- Professor Sangeeta Khorana is an international trade expert with over 25 years of academic, management consulting and government experience
- Professor Khorana leads research on international trade policy, in particular on free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations and World Trade Organisation (WTO) issues
- She has advised governments on FTA negotiations.
Aston University has welcomed trade expert Sangeeta Khorana to its College of Business and Social Sciences as professor of international trade policy.
She has also taken up the position as the endowed chair of International Trade at the University, which has been funded by the Institute of Export and International Trade in London.
Professor Khorana is an international trade expert with over 25 years of academic, government and management consulting experience. She worked as a civil servant in the Indian government from 1993 to 2001. In 2022, she served a short-term secondment with the UK Department for Business and Trade.
She leads research on international trade policy, including free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations and World Trade Organization (WTO) issues and has advised EU institutions on FTA negotiations with India and Vietnam as well as developed methodologies for procurement liberalisation through FTA negotiations.
She is on several expert committees providing specialist advice including membership of the Expert Trade Advisory Group (Government Procurement), Department for Business and Trade in the UK. She is an Advisor on Gender and Trade to the Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network in London and serves on Foreign Investment Committee of the PHD Chambers of Commerce and Industry, India.
Professor Khorana has undertaken funded research for the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), British High Commission India, Welsh Assembly, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, European Commission, World Bank, among others.
She advises industry sectors and has provided testimony to Parliaments. Examples include on the UK-India FTA to the UK House of Lords (2022), Brexit Committee (2020), the ‘UK Trade Bill’ to the Scottish Parliament (2018) and on EU-India FTA negotiations to the European Parliament (2008).
Professor Khorana said:
“I look forward to making a significant impact on trade-related policy discussions and foster evidence-based policy making.
“I will align my research with Aston's 2030 strategy to enhance the University's reputation and reinforce its position as a hub of expertise in economics and international trade.”
Professor Zoe Radnor, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean for the College of Business and Social Sciences at Aston University, said:
“I am delighted to welcome Sangeeta to the University.
“She will be an inspiration to our students having held board level positions at several high profile institutions including the Institute of Exports and international Trade, London.
“Her wealth of experience within both research and management aligns with the future direction of the College and the Aston 2030 strategy.
- Notes to Editors
-
About Aston University
For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally.
Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world.
Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming The Guardian University of the Year in 2020.
Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world.
For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Sam Cook, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7446 910063 or email: s.cook2@aston.ac.uk
Be first to get the latest news, research and expert comment from Aston
by following us on Twitter