ANGELA OSPINA
Brussels
Summary
Former Colombian senior officer. Expert in trade policy, trade facilitation, digital trade and export promotion (SMEs, women, e-commerce, procurement). Leader of digital and green transition projects. Expertise in the EU Green Deal legislation. Data-driven decision maker. Advanced knowledge in project management. Experience in organizing massive events. Interest in sustainable development.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Commercial Specialist
US Mission to the EU
Brussels
02.2024 - 09.2024
- Monitor, analyze, and report on commercially significant developments in the current EU political environment, including priorities, policies, legislation, and programs affecting U.S Businesses
- Counsel U.S Companies on strategies to comply with, or take advantage of, EU requirements, policies, legislation, and programs.
- Engage in public outreach and give public presentations to business groups in the U.S and Europe on EU legislation.
- Reviewed and analyzed customer buying patterns to identify potential sales opportunities.
- Support commercial advocacy efforts.
Trade Relations Director
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia
Bogota
07.2022 - 01.2023
- Direct and ensure compliance with trade agreements, treaties, and conventions.
- Design and execute Colombia's trade policy in its bilateral relations with the WTO and UNCTAD.
- Participate and advance trade negotiations.
- Coordination with government and private entities, Colombian trade chambers, and binational trade chambers.
Consultant
OECD
Remote
03.2022 - 06.2022
- Analysis of the challenges posed by the green transition to international trade and cooperation, to be incorporated in the Chapter 6 'International partnerships for a green and just transition' of the Latin American Economic Outlook (LEO) 2022.
- Mapping European requirements of production and export conditions throughout the different steps of value chains for LAC products aiming to enter the EU markets.
- Identify the main gaps between these European requirements and the main trends of production and trade that characterize the LAC region.
- Analyze the challenges and opportunities to fill out these gaps.
- Compile what cooperation actions and initiatives can help promote a transition towards a more just and fairer bi-regional trade, focusing on the Green Deal.
Trade Advisor-Colombian Trade Office to the EU
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia
Brussels
10.2015 - 02.2022
- Monitor policies set by the European Institutions and the trade regulation norms (especially the Green Deal) related to Colombia's trade interests.
- Inform Colombian governmental authorities about adopted foreign trade policies relevant to Colombia, facilitating necessary adjustments.
- Advise on the planning, designing, and implementing economic cooperation projects for capacity building.
- Promote Colombian exports, foreign investments, and tourism in Belgium.
- Assist and actively participate in negotiations on trade or investment topics, providing critical insights for decision-making affecting bilateral trade relations.
- Prepare information on trade and economic exchanges, investment climate, and economic indicators' statistics helpful in analyzing the current situation and projecting the country's trade and economic policy.
- Assist and prepare visits of governmental or business delegations to fulfill objectives for developing bilateral, trade, and economic relations.
Deputy Director, Design and Management of Operations
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia
Bogota
01.2012 - 10.2015
- Establish and manage the operation of the foreign trade information systems for goods, services, and national production at the Single Window for Foreign Trade (VUCE), with 62,000 users and 21 government agencies.
- Guide the determination of the origin criteria for export products made within the national territory
- Establish surveillance, control, and tracking mechanisms for foreign trade operations.
- Determine criteria for the design, execution, evaluation, and control of managed foreign trade (quotas and TRQs).
- Establish criteria for registration of national production (machinery, plastic, textiles).
- Implement trade facilitation measures: simultaneous inspection in the maritime ports, risk management systems, and LAC regional interoperability projects - origin and e-Phyto certificates.
Professor (Research Coordinator of the School of Economics)
Catholic University of Colombia
Bogota
08.2011 - 12.2011
- Design and manage the strategic research plan of the School of Economics.
- Methodological direction of the development of scientific research projects.
- Evaluate cooperation projects for research.
Intern Research Department - Latin America Division
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
Tokyo
06.2010 - 08.2010
- Study the potential benefits of the Colombia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
- Analysis of the impacts of Colombian FTAs in force and under negotiation in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
- Manage databases of foreign trade, information analysis, and write reports.
- Collection of Latin America statistics, especially about the automobile industry.
- Research the Colombian tax system in bilateral agreements.
Competitiveness Advisor
National Planning Department (DNP)
Bogota
09.2008 - 04.2009
- Support the Regional Competitiveness Commissions in developing Regional Competitiveness Plans to increase exports and harness the trade agreements signed by Colombia.
- Design indicators to measure implementation of the Competitiveness National Policy.
- Work jointly with the private sector to identify competitiveness choke points and design roadmaps.
Education
Specialized Master in EU Interdisciplinary Studies - Economic Governance and Policies in the EU
Université Libre De Bruxelles (ULB)
Brussels09.2021
Global Competitiveness Leadership Program -
Georgetown University
Washington, DC, USA04.2013
Master of Arts in International Relations - Economic Issues in East Asia Pacific Region
Waseda University
Tokyo, Japan03.2011
Bachelor of Science in Economics -
National University of Colombia
Bogotá, Colombia02.2007
Skills
- Power BI
- Tableau
- SalesForce
- SPSS
- Teams
- Zoom
- Skype
- MS Office 365 (Advanced Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, Project)
Languages
Spanish
First Language
English
Advanced (C1)
C1
French
Upper Intermediate (B2)
B2
Certification
PRINCE2 Foundation Certification Training, 2023
Complementary education
- 2024- Disruptive technologies and governance in the digital era, ITU
- 2024- The use of blockchain in trade facilitation, UNCTAD
- 2023- Capacity-building programme to manage environmental impacts in the minerals sector in Latin America and the Caribbean, OECD
- 2023- Fondamentaux de la Business Intelligence (Power BI), Digital City
- 2023- Project management methodologies (PMI, Prince2, Agile), Business Training Academy
Timeline
Commercial Specialist
US Mission to the EU
02.2024 - 09.2024
Trade Relations Director
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia
07.2022 - 01.2023
Consultant
OECD
03.2022 - 06.2022
Trade Advisor-Colombian Trade Office to the EU
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia
10.2015 - 02.2022
Deputy Director, Design and Management of Operations
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia
01.2012 - 10.2015
Professor (Research Coordinator of the School of Economics)
Catholic University of Colombia
08.2011 - 12.2011
Intern Research Department - Latin America Division
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
06.2010 - 08.2010
Competitiveness Advisor
National Planning Department (DNP)
09.2008 - 04.2009
Specialized Master in EU Interdisciplinary Studies - Economic Governance and Policies in the EU
Université Libre De Bruxelles (ULB)
Global Competitiveness Leadership Program -
Georgetown University
Master of Arts in International Relations - Economic Issues in East Asia Pacific Region
Waseda University
Bachelor of Science in Economics -
National University of Colombia
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