RK BAJAJ
RK Bajaj retired as Chief Commissioner, Income Tax Department, with a vision to digitizing processes, both in the corporate and government sectors.
While at Income Tax department, RK Bajaj worked closely with multilateral agencies, including CIDA, USAID, ADB and World Bank on capacity building for tax administration and technology driven tax reforms, including spearheading the digitization of the PAN (Permanent Account Number) allotment in India, setting up Income Tax website, and the first ever call-center based taxpayer services, and online training and change management of over 15,000 Income Tax personnel. In addition to serving as the Officer of Special Duty (OSD) to the Minister of State for Revenue Affairs, Mr. Bajaj has also been a Founder Director of the Nuclear Power Corporation Ltd., India.
His vision for skill development in India is to digitise skilling, teaching and learning solutions, via well supported innovation in technology-aided teaching and learning tools. He currently serves as Chairman, Ballistic Learning Pvt Ltd., a MoodleTM partner, and a market leader in India in customised, open source technology-enabled learning solutions. He is also Chairman, Edemify Solutions Pvt Ltd., a telemedecine intiative that is using technology to bring quality, accessible, and affordable medical services to the rural populace of India. With extensive experience in, and an unending passion for the marriage of taxes, administration and tehcnology, Mr. Bajaj aims at using the TCube Consulting LLP platform to put his expertise to good use in policy advisory on taxes, and international trade.
Arthur Appleton
Dr. Arthur E Appleton divides his practice between international trade and investment law and international arbitration. He has almost 30 years of experience in the international trade field (GATT/WTO) law dating back to the late 1980s when he advised a prominent Asian country during the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations. Dr. Appleton has appeared as lead counsel before the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization and has represented and advised sovereign states in trade law disputes. He has worked extensively in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America with businesses, governments, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations on various international trade issues. Dr. Appleton focuses on trade questions concerning investment (BITs and the TRIMs agreement), dispute settlement, technical regulations and standards (TBT Agreement), health and sanitary measures (SPS Agreement), intellectual property (TRIPS agreement), accessions and environment (in particular climate change), as well as questions concerning regional trade agreements. The International Who’s Who of Trade and Customs Lawyers has recognized his leading role in the international trade field since 2000. He also served for several years as a Senior Consultant to the World Bank on Trade and Investment issues, and now serves as a consultant to the Commercial Law Development Program. He is on the List of Experts (Chairperson) for a large number of Trade and Sustainable Development disputes involving European Union FTAs with several Latin American countries, Canada, and two Central European countries.
Arthur has served as sole arbitrator, party-appointed arbitrator and counsel in ICC, AAA and Ad Hoc arbitrations. He has been involved in disputes concerning international trade (in particular trade in steel), intellectual property, licensing, agency agreements, contracts, construction and sovereigns. His experience includes disputes where International Law, WTO Law, Civil Law, Common Law, and the Laws of various Muslim countries have been applied. He served on the Editorial Committee of the ASA Bulletin, the official journal of the Swiss Arbitration Association, and has written and edited numerous articles on arbitration.
In addition to his work as a lawyer, Arthur is an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS-Europe), and a Member of the visiting faculty and Advisory Board of the World Trade Institute (WTI – University of Bern). For many years he also taught in the International Law and Policy Program at the University of Barcelona (IELPO). He is regularly invited to speak on international trade matters at conferences, seminars and universities in Europe, North America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Dr. Appleton has published widely on international trade issues (three books and approximately 45 articles). Prior to forming Appleton Luff, Dr. Appleton was Counsel at White & Case LLP, and before that Of Counsel at Lalive & Partners.
Pallavi Bajaj
Entrepreneur enabling digital disruptions, and international trade policy expert, Pallavi Bajaj has been working with various international organisations, including the WTO, UNCTAD, and the Commonwealth Secretariat, for over a decade, on issues of trade policy, at the intersection of trade and technology, including services, digital trade, MSMEs and trade facilitation. Pallavi has an MSc Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) (London) and a Master of International Law and Economics (MILE) from the World Trade Institute (Bern).
As co-Founder and Partner of TCube Consulting LLP, Pallavi is creating a platform to enable international experts to consult, and to participate in dialogue and research towards effective strategy and skill-enhancement, at the intersection of trade, taxes and technology, for both, governments and businesses.
An entrepreneur by aptitude, Pallavi is also Managing Director, Little Yellow Beetle Media Pvt. Ltd., a 360 degree digital solutions media studio; and Director, Ballistic Learning Pvt. Ltd., a certified MoodleTM partner engaged in innovative technology-enabled learning solutions. She graduated in Economics from the prestigious Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University. Pallavi speaks English, Hindi and French.