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GDP Global and The European Academy aim to provide professional, dedicated and cost effective training to agency clients. Our training and development contributions range from strategy and policy, through global and local investment matters, to practical and operational instruction for teams and individuals.

John Hanna, Managing Director, GDP Global Development Ltd.

GDP Global is a specialized London-based business and investment promotion consulting firm founded by John Hanna in 1999. John brings 20 years of experience in economic development and economic promotion. He is currently advising on several client assignments, including a major review of 40 free zones in Europe, Asia and the Middle East; strategy and operational development in Turkey, Oman and in Syria; also in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. He is also director of the European Academy of Business Development. He has run and participated in training courses in the US, the EU, South Africa, and Australia, and with the United Nations in Africa and FIAS in South Asia. John also created the IPA Benchmarking Programme, which has undertaken more than 900 strategy and operations assessments of more than 290 government agencies worldwide.

After graduation John accumulated 12 years of international business experience in pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, business electronics, business publishing and marketing services with Merck, Sharp & Dohme, Sunbeam International, Wilkinson Sword, Oxford Medicine Group, Tatung and Fiskars. He then moved into the public sector and spent eight years as a director of the Welsh Development Agency, managing investment promotion teams in Asia Pacific, North America, then sector strategies, and finally European marketing programmes.

John is a specialist in all aspects of economic development and investment promotion, especially in investment targeting programmes, future IPA strategies and IPA benchmarking. John is an honours graduate in Biology & Physiology from the University of London, and holds an MBA from Cardiff Business School. He speaks some French, Spanish and German.

Christina Knutsson, Director, GDP Global Development Ltd.

With 18 years' of direct experience in economic promotion, Christina works with and on behalf of European, African and South American investment promotion agencies.  She provides expert strategy consultancy in several economies in Europe, Africa and Latin America. Christina has 15 years of international private sector business experience, in activities ranging from manufacturing to services, i.e. outsourcing, logistics, exports and trade, sales and marketing, advertising and journalism coupled with public sector work.

In 1995 Christina co-founded the Invest in Sweden Agency (ISA), where she worked as a senior manager and director of the management group, Christina also established and was the executive director of the London Office of ISA for five years. She was a steering committee member of WAIPA during this period. She has also undertaken assignments with the UN, FIAS, a division of the World Bank Group and Inter American Development Bank (IDB).

In 1999 Christina created the independent management consultancy - Christina Knutsson Consulting in London. Amongst assignments she provided i.a. strategic advisory input for the FDI strategy and start-up of Invest in Spain and Invest in Castilla La Mancha, reviewing a leading investment organisation in Africa and devising the Investment promotion strategy for the Ministry of Industry and Private Sector Development of Madagascar for the start up of the Madagascar Economic Development Board, and providing long term technical advice to a leading City Region Agency in South Africa. Christina is a graduate in Market Economics from RMI Berghs, she is trilingual in English, Spanish and Swedish - her mother tongue, and fluent in French.

Andrew Fraser, Senior Advisor, Mitsubishi Corp.

Andrew Fraser has been Senior Adviser to Mitsubishi Corporation (Europe, Middle East and Africa) since October 2000. He also sits on the Advisory Board of Financial Dynamics International, and has advised the UNDP and a number of Governments with regard to Economic Development and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Andrew's pro bono commitments include the Council of Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs), the Trust Board of Shakespeare’s Globe, the Board of Think London, and the Council of the Japan Society UK, where he chairs the Business Group.

For the previous six years (July 1994 – September 2000) Andrew served as Chief Executive of Invest UK – the sole Government body marketing the whole of the UK to international investors – during which time the stock of UK inward investment more than doubled. Prior to joining Invest UK, Andrew enjoyed an extensive career in international advertising as Executive Vice President and Director of Business Development for Saatchi and Saatchi Worldwide, and latterly as CEO for Europe for Dentsu Company.

Courtney Fingar, Editor, fDi Magazine

As editor of fDi Magazine Courtney oversees all elements of editorial content for the specialist bimonthly publication and its online portal, www.fdiintelligence.com. fDi Magazine is the flagship publication for the Financial Times Ltd’s fDi Intelligence unit and is read by senior‐level executives at multinational corporations responsible for global expansion decisions.

