Event Calendar

Monday, September 16, 2019

Chief Trade Negotiators

Start Date: 9/16/2019 4:00 PM EDT
End Date: 9/16/2019 6:30 PM EDT

Venue Name: Embassy of Canada

Location:
501 Pennsylvania Ave
Government issued photo-ID required for entry.
Washington, DC  United States  20001

Organization Name: Embassy of Canada

Contact:
WIIT
Email: info@wiit.org
Phone: 202-869-3779

  

4:00pm – 5:00pm panel discussion
5:00pm - 6:30pm networking reception

The Embassy of Canada and the Association of Women in International Trade (WIIT) invite you to a discussion on the challenges and opportunities for female leadership in trade policy and plurilateral trade negotiations, and the importance of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to Asia-Pacific trade. Government issued photo-ID required for entry.

Our stellar panel includes former chief CPTPP negotiators:

Kirsten Hillman
Acting Ambassador, Embassy of Canada

Kirsten is Canada’s Deputy Ambassador to the United States of America in Washington D.C.

Prior to joining the Embassy in 2017, Kirsten held the position of Assistant Deputy Minister of the Trade Agreements and Negotiations Branch at Global Affairs Canada, overseeing all of Canada’s trade policy and trade negotiations. She was also Canada’s Chief Negotiator for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Kirsten has held various positions at home and abroad including Director General of the Trade Policy Bureau and Senior Legal Adviser at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva. She has represented Canada as lead counsel before panels and the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization, and managed Canada’s international investor-state arbitration under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Before joining Global Affairs Canada, Kirsten practised law in Montreal and in Ottawa at the Federal Department of Justice.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Manitoba and a Bachelor of Civil Law and a Bachelor of Common Law from McGill University.

Barbara Weisel
Managing Director, Rock Creek Global Advisors (and former Assistant USTR for Southeast Asia and the Pacific)

As a Managing Director at Rock Creek Global Advisors, Barbara Weisel focuses on international trade and investment policy and negotiations as well as market access and regulatory matters. Ms. Weisel has more than 25 years of experience advancing international trade and investment initiatives. She served most recently as Assistant US Trade Representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, where she was the US chief negotiator for the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations from its inception in 2008 through its signing in 2016.
 
Previously, Ms. Weisel served as Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative for Bilateral Asian Affairs (Korea, Southeast Asia, and South Asia). As Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative for Bilateral Asian Affairs (Korea, Southeast Asia, and South Asia), she served as negotiator of FTAs with Malaysia, Thailand, Australia and Singapore.  She also was charged with monitoring and enforcing Asian countries’ compliance with their World Trade Organization commitments and working with US companies to resolve specific issues in these markets.   Earlier, Ms. Weisel served as the official responsible for managing global pharmaceutical regulatory issues and as Director for Japan Affairs.
 
Before joining USTR, Ms. Weisel worked at the State Department from 1984-1994, serving in a variety of positions, including as international economist on Japan, the Persian Gulf, and North Africa.  
 
Barbara earned two Masters’ degrees from Harvard University in 1983 in Public Policy with a focus on international development, and Religious Studies, with a focus on Islamic civilization. She has a Bachelor's degree from Connecticut College (Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude).

Andrea Phua
Counsellor (Economics), Embassy of the Republic of Singapore

Ms Andrea Phua currently serves as the Economic Counsellor at the Embassy of Singapore in Washington, DC. She took up this appointment in January 2018.

Prior to this assignment, Andrea was the Deputy Chief Negotiator of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), where she led the Singapore team and oversaw the various chapters of the agreement. She also managed the US-Singapore economic relationship and concurrently staffed Singapore’s Committee on the Future Economy, which was a public-private sector led effort in 2016 to identify the key policy shifts for the Singapore economy to prepare industries and the workforce for the future.

Before her stint in the trade and economic sector, Andrea was an A-Levels English Literature teacher from 2008 to 2011.

Andrea received a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) in English Literature from University College London (2007), and graduated with Distinction from Oxford University (2008), where she completed a Masters in English Literature. She also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education from the National Institute of Education (Singapore) (2009).

Moderated by:
Vanessa Sciarra
National Foreign Trade Council


Nearest Metros: Judiciary Square

Online Registration

Registration is Closed
Closed: 9/16/2019 12:00 AM

Add to my calendar

Map


Upcoming Events

Check out our upcoming events and sign up today!

Events Calendar

WIIT Weekly

Have you seen the latest WIIT Weekly?  

Read Now

Charitable Trust

Learn more about WIIT's Charitable Trust, volunteer or donate!

Learn More