GDP Global and The European Academy aim to provide professional, dedicated and cost effective training to agency clients. We have delivered more than 50 public and in-house training and development programmes in 2005-09, more than 1,000 delegates have participated in our courses held in London, throughout Europe, in Africa, as well as in North and South America, Middle East, Asia and online.

The principal consultant trainers

John Hanna is Managing Director of GDP Global Development. John brings 19 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 South Asia and SE Asia, and investment promotion training for 10 investment promotion agencies in SE Europe. He is also director of the European Academy of Business Development. John 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. He also created the IPA Performance Benchmarking Programme, which has undertaken more than 650 strategy and operations assessments of more than 250 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, Fiskars, 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. He established his own business in 1997. 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 is a director of GDP Global since 2005. She has 16 years' direct experience in economic promotion, working with and on behalf of European, African and Latin American investment promotion and economic development agencies at both national and regional levels. She provides expert strategy consultancy on the broad spectrum of FDI and investment promotion topics, capacity building and team coaching to clients across the globe. In 1995 Christina co-founded the Invest in Sweden Agency (ISA), where she has worked for ten years. Christina also established and directed the London Office of ISA for five years. She combines her public sector experience with 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. She has undertaken investment promotion related assignments for the UN, World Bank, EU and IADB. In 1999 Christina created the independent London-based management consultancy - Christina Knutsson Consulting for freelance assignments. Christina is a graduate in Market Economics from RMI Berghs, speaking fluent English, Spanish, French and Swedish, and has worked in over 50 countries worldwide.

Guest Presenters will also contribute to our programmes. Senior economists, corporate executives, site selection consultants and economic development practitioners will deliver sessions on their specific areas of expertise.