Ercan SAKA, TURKEY
Customs and Trade Compliance, Border Management

Ercan SAKA, the director of the company, has vast national and international experience in customs procedure and control, integrated border management, market analysis, and trade facilitation fields. His national background includes Chief Custom Investigator, Deputy Director-General for Customs Enforcement, Acting Director-General for EU, and External Affairs and Senior Advisor of Turkish Customs Service between 1979-2001.

His international background includes World Customs Organization (1994-2002), The United Nations Office Drugs and Crime (2006-2011), and International Atomic Energy Agency (2012-2018). Since January 2019, Mr. Saka works as an international independent customs and trade consultant and provided consultancy service to many national and international organizations (e.g.IOM, UNODC, and OIC).

He has vast practical experience in developing training programs,materials and delivers lectures in customs, foreign trade, and strategic trade control areas.

Mr. Saka holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics from Ankara University -The Faculty of Political Science and a Master of Arts degree in Public Economy and Policy from North-eastern University (Boston, USA). He is one of the certified Customs Consultants of Turkey.

Contact Information: sakaconsultancy@gmail.com
Wesley Ferris, CANADA
Consultant Customs Modernization and Border Security

As an experienced Canada Border Services Agency manager with over 30 years of experience in marine, air, border, and commercial modes, Mr. Ferris has a wealth of knowledge in border management. After retirement from the C.B.S.A. and spending two years as Manager of Security for the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest marine port, he was contracted to work as an API PNR project expert for the World Customs Organization stationed in Bangkok Thailand (January 2018-July 2019). He has also been actively involved in consultation work in Turkey (August 2019-September 2021) in EU funded projects managed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Turkey. In recent months, Wesley has been involved with work contracted to TTEK Global working for the Bahamas Ministry of Finance/Customs completing diagnostic risk management reviews and in-classroom training for Customs personnel.

Mr. Ferris has demonstrated excellence in assisting Customs Administrations around the world with their modernization efforts. He is a certified WCO capacity builder and recipient of the Queens Golden Jubilee and Peace Officer Exemplary Service Medals.

Contact Information: bandsman@shaw.ca
Jon Trumble, USA
Law enforcement, transportation, trade and border security/management

Mr. Trumble began his career in law enforcement, transportation, trade and border security/management in 1975. Joining the United States Coast Guard, Jon served on and near the oceans of the world – seizing numerous narcotics and weapons moving out of South America, rescuing and repatriating thousands of migrants at sea bound from Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic to the US, and enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions and embargoes against Iraq in the Red Sea.

Moving into the international development field in 2002, Mr.Trumble guided a successful reform of the Georgian Coast Guard, and assisted the Customs and Border Police services in their transitions to an integrated border management posture. In 2006 Jon launched the US Export Control and Related Border Security program to enhance Georgian efforts to comply with UNSCR 1540 and to strengthen the non-proliferation efforts of the nation. Hired in 2008 as the first Customs Advisor for the OSCE, Jon served in the Secretariat for 7 years, working with pS and PfC across the OSCE region.

A teacher, an advisor, an evaluator and a manager, He is now independent, with professional engagements with OSCE, UNODC, UNDP, ICMPD, the EU. Among the latest consultancy services, he acted as an instructor for the UNODC Container Control Program Strategic Trade Export Control training during the past 2 years, and now is developing and delivering multi-agency training for the Crimes in the Fisheries Sector element of CCP.

Contact information: jontrumble@gmail.com
Cahit Gökcelik, TURKEY
Customs, Customs Enforcement, Supply Chain and Warehouse management

Mr. Gökçelik has 32 years of experience in the customs and foreign trade area (18 years in public and 14 years in the private sector) While he was working in the public sector he worked as a customs investigator (10 years), head of the department, and deputy director-general for customs (8 years). While he was in customs administration he also worked as deputy director of the Customs Modernization Project for 8 years. In his private, after 2005, he worked as a high-level manager and consultant to companies and NGOs.

He also worked for Deloitte Turkey as principal managing director of customs and foreign trade service lines. Gokcelik has been engaged in customs project work under the leadership of the IOM Turkey, the UN Migration Agency in Turkey since September 2020. He has deep experience in public projects related to customs. He worked on three customs projects between 2015-2018 as an expert or key expert.

Mr. Gökçelik holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from Ankara University and a Master of Art degree in Economics from North-eastern University (Boston, USA). He is a certified Customs Consultant, Sworn Accountant and Independent Auditor. He is teaching customs and foreign trade lessons on different platforms and he has 5 books published in the customs area.

Contact information: cgokcelik@acgyetkili.com.tr