About

International trade has taken me across continents, industries and cultures. It has taught me that trade is rarely just about economics — it also shapes politics and history.

Through Facts & Fantasy, I explore today's developments from the perspective I know best: trade. My aim is to uncover the deeper forces behind today's and yesterday's events and connect the dots that headlines often miss.

I started my first job as a writer. After 20 years in petrochemicals and another 20 years in economic development across the globe, I still am.

Relevant experience

Holland Chemicals Int.

Trade, storage, shipping and distribution of industrial chemicals. Venezuela / Colombia

Axel Christiernsson

Private label manufacturing of lubricants

Cedis - Centre for Competitiveness

Trade promotion - Coaching SMEs on strategy, competitiveness and international business development.
Trade development - Advising ministries, government agencies and trade organizations on trade policy and sector competitiveness.

Education

Bachelor law, Tilburg University (NL)
Master B2B, Technical University Eindhoven (NL)

In 2000, I founded CEDIS – Centre for Competitiveness, advising Ministries and International Agencies on trade policy and development programs.

During my work in more than 25 countries, I met many bright entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs too, who, alongside their daily work, have the drive to help their country move forward.

One of them is Vinod Sharma, a successful businessman -owner of Deki Electronics in New Delhi- and passionate developer and promotor of Indian sectors. We became business partners and good friends.

We built a network of consultants from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We aptly named ourselves "The Global Value Chain".

In 2012, one of our customers -CBI, an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs- published our book "ValueMagics, a road map to global markets", based on a model I developed for my Master's thesis.

In 2013, McGraw-Hill published the book as "ValueMagics, a road map from cost to value"