and the private sector. Panellists shared critical insights on key debates and concerns highlighted by different stakeholders. This session was moderated by Brendan O’Donnell, Program Director, Climate & Environmental Policy at the Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Washington, DC.
TE INSPIRATIONAL STORIES | SHAKILA MOHAMMADI
June 4, 2026
We held a special edition of its SkillsLab as part of the TE Inspirational Stories series, featuring Shakila Mohammadi, Associate Attorney at Maatuka Al-Heeti Emkes LLC, in conversation with Andrea Bulnes, Trade Policy Specialist at the International Trade Centre (ITC). The session explored Shakila’s journey from Afghanistan to New York, her path into law, and the resilience that carried her through major personal and professional transitions. Members heard a candid reflection on courage, rebuilding, and the importance of continuing to pursue one’s ambitions even in difficult circumstances. The discussion was followed by an off-the-record Q&A, giving members a safe space to ask questions, share reflections, and connect Shakila’s story to their own professional journeys.
TE EVENT | POST-MC14 DIGITAL FRONTIER: ADVANCING INCLUSIVE TRADE
June 23, 2026
We concluded our webinar series on our2025 Ten Trade Wins report. The session on the Post-MC14 Digital Frontier: Advancing Inclusive Trade focused on areas where digital trade has delivered benefits and explored the policies needed to ensure that the digital dividend remains inclusive and sustainable - within and beyond the multilateral trading system. Stay tuned for our 2026 report, which will focus on services trade! The discussion featured Kyle Johnson, Trade Policy Director at Steptoe LLP, Silvia Sorescu, Project Lead of Trade Facilitation Team at the Trade Policy Division of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Hua C. Wang, Executive Director for Global Innovation Forum at the National Foreign Trade Council Foundation (NFTC). The event was moderated by Marta Soprana, Visiting Fellow at the University of Lucerne.
TE CONFIDENTIAL | US ART PROGRAMME
June 23, 2026
TradeExperettes hosted a Confidential session, “Deal by Deal: The US Reciprocal Trade Agreement Programme”,. The session examined Washington’s Reciprocal Trade Agreement programme and its shift toward more transactional, leverage-driven trade arrangements. Members explored what these deals contain, where they fall short, and how questions around negotiating asymmetries, enforcement, and dispute settlement are shaping the wider trade debate.
The discussion featured Deborah Elms, Head of Trade Policy at the Hinrich Foundation, and Allison Smith, Associate Director of Geoeconomics at the Council on Foreign Relations. The session was presented by Fiama Angeles, Senior Trade Policy Analyst at SGEPT and TradeExperettes member, and included a live Q&A with members.
TRADE [S]HEROES
Showcasing the work of a leading woman in trade policy
This month, we celebrate and welcome our newest Advisorette, Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta. Maria, Pro-Chancellor Sunway University. She is the former Executive Director of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat based in Singapore, where she advised and supported APEC’s 21 diverse member economies.
She spent many years as a top-level civil servant and trade negotiator in Malaysia. As Secretary-General of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, she oversaw the formulation of Malaysia’s positions in major agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. As representative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, she chaired the body that drafted ASEAN’s economic community blueprints for 2015 and 2025.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
TRADEEXPERETTES MONTHLY MEET AND GREET
Join our members-only Meet & Greet sessions!
Every first Tuesday of the month, connect in an informal, welcoming space designed to help you get to know fellow members and build meaningful professional relationships.
📅 Upcoming sessions:
July 7, 2026 | 2 PM EDT; 8 PM CET; 8 AM NZDT (July 8)
August 4, 2026 | 8 AM EDT; 2 PM CET; 2 AM NZDT (August 5)
September 1, 2026 | 2 PM EDT; 8 PM CET; 8 AM NZDT (September 2)
Forge new connections and expand your global trade circle in a relaxed setting. Watch your inbox for updates and be sure to RSVP for the next Meet & Greet!
WRITERETTES AND RESEARCH CAFE
Need focused time for writing or research?
Join TradeExperettes' members-only virtual sessions!
Writerettes: Hosted by Michelle Egan, every Friday 9:00-12:00 EST (15:00-18:00 CET). Draft, edit, and ideate in distraction-free 45-minute sprints with peer accountability.
Research Café: Hosted by Mitali Pradhan, first Friday of each month 9:00-9:45 EST (15:00-15:45 CET). Brainstorm proposals, data sources, and methods with global trade experts in a no-pressure environment.
These sessions will provide focused time for drafting, editing, and ideation. It’s also a great opportunity to exchange ideas, receive feedback, and collaborate with fellow TE members passionate about international trade policy research. We look forward to seeing you there!
Find the link to the sessions here.
TradeExperettes thrives through volunteer dedication and the generous support of individuals and organizations committed to advancing women trade experts. Your contributions directly sustain our diverse programs and help extend memberships to professionals from developing countries, LDCs, and students requiring financial assistance.
Click here to support us.
Edited by Arushi Vaishnav. Newsletter layout designed by Ricardo Ashimi.