Foreign Investment Frameworks - 17 May 2021
Foreign Investment Frameworks - 17 May 2021
Workshop on “Foreign Investment Frameworks”
Monday, 17 May 2021 at 13:00 hours (Mauritius Time)
The Regional Centre of Excellence (“RCE”) of the Financial Services Commission, Mauritius in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”), has the pleasure to invite you or your representative from your organisation to attend a virtual workshop on “Foreign Investment Frameworks” on Monday 17 May 2021 at 13.00 hrs.
This upcoming workshop, in association with the OECD, will cover regional applications for two major international policy instruments to address the challenges of investment attraction and ensuring it contributes fully to the achievement of host country national economic objectives and international aims, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The workshop will be split into two sessions namely: OECD Policy Framework for Investment (“PFI”) and OECD Foreign Direct Investment (“FDI”) Qualities Policy Toolkit. The first session will introduce the PFI and discuss the insights from applying the PFI in over thirty emerging economies through OECD Investment Policy Reviews. The second session on FDI will provide advice on how governments can enhance the contribution of FDI to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.
OECD Policy Framework for Investment (“PFI”)
The objective of the PFI is to mobilise private investment that supports steady economic growth and sustainable development, contributing to economic and social well-being around the world. It is non-prescriptive and emphasizes on policy coherence. It eschews one-size-fits-all solutions and encourages policy makers to ask appropriate questions about their economies, their institutions and their policy settings.
OECD Foreign Direct Investment (“FDI”) Qualities Policy Toolkit
To address the complex mix of policies and institutions necessary to ensure that foreign investment contributes to the greatest extent to achieve the SDGs, the Policy Toolkit will focus on the nexus between the general policies and approaches of the PFI with more specific policies in each of the following clusters: productivity and innovation; employment, job quality and skills; gender equality; and low carbon transition.
Please register on following link by Monday 12 May 2021, noon:
The RCE Team is here to help. In case you are facing any issue, please feel free to contact us on rce@fscmauritius.org or alternatively Ms Kirti Tohul by phone on (+230) 403 7000 (Ext.7253).
Mr. Antonio Gomes Deputy Director
Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, (OECD)
Mr Antonio Gomes is Deputy Director of the Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs of the OECD (OECD/DAF) and Head of Competition, Finance, and Investment (DAF Market Cluster), overseeing the work of the Competition Division; the Financial Markets Division; the Consumer Finance, Insurance and Pensions Division and the Investment Division. He previously served as Acting Deputy Director of OECD/DAF (2018-2020), Head of the OECD Competition Division (2016-2018), President of the Portuguese Competition Authority (2013-2016), Senior Competition Expert at the OECD Competition Division (2013) and Director of the Merger Department of the Portuguese Competition Authority (2007-2013). Since 2005, he has been an Assistant Professor at the Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal. Antonio Gomes holds a PhD in Economics from the University of York, U.K., and Master Degrees in Economics from the University of York and the Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
Mr. Dhanesswurnath Thakoor
The Chief Executive, Financial Services Commission, (FSC)
Mr Dhanesswurnath Thakoor is the Chief Executive of the Financial Services Commission, Mauritius (FSC) since 18 May 2020. He holds a Masters’ Degree in Information Technology, Electronics and Systems Automation from Ecole Universitaire d’Ingénieurs de Lille - France and an MBA with Specialisation in Finance. He has over 25 years of Central Banking experience.
Prior to joining the Commission, he held the post of Assistant Director - Payments Systems and the Mauritius Credit Information Bureau (MCIB) at the Bank of Mauritius (BoM). He was also a member of the internal Fintech Committee and a member of the National Regulatory Sandbox License technical committee at the BoM. Mr Thakoor was the country representative of the SADC Payment System Project and participated as payment system expert in the Regional Payment and Settlement System of the COMESA Clearing House.
He has been involved in a number of Fintech projects, amongst which the National Payment Switch and the Instant Payment System. He is a member of the: National AML/CFT Committee, National Regulatory Sandbox Licence Committee, the National Sanctions Committee, FSC Regional Centre of Excellence Governing Board and the Financial Reporting Council.
Mr. Gamal Ballam
Assistant Director, Global Business –Authorisation & Supervision
Mr Gamal Ballam is a seasoned Financial Services Executive, offering 20 years of experience gained in demanding leadership roles in both the private and public sector. He holds a BSc in Statistics and Applied Mathematics, a Post Graduate in Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management and an MSc in Computational Finance.
He joined the Financial Services Commission, Mauritius in 2012 as a senior manager in the Policy Cluster before heading the same Cluster soon afterwards. At the FSC Mauritius, he has led both technical and non-technical Clusters since joining. He currently holds the position of Assistant Director – Global Business, overseeing both Authorisation and Supervision.
Prior to joining the FSC Mauritius, he held different senior positions in the financial industry for six years. Prior to that, he spent more than five years in tertiary-level academia as a lecturer.
Dr. Stephen Thomsen
Head of Investment Policy Reviews Unit, Investment Division, OECD
Dr Stephen Thomsen has been affiliated with the OECD since 1995, both on the staff and as an external consultant. He is now Head of the Investment and Sustainable Development Unit within the Investment Division of the Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs with overall responsibility, inter alia, for Investment Policy Reviews using the Policy Framework for Investment and for the FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index. Prior to joining the OECD, he worked as a Research Fellow at Chatham House in London and at a research institute in Washington DC. Stephen holds a Ph.D. in international economics from the Graduate Institute of International Affairs in Geneva, Switzerland.
