Panos Antonakakis

Joined the STDF team in 2004. He holds an MA in Economics and has worked on trade related development assistance issues at the WTO since 2002 including on the Integrated Framework, the Aid for Trade Initiative and the Standards and Trade Development Facility. Panos' work focuses particularly on project development in LDCs and other low income countries and on nurturing links with other technical assistance programs, whether in the WTO or in-country.

Marlynne Hopper

Joined the STDF Secretariat in March 2008 and is responsible for various activities to enhance coordination in SPS-related technical assistance. Prior to 2008, Marlynne developed and implemented food safety and biosecurity capacity building activities, including needs assessment tools and training programmes, for FAO. Marlynne has also worked in on broader agricultural and rural development activities with the World Bank, GTZ and UNDP, including three years in Viet Nam. She has a Masters Degree in International Affairs from Georgetown University, Washington D.C.

Kenza Le Mentec

With a double background in finance and international affairs as well as in agri-food, Kenza Le Mentec has worked on various aspects related to the design and implementation of development projects and policies. Over the past years,  she has been working on international trade and SPS related topics. She has joined the STDF in 2008 as an economic affairs officer. Kenza Le Mentec holds a PhD in agri-food, a Masters in business administration and management and a first degree in agriculture and rural economics.

Simon Padilla

Joined the STDF team in 2007. He holds a MA in Economics from the Université Catholique de Louvain and a MS in International Economics and Development from the Facultés Universitaires Notre Dame de la Paix in Belgium. Simon's current work focuses mainly on projects and other activities involving countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. He has worked on international trade related issues at the WTO, and at the Corporación de Estudios para el Desarrollo (CORDES), a prestigious private consulting corporation giving economic and political advise to private and public sector entities in Ecuador.

Melvin Spreij

Melvin Spreij holds a degree in civil and business law from the State University in Leiden, The Netherlands. Before joining the STDF team in 2006, he worked for many years in various legal positions, including as international legal consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome. Melvin has wide experience in the development of food safety, animal and plant health legislation and published several papers on issues related to development and natural resources law. Within the STDF, Melvin is currently responsible for the facilitation of STDF meetings and the relationships with other SPS organizations, programmes and related initiatives.