Deputy Directors-General

Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala announced on May 2021 the appointment of Angela Ellard of the United States, Anabel González of Costa Rica, Ambassador Jean-Marie Paugam of France and Ambassador Xiangchen Zhang of China as her four Deputy Directors-General. Following the departure of Ms González in August 2023, DG Okonjo-Iweala announced in October 2023 the appointment of Johanna Hill of El Salvador as a new Deputy Director-General.

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Ms Angela Ellard (United States)

Ms Angela Ellard

Ms Angela Paolini ELLARD (United States) has served as WTO Deputy Director-General since June 2021. Prior to her appointment, Ms Ellard had a distinguished career serving in the US Congress as Majority and Minority Chief Trade Counsel for over 26 years. She is internationally recognized as an expert on trade and international economic policy, resolving trade and investment barriers, negotiating trade agreements, and supporting multilateral solutions as part of an effective trade and development policy. Ms Ellard has negotiated and delivered significant bipartisan trade policy outcomes and legislation with Members of U.S. Congress and senior Biden, Trump, Obama, Bush, and Clinton Administration officials. Ms Ellard was also a lawyer in the private sector, specializing in trade litigation and strategy, trade policy, and legislative issues. Ms Ellard obtained her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Tulane University School of Law and her Master of Arts in Public Policy also from Tulane. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Newcomb College of Tulane University, summa cum laude. Ms Ellard is a frequent lecturer at law — graduate, and undergraduate classes. She has received numerous awards recognizing her accomplishments in trade law and policy.

Areas of responsibility

Ms Johanna Hill (El Salvador)

Ms Johanna Hill

Ms Johanna Hill (El Salvador) began her role as Deputy Director-General in November 2023. She is a trade expert with more than 25 years’ experience in international trade. Previously, she held the position of Managing Partner of the San Salvador Office of CA Trade Consulting Group, where she advised firms and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on issues relating to international trade and foreign direct investment. Other roles have included Executive Director of El Salvador's Chamber of Telecommunications and member of the Board of Directors of Banco Azul. Ms Hill has also served as Vice Minister of Economy, where she was responsible for the conduct and implementation of trade policy, negotiations of bilateral free trade agreements and multilateral negotiations. Prior to her appointment as Vice Minister, she occupied different positions within the Ministry of Economy, including Deputy Director and Director for Trade Policy. She holds a master’s degree in International Economic Policy from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, New York, and a Bachelor's degree from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. 

Areas of responsibility

Ambassador Jean-Marie Paugam (France)

Ambassador Jean-Marie Paugam

Ambassador Jean-Marie Paugam (France) has held senior management positions in the French Government on trade, most recently as Permanent Representative of France to the WTO. He has also held a number of senior positions in the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, including as a member of the Executive Committee of the French Treasury. He has also served as Deputy Executive Director of the International Trade Centre in Geneva. He has accumulated a deep and practical knowledge of government practices on trade as well as being familiar with high-level dialogues on trade and international economic operations. He has published a number of articles on trade-related issues, in particular when serving as Senior Research Fellow on International Trade at the French Institute for International Relations (IFPRI). Ambassador Paugam graduated from ENA in Paris and obtained degrees in Political Science from the Institute of Political Science in Aix-en-Provence and in Law from the Faculty of Law Aix-Marseille III.

Areas of responsibility

Ambassador Xiangchen Zhang (China)

Ambassador Xiangchen Zhang

Ambassador Xiangchen Zhang (China) formerly served as Vice Minister in the Ministry of Commerce of China. He has long and extensive experience on WTO issues, international negotiations, and policy research. Ambassador Zhang served until recently as China's Permanent Representative to the WTO and previously as Deputy Permanent Representative. He has had an extensive career of more than 30 years in international trade, serving as Director of the Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation; as Director-General of the Department of WTO Affairs of the Ministry of Commerce; and as Director General of the Department of Policy Research of the Ministry of Commerce. Ambassador Zhang holds a bachelor's degree in Law, a Master's degree in International Relations and a PhD in International Politics from Peking University.

Areas of responsibility

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