Mrs. Nirmala Jeetah
Head of Department CEO's Office, Economic Development Board Mauritius
Mrs Nirmala Jeetah is Head of the CEO Office since February 2021. She was previously the Head of the Manufacturing- New Industries cluster at the Economic Development Board. She is a graduate from the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and holds a Master’s in Investment Promotion and Economic Development from Edinburgh Napier University, Master’s in Quality Management from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen and MBA in Innovation and Leadership from Ducerre Business School, Australia
Mrs. Jeetah has acquired extensive experience in investment policy review, investment agreement negotiations, investment promotion strategies and investment project facilitation. Since 2006 she has been very involved in leading the investment climate initiative in Mauritius and has represented Mauritius overseas to share the Mauritian experience in improving the ease of doing business. Currently she is the chair of the SADC Investment Committee at the regional level. She has previously led the Planning & Policy cluster and Manufacturing, Freeport and Agro Industry at the level of Board of Investment.
Ms. Tihana Bule
Manager, Centre for Responsible Business Conduct, OECD
Ms Tihana Bule is a Manager in the OECD Centre for Responsible Business Conduct (RBC). She is currently leading engagement on RBC in Asia and MENA and oversees efforts to promote integration of RBC in several key policy areas such as trade and investment, infrastructure, state-owned enterprises, and development of macro supply chain data. She joined the OECD in 2012. Prior to that, Tihana worked in the technology sector and advised on international trade, intellectual property rights, and patent infringement cases pending before the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. She holds an MA in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a BA in Mathematics from Smith College.
Mr. Martin Wermelinger
Manager, FDI Qualities Initiative, OECD
Mr Martin Wermelinger is manager and economist at the OECD Investment Division. He is leading the multi-stakeholder FDI Qualities initiative. This initiative develops policy and impact tools on investment and sustainable development. Martin also leads and contributes to OECD Investment Policy Reviews, mostly in Southeast Asia, with a focus on policies related to business linkages, tax incentives, investment in services, and outward investment. He joined the OECD in 2013 and previously worked at UN ESCAP, Avenir Suisse, and the Global Trade Alert. Martin did his Ph.D. at the University of St. Gallen.
Mrs. Iris Mantovani
Project Lead, FDI Qualities and low carbon transition, OECD.
Mrs Iris Mantovani joined the OECD in 2016 as a policy analyst in the Investment Division of the Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs. Iris leads the work on green investment and has contributed to the development of the FDI Qualities indicators on the impacts of FDI on sustainable development. She is currently leading the development of the FDI Qualities Policy Toolkit on improving FDI impacts on carbon emissions. She has also co-authored a number of reviews on policies to support linkages in Southeast and Central Asia. Prior to joining the OECD, Iris worked in an economic consultancy specialised in public policy, focusing on export and investment promotion in the EU. She holds an MSc in Economics from the London Schools of Economics and a BA in Economics from New York University.
Mrs. Gabriela Castro
Director of the FDI Policy Division at Costa Rica’s Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX)
Mrs Gabriela Castro is an expert in international trade and investment policy, with vast experience in investment promotion and facilitation, international trade agreement negotiation and implementation, and government relations, and a deep understanding of issues relating to business climate and competitiveness.
Director of the FDI Policy Division at Costa Rica’s Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX), since 2014. Other principal leadership positions within the institution, since 2006, include:
- Chief of Staff to the Minister (2010-2014), involving functions such as directing strategic projects and acting as chief liaison officer to major public and private organizations working on international trade and investment issues, including government and congressional offices, chambers and other industry associations, embassies, non-governmental organizations, and educational institutions, among others.
- Director General of Foreign Trade (2006-2010), involving functions such as acting as lead negotiator and principal trade policy advisor to the Minister.
Attorney at law and public notary, graduated from the university of La Salle-San José, Costa Rica (2000); with a master’s degree in International Markets and Trade from Lead University-San José, Costa Rica (2017); a certificate diplomacy on Trade Policy and Law from Carleton University-Ottawa, Canada (2002); and advanced master’s degree studies in Business and Tax Law, at the University of International Cooperation-San José, Costa Rica.
Opening Speeches
Mr Antonio Gomes- Deputy Director, Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, (OECD)
Mr Dhanesswurnath Thakoor- The Chief Executive, Financial Services Commission, (FSC)
Session 1- Policy Framework for Investment
Mr Stephen Thomsen- Head of Investment Policy Reviews Unit, Investment Division, OECD
Mrs Nirmala Jeetah- Head of Department CEO's Office, Economic Development Board Mauritius
Ms Tihana Bule- Manager, Centre for Responsible Business Conduct, OECD
Session 2- FDI Qualities Policy Toolkit
Introduction on session 2 FDI Qualities Policy Toolkit - Gamal Ballam- Assistant Director, Global Business –Authorisation & Supervision
Mr Martin Wermelinger- Manager, FDI Qualities Initiative, OECD
Mrs Iris Mantovani- Project Lead, FDI Qualities and low carbon transition, OECD
Mrs Gabriela Castro- Director of the FDI Policy Division at Costa Rica’s Ministry of Foreign Trade (COMEX)
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