Mr. Ian Saunders is a leader with over 20 years of experience in customs and 30 years of experience in international relations. He has been a member of the Senior Executive Service of the U.S. Government since 2008 and is currently the Secretary General of the WCO.
He has served the public and the international community in diverse and challenging roles focused on various facets of commerce: customs, trade policy, travel, and infrastructure. He has led the implementation of programs, policy formulation, and the creation of partnerships that have advanced trade facilitation and security worldwide. Mr. Saunders has been at the forefront of customs evolution, transitioning from a purely revenue-generating enterprise to one that has taken a proactive enforcement stance to safeguard our societies from the cross-border movement of illicit goods and bad actors.
Saunders supported the development of the SAFE Framework and promoted its global implementation through the WCO. He is committed to ensuring predictability and coherence for customs, the business community, and the public by fully implementing WCO’s flagship instruments. He continues to advocate for coordinated border management to address disruptions in the supply chain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, criminal exploitation of e-commerce shipments, adverse effects of climate change, and other contemporary threats.
In his role as senior leader at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Mr. Saunders has implemented policies, programs, and strategies that have strengthened commercial cooperation throughout the Western Hemisphere. His deep understanding of customs and business community needs enables him to forge strong and lasting public-private partnerships.
Mr. Saunders made responsiveness to members a hallmark of his leadership on the WCO’s Permanent Technical Committee. Through his experience overseeing capacity-building initiatives at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, he is committed to transparency and openness as fundamental principles of good governance and keys to achieving a secure, prosperous, and inclusive future. He has dedicated himself to improving the lives of all those affected by the customs community and will bring that dedication to the position of Secretary General.