A trained journalist, she frequently interviews political and business leaders about economic and investment issues, and contributes features and in‐depth special reports to the magazine, such as a series of widely acclaimed investment guides based on her on‐the‐ground reporting from Iraq in 2009‐10. She has covered FDI stories in all major regions of the world. Courtney is a regular panelist at key international events, and has appeared on television and radio in dozens of countries as a commentator on
international investment.

Before joining fDi in 2004, she served as the editor of Trade & Forfaiting Review, a London‐based magazine focusing on trade finance. Prior to relocating to the United Kingdom in 2001, she worked in Washington, DC, first as a writer for an environmental news service and later as an editor for Global Business magazine, which reported on international trade and investment for a US executive audience.

Douglas Mellor, MD, Fatigue Risk Management Science Ltd.

Douglas Mellor is an Associate Consultant of GDP Global and a business leader with 35 years’ experience in technology dependent industries, including turnaround and post acquisition merger situations, JV and start-ups.

Currently Douglas is Managing Director of Fatigue Risk Management Science Ltd. This is a newly formed, global spin-out business. Its focus is to advise on fatigue inherent in the commercial aviation industry, as well as in other sectors such as air traffic control, health, rail, road and maritime transport.

In the last few years Douglas has held senior positions as Business and Commercial Development Director at Qinetiq plc, one of the world’s leading defence technology and security companies. He established the company in several new markets in Northern Europe, and with government clients around the world. Douglas has also held senior positions in several companies including Ferranti, Groupe Schneider – where he was CEO of a UK subsidiary company, STC & AVX.

Felicia Jackson, Editor at Large, Cleantech Magazine

Felicia Jackson is currently Editor at Large of Cleantech Magazine. More broadly Felicia is an author and freelance journalist, specialising in economic, technology, policy and social issues surrounding the transition to a low carbon economy. She has experience working on climate change, sustainability, CSR, clean technology and renewable energy. Carbon markets are also a keen area of interest of hers. In 2009 New Holland published her book, Conquering Carbon: Carbon Emissions, Carbon Markets and the Consumer.

Felicia is also founding editor of New Energy Finance. She also works with a range of publications; from supplements for the Times through Raconteur Media, specialist publications like Environmental Finance, Renewable Energy Focus, Global Carbon Emissions Monitor and Energy World. She also writes for consumer publications such as The Ecologist.

Angela Kays, Business Development Manager, Merchants (Dimension Data)

Merchants, a division of Dimension Data, specialises in business process outsourcing services for of its national and international clients. Merchants offers contact centre solutions especially designed to suit the requirements of government and private sector clients. This includes the outsourcing of customer contact centres through to advice on customer management strategy, contact centre assessment, contact centre development and improvement, customer experience management and revenue optimisation.

Angela Kays is Business Development Manager at Merchants. Her role is UK based and focuses on attracting new business from the UK market into Merchants operations in South Africa and Bahrain. Before joining Merchants to take up this newly created role Angela was based in South Africa for 13 years, working in the field of economic development; working for the UK government and later the South African government assisting companies to develop business in South Africa and later attract investment into South Africa. Prior to working in South Africa Angela spent 9 years at Macmillan Publishers as International Advertising Manager, with responsibility for key accounts and developing new business and products for the magazines in the scientific division.

FD, the Strategic Communications segment of FTI Consulting, Inc. (NYSE: FCN) is a leading consultancy dedicated to helping companies and governments with communication and reputation.

Tony Male, Chief Executive, Sector Marketing

Tony Male established Sector Marketing in 2007. The agency provides client marketing, promotion, communications and sales support services internationally. Its capabilities span the communications spectrum of a full service agency: from advertising, conference organisation, exhibition participation to international marketing management and sales support, business development, market entry and lead generation services. Sector Marketing is based in the UK (Bristol and Birmingham), and also has staff and associates in Europe, North America and Asia.

Tony and the Sector Marketing team have provided marketing services to leading economic development and investment promotion organisations including, in recent times, to Birmingham International Airport, Coventry City Council, Advantage West Midlands, State of Sonora Mexico, Invest in Arizona, Invest in Spain. His team often deliver event solutions in major international trade shows, such as Connecticut Farnborough and Paris Airshows; MIPIM, Domotex, CeBIT, CEMAT and Hannover Messe.

