OUR PEOPLE
Edwin Laurent SLC, OBE, CMG
Founder
His long and varied career at the national and international levels gave Edwin unique insights and understanding into the circumstances and challenges facing small developing countries as well as an appreciation of the importance for sustainable development of sound and coherent public policies. But he is well aware that the information needed for devising and implementing policies that can bring about the required transformation is not always available in these countries. Therefore, he advocates undertaking with them objective, high quality research and analysis to inform policy making as well as capacity building and outreach that support implementation and the achievement of concrete results.
It was to provide a vehicle for such collaboration with leading experts that he established iDERA.
Currently, he is Senior Visiting Research Fellow, King's College London and, until January 2018, was Director of the London-based Ramphal Institute. Before that, he was Head of International Trade and Regional Co-operation at the Commonwealth Secretariat. Later he served as Senior Adviser to UNEP’s Green Economy Initiative for the Caribbean that sought to promote a holistic approach to policy making for sustainable development.
He has lectured in Central and West African countries and in the Caribbean on Trade and multilateral negotiations and written extensively on various development issues.
As a distinguished diplomat, his postings included; Ambassador to France, Germany and Belgium; Permanent Representative to the EU, WTO, FAO and OPCW, and was Special Envoy of the Heads of Government of Dominica, St Lucia and St Vincent.
He began his career at St Lucia’s Ministry of Finance, later becoming Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade Industry and Tourism.
In 2013 he was awarded the St Lucia Cross for services to development.
He was educated at the Universities of the West Indies, Manchester and The Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies.
It was to provide a vehicle for such collaboration with leading experts that he established iDERA.
Currently, he is Senior Visiting Research Fellow, King's College London and, until January 2018, was Director of the London-based Ramphal Institute. Before that, he was Head of International Trade and Regional Co-operation at the Commonwealth Secretariat. Later he served as Senior Adviser to UNEP’s Green Economy Initiative for the Caribbean that sought to promote a holistic approach to policy making for sustainable development.
He has lectured in Central and West African countries and in the Caribbean on Trade and multilateral negotiations and written extensively on various development issues.
As a distinguished diplomat, his postings included; Ambassador to France, Germany and Belgium; Permanent Representative to the EU, WTO, FAO and OPCW, and was Special Envoy of the Heads of Government of Dominica, St Lucia and St Vincent.
He began his career at St Lucia’s Ministry of Finance, later becoming Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade Industry and Tourism.
In 2013 he was awarded the St Lucia Cross for services to development.
He was educated at the Universities of the West Indies, Manchester and The Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies.
Dr Ginelle Greene-Dewasmes
Ginelle Greene-Dewasmes, a Trinidad & Tobago national who for the last 6 years has designed and headed international development projects in the Caribbean region working closely with international donors such as the GIZ, the EU and via her NGO work. An M&E Specialist, she has worked in the fields of trade facilitation, capacity building and policy research across all 15 CARIFORUM Member States. She has been contracted on various regional and international trade and development projects working with partners such as the CARICOM Secretariat, Caribbean Export Development Agency, Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), among several others. Her experience spans from project management, strategic planning and proposal writing, to that of M&E Framework design and management, Logframe Methodology, survey design, data management, impact and risk assessment, quantitative, qualitative and policy analysis.
She has a PhD Candidate from the University of York, United Kingdom, she has also earned an MSc. in International Trade Policy, as well as a BSc. International Relations Special from the University of the West Indies. Dr Greene-Dewasmes especially seeks out professional challenges that enrich her passion for and sharpen her skills in the areas of capacity building and international development, particularly those that focus on the most vulnerable groups of society. 
Mr Andrew Satney
Andrew Satney is a practitioner in international trade and international business, agriculture, Market Intelligence Systems for over 30 years and has been working to economic development, facilitate trade and business for the public and private sectors at the regional and international levels.
He has used his extensive knowledge to explore and expand market opportunities in the Caribbean, North America Europe and Asia and to guide and assist the public sectors of several countries in the Eastern Caribbean in improving their business environment in response to the World Bank’s report on Doing Business Ranking. He is highly respected by several regional and international institutions and agencies including the OECS Secretariat the Commonwealth Secretariat; Caribbean Export; the CARICOM Secretariat the CARIFORUM Unit, the CSME Unit, CROSQ, the IICA; the FAO; the World Bank; Compete Caribbean; the Caribbean Development Bank among others. He conducted several market research exercises at the regional and international levels. He has also worked extensively on private sector development at the national and regional levels, including with farmers and service providers in product development, product transformation and manufacturing, value addition, export promotion and marketing. He developed and implemented several Professional Services projects in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka, Malta, Malaysia, Cyprus. Contributed to policy positions in the negotiation of trade policies for the OECS countries. Provided leadership to the Manufacturing Sector in the OECS Countries. As an International Consultant, he has undertaken consulting assignments for the International Trade Centre (ITC), Commonwealth Secretariat, Caribbean Export, Windward Islands Banana Development and Exporting Company (WIBDECO). Andrew is the holder of a Post Graduate Diploma in International Trade Policy (World Trade Institute – of the WTO), M Sc – International Marketing and Product Marketing (Cranfield University – Silsoe College), BSc Degree – Agricultural Economics and received formal training in project appraisal, implementation and management at the Caribbean Development Bank. Andrew is a national of St. Lucia and has been residing in St. Kitts for the last 9 years. |
Ms Thérèse Louerat
Thérèse has held a variety of managerial positions in the Health and in the Adult care sectors and was declared Business Manager of the Year by Care UK in 2010. Has also been the Strategy Manager, for a large GP medical Practice in Kensington with responsibility for preparation of quality inspections, budget, finances, recruitment, supervision and HR.
