America Jennifer Nordquist
DDG at WTO, Three Other Reappointed for Another Four Years
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
has appointed Jennifer DJ
Nordquist of the United
States as a new Deputy
Director-General (DDG), replacing Angela Ellard, who steps
down at the end of August
2025.
·
Nordquist will assume her role on 1 October 2025.
·
She is
currently Counselor at the Council of Economic Advisers
at the White House.
·
Her
past roles include:
o Executive VP, Economic Innovation Group
o Senior Advisor, CSIS
o U.S. Executive Director, World Bank Group
o Chief of Staff and Deputy, Brookings
Institution
·
Academic
background:
Master’s in Journalism (Northwestern), Bachelor’s in Psychology and
Communications (Stanford).
·
She is
a native English speaker
and fluent in French.
DG Okonjo-Iweala praised Nordquist’s “decades of leadership”
and strategic economic expertise, highlighting her role in supporting the WTO’s
mission to use trade to uplift living standards and promote job creation.
·
Existing
DDGs Johanna Hill (El
Salvador), Jean-Marie
Paugam (France), and Xiangchen Zhang (China) have been
reappointed
for another four-year term.
·
DG Okonjo-Iweala herself was reappointed in November 2024 for a second four-year term
starting 1 September 2025.
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.