Ken Ash has been OECD Director for Trade and Agriculture since 2009. He leads the development, dissemination and communication of evidence-based policy advice to ministers, senior officials and major stakeholders, focusing on pragmatic and concrete policy actions that help governments achieve common domestic goals, while avoiding trade conflicts. Prior to joining the OECD in 1999, Mr. Ash spent more than 20 years working in the Government of Canada. He held director-level positions in various branches of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. As Director General of Economic and Policy Analysis over the 1995-1999 period, he provided strategic guidance on key trade policy issues during GATT/WTO negotiations; in the implementation of the URAA; and in the formulation of a government-wide Programme Review that resulted in major policy and organizational reforms. Mr. Ash holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and an MBA (International Business and Resource Management), Memorial University, Canada.