Thomas Grech - MODERATOR President/CEO of Queens Chamber of Commerce Tom’s career has spanned the printing and publishing industries over the past 25 years with RR Donnelley & Sons Company, Merrill Corporation and SONY DADC. For the past five years, he has been involved in the energy industry. Most recently, Tom was Director of Sales for CCI Energy Solutions, Inc. His other interests include investing in multi-family real estate, adviser to non-profit and for-profit boards. Originally from Astoria, Tom lives in Malverne, NY with his wife and their daughter and son. He is a graduate of the University of Scranton, Scranton, PA with a BS in Accounting and received his MBA in International Business from Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY. He has served as President & CEO of Queens Chamber of Commerce since July of 2015.
Edward Mermelstein Commissioner at NYC International Affairs Edward Mermelstein is New York City’s Commissioner for International Affairs. As head of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, he leads the office’s mission to serve as the primary liaison between the City of New York and the diplomatic community, consular corp., and the United Nations. Prior to joining the Adams Administration, Edward was the CEO and founder of One & Only Holdings and One & Only Realty, where he specialized in international corporate and real estate law, private equity investment and joint ventures, as well as real estate investment. Edward’s experience in navigating international markets led him to be named one of New York City’s 10 most influential figures in real estate. He aims to bring the same tenacity to the Commission for International Affairs, and to help Mayor Adams reestablish New York City as the capital of the world.
Sue Ahn Director of Market Development at AMCHAM Korea Sue Ahn is the Director of Market Development at AMCHAM Korea. She is responsible for instituting market entry and development services through strategic partnerships amongst U.S. and Korean businesses. As a KoreanAmerican, Sue is passionate about fostering an inclusive global community of leaders in establishment of cross-border collaborations. Prior to joining AMCHAM, Sue served as the Global Public Relations Assistant Director at Born2Global Centre, the startup incubator and accelerator under the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT. She managed cross-cultural communications for joint venture programs to build rapport amongst key stakeholders and devise business development strategies for deep-tech innovation. In addition, Sue held other positions including Event Coordinator at Google for Startups Campus Seoul, Journalist at SEOUL Magazine, and Broadcaster at Arirang. Sue holds a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Biology with a minor in Psychology from the Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Communication Management from the University of Southern California
David Gill Consul General of Germany
David Gill Consul General of Germany Born in Schönebeck/Elbe on March 2, 1966; married, two children. Since August 2017 Consul General in New York 2012- 2017 State Secretary and Head of the Office of the Federal President 2004 – 2012 Deputy Representative of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) to the Federal Republic of Germany and the EU 2001 – 2003 Desk officer, Office of Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, Berlin 2000 – 2001 Desk officer, Federal Ministry of the Interior 2000 Second state examination in law 1998 – 2000 Legal clerkship 1998 Internship at the United States Congress, Washington D.C. 1997 – 1998 Master of Laws (LL.M.) University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 1997 First state examination in law 1992 – 1996 Law studies at Freie Universität Berlin 1990 – 1992 Spokesman and Head of Division of the Federal Commissioner for the Files of the State Security Service of the former GDR 1990 Head of Administration, Parliamentary Special Committee for the dissolution of the GDR Ministry of State Security/Office of National Security 1990 Chairman of Normannenstrasse Citizens’ Committee at the headquarters of the Ministry of State Security – Stasi 1988 – 1990 Theological Seminary of the Protestant Church in Berlin-Brandenburg 1988 Baccalaureate at the Protestant High School, Potsdam 1982 – 1985 Plumber, Herrnhut 1972 – 1982 Ten-year Polytechnic School, Herrnhut In 1991 David Gill received the Theodor Heuss Medal
Helena Nolan Consul General of Ireland
Helena Nolan Consul General of Ireland Helena Nolan was born in Kilkenny, Ireland. She joined Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs in 1990, after an initial 7 years in the Department of Education. Over the course of her career, Helena has held a wide number of roles at home and overseas, most recently serving as Ireland’s Ambassador to Belgium and the Partnership for Peace Liaison Office (2017-2021). Prior to her appointment to this role, Helena served as Director for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in the Department’s headquarters in Dublin and was a regular visitor to the UN here in New York. She has also served in London, Armagh, Kuala Lumpur and Dar Es Salaam, as well as working in the Departments of Education and Enterprise and the Office of Science and Technology. She took up duty as Consul General of Ireland in New York on 26 August 2021. Helena and her husband Sami have two sons.