Tony is responsible for the overall direction of the agency and the business development programme. His more than thirty years of business development experience, for both the private and government sectors, provides advice to all clients, from strategy to implementation. He is a fellow of the Institute of Direct Marketing.

Tullo Marshall Warren (TMW) is a digital and direct ‘relationship marketing agency’ that integrates these disciplines through both creative and client facing teams. TMW has complementary expertise across data planning, analysis and management (insighttmw), publishing and ‘content’ generation (publishingtmw) and experiential marketing (activationtmw). The agency is focused on creating customer value through a structured approach that integrates the disciplines of data, strategic planning, multi‐channel creative execution and measurement and evaluation.

TMW is currently ranked 6th in Marketing’s direct marketing agency league table and 13th in NMA’s interactive agency league table. The agency is also one of the most highly awarded including 2 Grand Prix for its digital work on the Guinness eCRM programme. The agency has a growing base of international clients including Nissan Europe, Infiniti, Dubai Holding and Jumeirah. In 2008, it launched a presence in Dubai to build on the opportunities within UAE. TMW is a member of the InterDirect Network.

Ross Taylor is Chief Digital Officer at TMW. He is responsible for making the quality of the company’s digital output. This involves identifying new developments and innovations, driving creative excellence, seeking new strategic opportunities and establishing new services and skillsets as the market evolves. Ross is also Group Digital Director at the holding company Creston plc, where he ensures that digital solutions within the Group. His specialities include digital and internet strategy, web design and build, online relationship programmes, online and digital advertising, digital innovation, social media strategy and mobile strategy.

Mark Rutter, Product Manager, RE:Media (RE:SYSTEMS)

Since its formation in 2001 RE:Media has become not only a noted creative digital agency, but also a specialist creative communications house to meet the interests of economic development and promotion agencies. The company has a particularly strong focus on meeting the needs of the public sector, and is actively supporting best practice investment promotion agencies including Midas, Business Birmingham, Invest in Nottingham and Hull Forward, as well as many leading blue chip companies. In fact RE:Media is probably the UK’s leading agency to address digital communication needs of economic development agencies.

Mark Rutter, Product Manager for RE:Systems’ Inward Investment product, will explain good practice on handling enquiries alongside a variety of essential website bolt-on modules that make the difference in economic promotion.

Experts Drawn from Leading Investment Promotion Agencies

Rolf Gohdes, Formerly Director of BASF AG and Director, Germany Trade & Invest

Rolf Gohdes spent the last 7 years in Berlin with Germany Trade & Invest leading an intercultural team charged with attracting foreign investors for the chemicals and healthcare sectors. He also contributed towards GTAI's marketing, public communications and strategic planning functions. Now officially retired, he supports a number of companies as "Senior Advisor" for special projects.

Prior to joining Germany Trade & Invest, Mr Gohdes worked for almost thirty years in the German chemicals sector with BASF. During this time he held numerous positions, including Director Chemical Sales for UK/Ireland; Global Director, Marketing Chemical Intermediates (Amines, Acrylates); Director Global Strategy and R&D for Paper and Chemicals (Sales:> 1 Bill €). He started his career with Hoechst South Africa as Technical Applications Representative for Polymers.

Andrew Cooke, Chief Operating Officer, London and Partners

Andrew is London and Partners’ Chief Operating Officer. Andrew’s responsibilities include leading the organisation’s strategy and planning, financial management and research and intelligence functions. He is also responsible for the relationships with the agency’s primary public and private sector partners as well as London and Partners’ quality management systems including ISO 9000 and Customer First.

Prior to joining London and Partners’ predecessor organisation - Think London, Andrew spent 10 years with the UK Department of Trade and Industry focused on trade promotion and inward investment. His roles within the Department included four years with the Invest in Britain Bureau (now UK Trade and Investment) managing North American Investment and a posting to the British-Consulate General in New Zealand as Consul Commercial. Andrew has an honours degree in History from Southampton University and Post Graduate Diplomas in Management Studies and Marketing.