International Chamber of Commerce elected Maria Fernanda Garza from Mexico as the ICC Chair in 2022, making her the first woman to hold this position. Her predecessor was Ajay Banga, who was appointed as President of the World Bank.

She is a business leader, strong advocate of business ethics, small and medium-sized businesses and board member of several business organisations. 

She was the vice president of Employers Association at the 98th Session of the International Labour Organisation and part of the group of advisors and leaders of the B20, WIPO Advisory Board and the United Nations Internet Governance Forum.

Maria Fernanda Garza is the CEO of Orestia, a manufacturing home improvement-water solutions company based in Mexico, with exports to the USMCA region, Latin America and Asia.

In a release issued by the ICC, it said while in Ghana, she would meet with government officials and the business community and launch the second ICC Africa Sustainable Supply Chain Summit and the 2023 edition of the ICC Rules on Combating Corruption.

ICC Ghana Secretary General, Emmanuel Doni-Kwame, said: “we look forward to working with her in building the capacity of International Chamber of Commerce in Ghana.”

About ICC

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is the institutional representative of more than 45 million companies in over 100 countries. 

ICC’s core mission is to make business work for everyone, every day, everywhere. 

Through a unique mix of advocacy, solutions and standard setting, the Chamber promotes international trade, responsible business conduct and a global approach to regulation, in addition to providing market-leading dispute resolution services. 

Its members include many of the world’s leading companies, SMEs, business associations and local chambers of commerce.