UK-Nordic-Baltic Panel Discussion on Sustainable Trade Policy

Speakers

The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, Minister of State (Minister for Trade Policy) at Department for International Trade

The Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP was appointed Minister of State at the Department for International Trade in September 2021. The Minister of State for Trade Policy’s principal responsibilities include the trade defence framework, WTO engagement and reform, trade for development and delivering the Export Support Service.

Minister Mordaunt has previously held the roles of Secretary of State for Defence and Secretary of State for International Development. Minister Mordaunt has been a Member of Parliament for the UK constituency of Portsmouth North since 2010.

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Emily Lydgate, Senior Lecturer in Law at University of Sussex

Emily Lydgate is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Sussex with a specialism in international trade law and its relationship with the protection of the natural environment.

She is Deputy Director of the UK Trade Policy Observatory and a Specialist Adviser to the EFRA Committee of the UK House of Commons. She holds a PhD from King's College London and an MSc (with distinction) from Oxford University. She has consulted at UN Environment's Economics and Trade Branch, where she acted as a WTO liaison.

Emily has advised business and government on the implications of the UK leaving the EU and is an instructor on the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office’s Diplomatic Academy. She has recently completed a UK Research Council (ESRC) funded project examining the relationship between UK trade policy and the achievement of its net-zero emissions target, and is now working on a EU Horizon 2020 grant project on how EU Free Trade Agreements and wider trade policy reflect the goal of securing sustainable agricultural practices.

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Peter Bay Kirkegaard, Senior Advisor at Confederation of Danish Industry

Peter Bay Kirkegaard is Senior Advisor at the Confederation of Danish Industry (DI), which is Denmark's largest business organization.

The organization is funded, owned and managed entirely by 18,000 companies within manufacturing, trade, construction and services industries.

Mr. Kirkegaard works in the Trade Policy department, where he works on trade and investment agreements, trade defence issues, export controls etc.

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Henrik Isakson, Director trade policy at Swedish Confederation of Enterprise

Henrik Isakson is Director for Trade Policy at the Swedish Confederation of Enterprise. He has an overarching responsibility for issues related to global trade and holds this position since January 2020.

Before that, 2003-2019, he worked at the National Board of Trade in Sweden as a senior policy adviser and also, during 2014-2015, as head of unit. His work encompassed all areas of trade policy and also issues related to the EU single market, with a particular emphasis on brexit, as well as development assistance in the trade area.

In 2012-2013 Mr Isakson was a seconded national expert in the European Commission, serving in the Chief Economist unit at DG Trade.

His work in all these capacities have involved both analysis of various trade related topics but also communication about these topics, in various international fora, in Sweden as well as in a large number of countries all over the world
Mr Isakson holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Lund.

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Émilie Potvin, UNOPS Director, Partnerships and Liaison Group

Émilie Potvin joined UNOPS in 2021, bringing 20 years of experience in public policy and government affairs.

Before joining UNOPS, Ms. Potvin was Director in the Public Policy and Government Relations Team at Uber, where she was responsible for working with governments, policymakers and other stakeholders creating a positive case for change and advocating for smart technology and innovation.

Before joining Uber, Ms. Potvin served as Vice President in Public Affairs and Stakeholder Relations at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce where she acted as Canada’s Sherpa to the B20 group.

She also served as Chief of Staff to various ministers in the Canadian government and held a number of positions in the private sector. Ms. Potvin began her career as a Foreign Service Officer and holds an MBA in International Management from HEC Montréal.

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Thina Margrethe Saltvedt, Chief Analyst at Group Sustainability Norway, Nordea

Thina Margrethe Saltvedt is a Chief Analyst at the Group Sustainability Nordea Bank and the head of the government-appointed expert committee for climate-friendly investments.

Before joining the Group Sustainability in January 2018, she worked as a chief analyst macro/oil for 12 years at Nordea Markets. Thina is also a board member of ZERO, an independent, ideal environmental foundation.

Before Nordea, she held a position with Norges Bank within the Financial Stability area. Thina has a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D.) degree in Economics from University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), United Kingdom.

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Judith Gough, Ambassador to Sweden and Director for the Nordic Baltic Network at British Embassy, Stockholm

Judith Gough became the British Ambassador to Sweden in August 2019. From 2015 to 2019 she was British Ambassador to Ukraine.

Ms Gough joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 2001 and has been engaged with Eastern Europe and Central Asia for over 20 years, previously serving as Director for the region and Her Majesty’s Ambassador in Tbilisi. Ms Gough has also served in the British Embassy in Seoul and, prior to joining the FCO, worked as a consultant at Ernst and Young, in Emerging Markets and Financial Services.

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