Panel Speakers - IESE Blog Community - IESE Business School

Panel Speakers
Patricia R. Francis – Executive Director, International Trade Center
Patricia R. Francis, an award-winning leader and business facilitator, joined the International
Trade Centre as Executive Director in June 2006.
ITC is a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization that
enables small business export success in developing countries. It provides, with its
partners, trade development solutions to the private sector, trade support institutions and policymakers.
During her tenure at ITC she has implemented a change management strategy to build common values and
strengthen key management functions. ITC has defined and restructured itself around five new business
lines, and extensive consultation has led to a stronger Strategic Framework.
Ms Francis comes to ITC from Jamaica Trade and Invest, where she served as President since 1995. She
was also a member of Jamaica’s Cabinet Committee for Development. During her tenure Jamaica attracted
more than US$ 5 billion in foreign direct investment.
She served twice as President of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies. She has chaired
Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development’s Caribbean Rim Investment Initiative as well as
the China-Caribbean Business Council.
She has received awards from the Washington D.C. based Caribbean-Central American
Action Council and from the King of Spain for her leadership and support for investment and business advocacy.
Anne Gaboury - President and Chief Executive Officer, Développement international Desjardins (DID)
Anne Gaboury is President and Chief Executive Officer of Développement international
Desjardins (DID).
Founded 40 years ago, DID is a component of the Desjardins Group and provides
support to financial institutions in numerous countries in Africa, Latin America, the
Caribbean, Asia and Eastern and Central Europe. DID specializes in technical support and investment in
the area of community finance. With over 100 employees of which 30 % are posted overseas, DID works
in partnership with the Canadian International Development Agency, Gates Foundation, the Government of
Quebec, the World Bank and other multilateral organizations.
Before her current position as president and CEO, she had been in charge of the development and management
of DID’s instrumentation. She has contributed to the documentation of DID’s operating methods and to the refining
of the institutional positions of the organization, thus facilitating the sharing of knowledge with DID partners.
Anne Gaboury holds a Master’s degree in psychology and a Master’s degree in Business Administration
(MBA) degree. Since 2009, she also is a chartered director (administrateur de société certifié).
In addition to her responsibilities as DID’s President and CEO, she chairs the Institut québécois des hautes études
internationales of Laval University. She has been a board member of the Canadian Council on Africa (CCAfrica) and
chaired the Development Committee of the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF) for
the last four years.
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