For several years, she was the Manager of a leading private nursing Home in Chelsea in London which she opened and managed before leaving to head a team of Independent Mental Health Advocates in Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster. She studied at France’s Ministry of Health School in Nantes and later at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. where she attained Masters (with la plus grande distinction) in Medical-Social and Hospital Sciences, specialising in Hospital Management. In January 1999, she completed a study for UCL Brussels on “La fonction hôtelière répond-elle aux attentes des patients?”which analysed the marketing practices of four Belgian hospitals. In the June of the following year, she undertook a study for the Belgian Red Cross on “L’hygiène de l’environnement entourant le circuit des poches de produits labiles.” Thérèse is fluent in English and French and is proficient in Dutch. 
Dr Paul Goodison
Paul Goodison (Phd), is a British national with bachelor and masters degrees in economics from the University of Manchester and a doctorate from the University of Liverpool, where his specialisation was in the political economy of EU-SADC relations. Paul Goodison has in total over 30 years’ experience in analysing EU-African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) relations.
Since the announcement of the UK’s decision to withdraw from the EU Paul Goodison has focussed his analysis on the implications of Brexit for ACP economies. Since October 2016 over 88 articles have been posted on the epamonitoring.net website which deal either directly and indirectly with issues arising for ACP agro-food sector from the Brexit process. In addition since October 2016 a weekly Brexit Subscription Service has been compiled looking more in-depth at specific impacts of Brexit on ACP countries and the implications of the current evolution of EU27/UK negotiations for ACP countries. In addition to Brexit related issues on-going monitoring of policy issues arising EU-ACP agro-food sector trade relations is undertaken in the context of the epamonitoring.net website, with a focus on dairy, horticulture, sugar and poultry sector trade. This builds on 13 year experience of providing articles and editorial oversight of the CTA agritrade website from 2001 until 2014, which began as a monthly services and ended in a weekly service of analytical articles and annual reviews of policy developments. Paul Goodison began his work on these EU-ACP policy issues at the European Research Office, where he ran a small specialist research and advocacy office, the main focus of which was on EU trade, development cooperation and fisheries relations with the SADC region. |
Dr Sindra Sharma-Khushal
Sindra was an Advisor to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP23) Presidency Chief Negotiator as well as lead researcher at the Ramphal Institute. She completed her PhD at the London School of Economics wherein she designed, conducted and subsequently analysed a framed field experiment on incentivising smallholder farmers to take up climate change adaptive behaviours through the use of novel microloans through the case-study of Fiji. She has been engaged in trade policy research and analysis by the Ramphal Institute relating, among other things, to the ACP-EU Cotonou Agreement; Brexit and its implications on Trade for Africa, Caribbean and Pacific States, TTIP and other mega FTAs. She has a particular interest in protecting the most vulnerable from the impacts of climate change which she has pursued through her advisory role to Ambassador Khan at COP23, wherein she provided strategic advice on issues such as adaptation, loss and damage, mitigation, agriculture, and policy coherence. 
Ms Kamela Palma
Kamela Palma began her professional life as an educator, lecturer, and educational administrator – having worked at both secondary and tertiary levels in Belize, Germany, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.
In August 2000, she returned to Belize from the United Kingdom on the invitation of the Government of Belize to take up an appointment as Director of the Regional Language Centre of The University of Belize. In April 2001, she was appointed by the Government of Belize as Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Human Development, Women, Children, and Civil Society (today named The Ministry of Human Development and Social Transformation). In 2003, Kamela Palma was posted as Deputy Ambassador to The Embassy of Belize in Guatemala. And on November 1st, 2008, she was appointed High Commissioner for Belize to the Court of St James’s, United Kingdom. Kamela Palma continues to be involved as Executive Member of the Board of Directors of The Belize Council for the Visually Impaired (BCVI), and is a former Board member of The Toledo Institute for Development and the Environment (TIDE). Ms Palma holds a BA in English, Spanish and Education, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics, and an MA in Education and International Development. |
Registered: 27th June 2014
Registered Company No 2014/C152
Address: 3 Auralie Drive, Coubaril, Castries, St Lucia
Postal Address: PO Box 478
[email protected]
Registered Company No 2014/C152
Address: 3 Auralie Drive, Coubaril, Castries, St Lucia
Postal Address: PO Box 478
[email protected]
