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2008/SOM3/GPEG/SEM/002

Speakers’ Biodata

Submitted by: Peru

/ Seminar onImplementation of theValue for MoneyNon Binding Principle inGovernment Procurement
Lima, Peru
13-14 August 2008

Mario Arteaga

Mario is a proffessional lawyer who held a Post grade in Public Law and a Master in Government Procurement Law.Currently, he is the Foreign Affairs Official at the Superior Council of Peruvian Government Procurement (CONSUCODE). In addition, Mario is a member of the Peruvian Negotiation Team for the Government Procurement Chapter at Free Trade Agreements (with the United States, Canada, EFTA and the European Union).

Before this, at CONSUCODE he was the Deputy Manager for Research and Development, Deputy Manager of Technical Normative Analysis and Attorney-Advisor with the Tribunal of Government Procurement.Prior to joining CONSUCODE, Mr. Arteaga was both: advisor for the National Congress and Consultant for the Reform of the Judiciary

Karen English

Karen is a senior policy analyst with New Zealand's Ministry of Economic Development in the area of government procurement. This role is responsible for the development and review of New Zealand's government procurement policy and procedures, which includes assessing the impacts of policy on government operations and domestic business development. There are also responsibilities for the international aspects of procurement policy, including participation in APEC, the World Trade Organisation, and free trade agreements.

Prior to joining the Ministry of Economic Development, Karen was with the Legal Services Agency, a government agency that administers New Zealand's legal aid programme and the provision of community legal services. Her role involved policies and procedures relating to contracts with legal aid providers as well as overseeing the funding contracts and relationship with community law centres.

Before entering the public sector, Karen's work history included legal publishing and many years of private legal practice in Canada.

Randy Heggart

Mr. Heggart is a Professional Engineer who holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) and a Master of Business Administration.

He began his career working for in the private sector for General Motors ofCanada. In 1982, he accepted a position with the Canadian Department of Transport in the area of automotive safety. In 1989, he began working in the area of procurement review with the Procurement Review Board of Canada, which, at that time, was a new organization created as part of Canada’s obligations under the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement. In 1994, with the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the responsibility for bid challenge in Canada was transferred to the Canadian International Trade Tribunal and Mr. Heggartaccepted a position there as Manager, Investigations.

Mr. Heggart was appointed Director, Procurement Review Division at the Canadian International Trade Tribunal in July of 2003. His current title is Research Director (Procurement). With the exception of a short assignment in Investment Trade Policy with the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, he has been conducting, managing and now directing investigations in procurement review for the last nineteen years.

Seunghyun Kang

Education

1981 : Graduated with BA in Foreign Language Education, Chonnam National University

1984 : Graduated with MA in Literature, Hankook University ofForeign Studies

1997 : Graduated with MA in International Economics, Sungkyunkwan University

2004 : Ph. D. in Business Administration,Chungnam National University

Career

1981 - 1982 : Corporate Planning and Coordination Office, Hyundai Business Group

1985 - 1987 : Coordinator, Seoul Olympic Organizing Committee

1987.4 - 2006.4 : Senior Deputy Director, Commodity Stockpile Bureau, Public Procurement Service

2006.5 - Present : Director, International Goods Bureau, Public Procurement Service

Professional Activities

2001.3 - Present : Professor, Department of International Trade, Chungnam National University

2004.1 – Present : Permanent Member, Korean Association of Shipping Studies

2005.1 – Present : Director, Korean Society for International Trade Studies

2006.3 – Present : Chairman, Government Procurement Experts’ Group(GPEG), APEC

Sarah Loss

Sarah Loss is an attorney-advisor with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the Chief Counsel for International Commerce (OCCIC). Ms. Loss advises the Department’s International Trade Administration (ITA) on the international trade obligations of the United States and its trading partners, and she assists ITA in its promotion of U.S. trade, investment, and the competitiveness of U.S. industry internationally. Ms. Loss has worked in that office since 2006, where she focuses on government procurement (including the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement), trade preference programs, sanctions, trade in services, and general trade topics concerning the Western Hemisphere and Japan . Prior to joining the Commerce Department, she worked with several offices of the U.S. Department of State, including the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. Ms. Loss is a graduate of Boston University School of Law and of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Veljko Sikirica

Senior Procurement Specialist, Procurement, Financial Management & Portfolio Monitoring Division

Veljko Sikirica is a Senior Procurement Specialist, accredited as Principal Procurement Specialist at the Procurement, Financial Management & Portfolio Monitoring Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). He is responsible for Region III to assist Banks Country Offices in procurement and operational issues regarding the preparation and execution of projects, incorporating the best procurement practices and methods, as well as, strengthening the public sector institutional capacity to design, prepare, execute, monitor and evaluate public investment programs.

He participated actively in tasks related to the 3-year implementation of Bank’s New Procurement Policies and Procedures, and Action Plan. Also, he prepared cases, proposed resolutions for, and chaired IDB’s Procurement Committee sessions.

At present, he is also responsible for the Training function in Procurement. He coordinates the preparation of New Training Seminars, prepares training materials for Advanced and Expert Level and delivers, as facilitator, training at Expert Level, both for Bank’s internal staff needs, as well as, for executing agencies.In addition, he is also responsible for Procurement for Sustainable Development Initiative including the drafting of the Position Paper of the Bank, as well as, to represent the Bank on MDB’s related technical forums.

Further, Mr. Sikirica is permanent resource and leader of Banks Public Information Business Outreach Program on Procurement topics. Mr. Sikirica participates directly in procurement seminars for the business communities in the United States, including the Business Seminar Series and other meetings at headquarters.Mr. Sikirica joined the Project Analysis Department – Managers Office of the IDB in 1985 and was involved in project analysis of energy and other infrastructure projects. He also worked in the same capacity in Finance and Infrastructure Division. In addition, he spent four years in Banks Country Offices responsible for project execution.

A Serbian national, fluent in Spanish and English, Veljko Sikirica previously worked as Infrastructure Project Specialist in EXIM Bank of Yugoslavia. Mr. Sikirica holds a Graduate degree in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering from Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico and a Masters degree in Finance from University of Maryland.