Kevin O’Connor is an experienced, successful, and highly respected Economic Development, Trade and Investment expert, with over 40 years’ cumulative experience working for both the public and the private sectors. He has advised on economic development projects in all corners of the world for the last 35 years.

As a global specialist in all aspects of economic development, Kevin’s expertise spans Special Economic Zones, Business Development, Strategy, Zone Marketing and Promotion, Foreign Investment Planning, and Industrial and Enterprise Parks. In process, he has acquired extensive international consultancy experience undertaking a wide range of projects in over 20 countries, specifically in many post- conflict areas in Central and Eastern European (CEE), the Balkans, Baltics, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Russia, Jordan and more recently several countries in Asia and Africa including Uzbekistan, Uzbekistan, Myanmar, Mauritius, Ghana, Libya, Nigeria.

For most of his early career, Kevin worked with Shannon Development Limited, the founders and operators of Shannon Free Trade Zone, where he held various senior positions. Shannon Free Trade Zone is renowned for a range of economic innovations, including the founding of the world’s first Export Processing Zone in 1959, at Shannon Airport, Ireland. It remains one of the largest industrial centres and a major gateway location for foreign investments in the Republic of Ireland.

He served as Managing Director of NAHCO Free Zone (NFZ) at Lagos Airport, Nigeria, one of the busiest airports on the African continent for 3 years, between 2015 to 2018.

Mr. O’Connor holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Limerick, Republic of Ireland, and a master’s degree (M. Sc.) in Regional and Local Economic Planning from the Technological University of Dublin, Ireland. He has attended several courses on strategy, leadership, business management, and project management at various Universities and institutes around the world, including at the Judge School of Business at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.

He was also a Strategic Advisor with one of Ireland’s leading economic consulting firms, IDI Ireland, Republic of Ireland, where he led a range of projects in various Countries on Free Trade Zones, Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) and Economic Development, and international training programmes. Kevin has been presenting papers at various conferences around the world, on Economic Development, FDIs, Economic Zones, Investments, and Trade in various forums around the world.