Martine Hébert Delegate General of Québec Martine Hébert was appointed Quebec’s Delegate General in New York on August 16, 2021. In this capacity, she is responsible for promoting Québec’s interests in the 8 states comprising the Mid Atlantic region. Previously, she served as Quebec’s Delegate in Chicago. As an experienced economist, she is well-known to economic development stakeholders, policymakers and the media, and has built her career at prominent public and private organizations in both Québec and Canada. A seasoned expert on government relations and the business community, she has contributed to the economic development of Québec and Canada by serving for 10 years as senior vice-president and national spokesperson for Canada’s largest SME group, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) . Prior to that, she held various positions, including strategic advisor, manager, administrator and policy advisor. In April 2015, the renowned Les Affaires magazine also named her one of the six most influential personalities in Québec in the field of public affairs. She holds a master’s degree in economics, has authored the book ‘Les secrets du lobbying’ and gave the first course on government relations at Université de Montréal where she was awarded an honorary degree in 2010 in recognition of her outstanding career
André Laveau Consul General for Trinidad and Tobago in New York
André Laveau Consul General for Trinidad and Tobago in New York PERSONAL Date of Birth: July 25th, 1963 Marital Status: Married with 3 adult children EDUCATION Master of International Politics (Hons.), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium. Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations, Institute of International Relations, UWI, St Augustine. Bachelor of Arts in History and Law (Law Major), University of the West Indies, Barbados. LANGUAGES French – Fluent CAREER Foreign Service Officer, Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, since April 1993 Major assignments: • Director, Consular Division • Chief of Protocol • Director, European Affairs Division • Director Missions Inspectorate • First Secretary in the Trinidad and Tobago Embassy, Brussels and Mission to the European Union • Deputy High Commissioner, Trinidad and Tobago High Commission in Kampala, Uganda (Entrusted with the establishment of the High Commission in Kampala 2007; also entrusted with heading a preparatory Mission for the reestablishment of a High Commission in Bridgetown 2017) Deputy Permanent Secretary • Ministry of Labor and Small Enterprise Development - November 2017 to November 2018 (Duties included ILO matters, Launch of key labor related legislation, Communications, International Migration Policy – Chair of two inter-ministerial Committees, Oversight of International Affairs Unit, Work Permits, Heading Recruitment processes for new staff, ) • Ministry of Agriculture Land and Fisheries – December 2016 to July 2017 (Duties included assignment to the Land Division, matters related to Fisheries, FAO) and • Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries – June 2016 to December 2016 (Duties included Leading recruitment exercises, Policy Analysis of Renewable Energy matters) Communications Manager/Advisor Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs – June 2005 to June 2007. (Managed official participation: event management, publicity activities for the participation of Trinidad and Tobago, for the first time, in the FIFA World Cup Soccer Tournament; assisted in the steering of Trinidad and Tobago participation in the hosting of the 2007 ICC World Cup Cricket Tournament) Present - Consul General Trinidad and Tobago Consulate General - New York since November 27th, 2018 Have overall responsibility for the Consulate General, with vested powers to represent the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in all matters related to the bilateral relationship between Trinidad and Tobago and the States of accreditation and related bodies. Serves as Head of Chancery, and manages the strategic direction and day to day operations of the Mission, providing professional and technical leadership. INTERESTS AND HOBBIES • Mental and attitudinal change in Postcolonial society in pursuit of development; Sports Psychology and Sports as a tool in social transformation; • Cycling, music, including songwriting; sports journalism; effective advertising. • Training persons in writing and communication.