Dr. Koen G. Berden

Dr. Koen Berden is Director of Outreach and Member of the Board of Directors at the World Trade Institute in Bern, Switzerland, and assistant professor at Erasmus University. He is responsible for the WTI project portfolio, strategic alliances, and for news outreach of the WTI. Previously, he worked at Ecorys, the oldest and one of the largest public sector consulting firms in Europe. At Ecorys Netherlands he was first Partner and Commercial Director and later served as its Managing Director. For the Ecorys Group, Koen was EU Market Director, Chief Innovation Officer, Chief Economist and Senior Partner. Koen has over 20 years’ experience in the fields of trade, competitiveness, and transport economics as project leader or director – including of large and complex framework contracts and technical assistance projects (e.g. on TTIP and KEPLOTRADE in Kenya). He specializes in sustainable impact assessment work regarding trade and investment: how to make them more social, more inclusive, more gender equal, greener and in line with human rights obligations? As assistant professor at Erasmus University from 1998 until 2017, Koen lectured and supervised students for many years. At Erasmus University, he was Executive Director and founder of the International Bachelor in Economics & Business (IBEB) as well as dean International Affairs. From 2005-2007 he was also vice-rector of Skarbek University in Warsaw, Poland. Koen graduated with honours from Erasmus University Rotterdam in international and financial economics and did his PhD in Economics at the Tinbergen Institute on ‘Innovation, Uncertainty and Economic Growth’. He has been to Atlantic College from 1992 – 1994, which has shaped his beliefs in the importance of each person making an impact in the world and the power of ideas in general and intercultural tolerance and understanding in particular.