DG Okonjo-Iweala appoints new Deputy Director-General
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala announced the appointment of Jennifer DJ Nordquist of the United States as a new Deputy Director-General. DDG Nordquist will replace Angela Ellard, who will step down from her post at the end of August.
Ms. Nordquist is currently Counselor of the Council of Economic Advisers at the White House. Her previous roles have included Executive Vice President of the Economic Innovation Group; Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Executive Director for the United States at the World Bank Group; and Chief of Staff and Deputy of Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution.
Ms Nordquist holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Communications from Stanford University. She is a native English speaker and is fluent in French.
In appointing Ms Nordquist, DG Okonjo-Iweala noted her decades of leadership experience as a seasoned economic and policy strategist. “She will work as part of the senior management team with me and the other DDGs, driving forward our objective of helping our members use trade as a means to raise living standards, create jobs and improve people’s lives,” the Director-General said.
Ms Nordquist is expected to take up her appointment on 1 October.
Serving Deputy Directors-General Johanna Hill of El Salvador, Jean-Marie Paugam of France and Xiangchen Zhang of China have been reappointed for an additional four-year term.
In November 2024, DG Okonjo-Iweala was reappointed as Director-General for a second four-year term beginning on 1 September
