Deodat Maharaj is the Executive Director of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, the Caribbean regional institution with the remit to support private sector development through export and to steer foreign direct investment to the Region.

Mr. Maharaj, a national of Trinidad and Tobago, has extensive experience in international trade, working with the private sector, governments, and multi-lateral institutions in a career spanning more than 25 years. He knows the Caribbean well, having lived and worked in Barbados, Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

He previously served as Deputy Secretary General of the 54-nation Commonwealth where he led the work in economic and social development and spearheaded the trade and investment agenda for developing countries in the Caribbean, Pacific, Africa, and Asia. He also served with the United Nations in senior roles in the field and at headquarters and lived and worked in the United Kingdom, United States of America, Tanzania, and Mozambique.

A graduate of the University of the West Indies, Mr. Maharaj’s academic qualifications include a BSc; Government; Postgraduate Diploma, International Relations; MSc., International Affairs; Bachelor of Laws; and Postgraduate Legal Practice Certificate.