MERCEDES BLAZQUEZ GARCIA-IBARROLA

I focus my career in the area of SME´s business facilitation, market access, trade-related Technical Assistance, international relations and project management for global SME´s. Specialized in European, Latin American and African countries, I aim to foster inclusive and sustainable growth and development through trade and international business development.

I am qualified with strong skills in Project Management, Economic Negotiation and Diplomacy. Spanish nationality and permanent resident in Brazil, I currently work home-based in São Paulo (Brazil) as Team Teader for EuropeAid funded project Low carbon Business Action (www.lowcarbonbrazil.com). I have also collaborated for another UE funded project, ELANBiz (www.elanbiz.org), as International Expert. I have also carried out short term missions for MINCO (Ministry of Angola) and International Trade Center (Women and Trade - Division of Business and Institutional Support) and other Public Institutions: Brazilian Director for the Madrid Government Commercial Office and Madrid Trade Fair. Regarding my collaboration with UN/ITC and UE, I have a depth knowledge of United Nations and European Union contracting, methodology and processes.

I have experience in planning the annual strategy for the Brazilian market for Spanish TPO´s/TSIs, associations and companies, at national and regional levels, projects by sectors and Institutional managing. The plan to follow includes available budget, financial & human resources, operational implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Under my responsibility, I have planned, executed, implemented, allocated resources, monitored, evaluated and delivered reports on results basis. I have worked alongside with a small permanent team of 4-6 multicultural people and ad hoc external consultants, adjusting to the variable budget and according to the project’s needs.

Commercial-related assignments, I have searched economical sources through private & public partnerships and/or sponsorships, potential financing from Chambers of Commerce credit facilities, European Union cooperation programs and Multilateral Banks funding (World Bank, Inter-American development Bank and others). I have worked in collaboration to the Government´s designated agencies that develop and promote export supply trough PSI programs (sectorial integrating projects) in partnership with business associations representing productive and less favored sectors. PSI works on capacity building and competitiveness projects. It currently also work on trade promotion initiatives, such as market intelligence, prospective technical missions, business rounds; participating in major international fairs, managing marketing and business meeting with foreign buyers and decision makers.

I have a depth experience operating at government and SME levels to growth trade. In the last 15 years, I have identified partnerships for more than 2.500 European companies matching them with more than 9,000 local companies. To define the best export strategy, I previously identify, design and execute high market intelligence & research, specialized B2B seminars and workshops (60 Seminars organized in Spain and in Brazil with 5.760 companies attended), technical assistance, transfer cooperation projects and other analytic tools. The goal to design new and/or improve existing export support programmes, providing support and coordination to other divisions and project team responsible at my organization.

Sincerely, Mercedes