The Harvard Trade Forum is an international platform discussing the foremost issues on trade. Our conversations and interests span from explorations on climate change to geopolitical shifts. Each year, Harvard Trade Forum hosts a spring conference inviting foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to bridge and engage with the next generation on global, regional and industry agendas. In the past, our guests have included:
- H.E. Anabel González, Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
- John Denton AO, Secretary General of the International Criminal Court
- Naboth van den Broek, Partner at Akin Gump in London
- Goerge Riddell, Director of Trade Strategy at Ernst & Young (EY)
FOUNDERS
Maryan Hassan graduated from Harvard Law School in 2022. During her study at HLS, she co-founded the Harvard Trade Forum. Maryan is a UK lawyer, former chief negotiator to the World Trade Organization (WTO) for the Federal Government of Somalia. She is the first Black woman to have served as president of the Harvard International Arbitration Law Students Association and is the co-founder of the Harvard UK Students Law Association (HUKSLA). Maryan is also an Obama Foundation Leader for Africa.
Prakhar Bhardwaj obtained his Masters in Law from Harvard Law School as a Nehru-Fulbright Scholar in 2022. During his studies at HLS, he co-founded the Harvard Trade Forum. Before Harvard, Prakhar spent three years as a Senior Research Fellow with the Center For Trade and Investment Law, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, advising on WTO disputes, regional trade agreements, and WTO compliance. Prior to that, he was a corporate attorney with Khaitan & Co and AZB & Partners, two of the premier law firms in India. Currently, Prakhar is a Consultant with the World Bank’s Trade and Regional Integration team.
CHAIRS
Xuejiao (Katniss) Li is an LL.M. candidate at Harvard Law School. Before Harvard, Katniss accumulated her experience in international trade-related matters by working as an associate at Fangda Partners, an intern at Clifford Chance and DLA Piper, and as a researcher at the China Development Bank. Her areas of practice and research include economic sanctions and export control, data privacy and cybersecurity, trade policy analysis, and reviews and investigations related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Having studied at Harvard Law School, Renmin University, and the University of Cambridge, Katniss embraces cultural diversities.
Katniss loves international law. She won the Best Oralist, National Champion, and Alona E. Evans Best Memo as a Jessup mooter and now serves as a judge in the Jessup Chinese rounds and international rounds. She is an Article Editor at Harvard International Law Journal and one of the youngest scholars participating in the Institut de Droit International annual conference. Katniss has been devoted to international volunteer work since 2014 and has made some lifelong friends at AIESEC and the Chinese Initiative on International Law. Katniss is a co-founder of Legal Youth, an NGO dedicated to promoting equal legal education opportunities in China.
Margaret Siu is a JD candidate at Harvard Law School. She is the recipient of the Marshall Scholarship, which funded her graduate education at the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics. Presently, she is spearheading The Cranes Project, a memorial honoring the lives lost to COVID-19 and providing a space for collective grief in the state of Texas. Margaret has published geopolitical analyses with The China Project, Oxford Political Review, and UK National Committee on China (UKNCC). She serves on the executive board of the Harvard International Law Journal as Symposium Chair and Article Editor, the board of advisors for the Oxford Silk Road Society, and as the chair of Apricity Magazine.
Previously, Margaret researched for Andrew Cainey, senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and Director at the UKNCC, on China’s Dual Circulation Strategy. From 2019-2020, she had researched for the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Human Rights Initiative as a Congressman Bill Archer Fellow. She was also a guest lecturer at Beijing Foreign Studies University and the University of Texas at Austin. Margaret began her career founding Apricity Magazine, an international arts journal, contributing to her interest in soft power diplomacy.
PRESIDENT, HARVARD LAW AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY
Jon Alami is a 2L at Harvard Law School, focusing on issues at the intersection of economic development, law, and policy. He edits for Harvard’s International Law Journal and serves as an Advisor for visiting Harvard College students. Jon is also interested in behavioral science and colonial history and specifically how cross disciplinary insights can contribute to development. Most recently, Jon spent his 1L summer interning for the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C.
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Jacqueline (Jackie) Jiaqi Chen (Publicity and Outreach Chair) is an LL.M. candidate at Harvard Law School. During her study at Harvard, she chairs the Harvard Trade Forum Publicity and Outreaching efforts, and the Harvard China Law Symposium Technology & Data Committee. She also advises startup companies through the Harvard Law Entrepreneurship Project Clinic, and participates in developing the Harvard Law School ESG podcast, where she is responsible for the cybersecurity topic. Prior to that, Jackie was a P.R.C. certified lawyer, and former senior enforcement officer in China, with deep experience on the prosecutor side, regulator side, and in private practice. Her expertise is in the intersection of technology law (cybersecurity and data privacy) and corporate law. She was awarded the title of National International Financial and Economical Talent from the Ministry of Finance of P.R.C. for her distinguished involvement and contributions to public investment matters. Jackie earned her undergraduate degree in computer science and information security, and holds a Juris Master degree from Sun Yat-sen University.
Teejay Jumamil (Treasurer) is an LL.M. candidate at Harvard Law School and hails from the Philippines. He is an experienced litigator who specializes in complex civil and commercial disputes, including trade disputes. Before leaving for his graduate studies, Teejay served as a Law Clerk in the Philippine Supreme Court. On campus, Teejay is also involved with In Vino Veritas, the Law School’s wine club.
Sean O’Connell (Symposium Chair) is a 1st year JD candidate at Harvard Law School with interests in international economic law, multilateral finance, and trade policy. He holds a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Sean is also a submission reader and symposium committee member at the Harvard International Law Journal. He served as an intern with the U.S. Department of State Office of Development Finance and as a research assistant for a World Bank officer exploring multilateral lending practices. Sean is principally interested in the relationship between international financial regulation and economic integration in the form of trade, capital, and banking reform. He looks forward to leading the Forum’s 2023 Symposium as an opportunity to encourage a broad range of perspectives on the future of international trade at a major inflection point for multilateral cooperation.
Michael Tian (Publication Chair) is a J.D. Candidate at Harvard Law School, and previously earned a dual degree in economics and international relations from Brown University. With a interest in U.S.-China relations primarily focused on security issues and trade, Michael hopes to work at the intersection of law, finance, and policy to help maintain and improve the relationship between these two countries. Previously, Michael worked in financial services for a number of years, and also has experience in the policy world. He conducted research at the American Enterprise Institute with Zack Cooper and Oriana Skylar Mastro on U.S. foreign defense policy in East Asia, looking at the Belt and Road Initiative, the South China Sea, and civil-military fusion, and also served as a research assistant at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service on international drug control legislation. Michael is currently writing about the development and use of artificial intelligence in Chinese judicial reforms, and is also a research assistant at the Harvard Law Program on International Law and Armed Conflict.