Dr Brendan Vickers is Head of International Trade Policy at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London. Previously, he worked in the South African civil service as Head of Research and Policy at the South African Department of Trade and Industry and Deputy Director for International Relations and Trade in The Presidency. He also worked in the NGO sector at the Institute for Global Dialogue and lectured at the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute. He has published widely on international trade and development issues. He holds a PhD from the University of London.