Speakers

Opening Session

Mr Ramon M. Lopez
Secretary, Department of Trade and Industry, Philippines

Ramon M. Lopez is the Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). His extensive government experience with the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), DTI, and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in the early part of his career provided him with a solid background on macroeconomic and industry development that allowed him to adopt a more holistic trade approach when he moved to the private sector and became a top executive of a major Philippine food and beverage company for over 23 years.

As a strong advocate for free entrepreneurship education for 12 years, he was called to serve the country again under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s administration as the DTI Secretary. He chairs several institutions under DTI such as the Board of Investments (BOI), the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), the Small Business Corporation (SB Corp.), the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), National Development Corporation (NDC), Export Development Council (EDC), Halal Board. He also supervises attached agencies such as the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA).

He has received several awards such as: the Honorary Agora in Nation Building Award in 2018; the 2016 Nation Builders Award for Government Service for his role as prime mover in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) development; and the Philippine Innovation Man of the Year Award in 2017 for the promotion of social entrepreneurship through innovation. In 2018, he received from President Duterte the Order of Sikatuna, with a rank of Datu, one of the senior honors one can receive in the Philippines.

He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines and topped his Master’s Degree in Development Economics class at Williams College, Massachusetts