Brendan Vickers is Senior Associate Research Fellow at ISPI for the Africa Programme. He holds a PhD in Politics from the University of London. He currently works as Economic Adviser in the Trade, Oceans and Natural Resources Directorate at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.

Prior to joining the Commonwealth Secretariat, Brendan was the Head of Research and Policy in the South African Department of Trade and Industry, where he was a lead negotiator in the UNFCCC on trade and climate change and the Brazil-Russia-India-China-SA (BRICS) Dialogue Forum responsible for trade and investment policy. He previously worked as the Deputy Director for International Relations and Trade in the Office of the President.
Brendan has also worked in the non-governmental sector as lecturer, writer, researcher and thought leader, with numerous publications on international economic diplomacy. This includes a teaching, coaching and mentoring role at the Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute, Director of the Global Economy and Development programme at the Institute for Global Dialogue and currently as Visiting Professor: African Diplomacy and Foreign Policy at the University of Johannesburg.

His research interests focus on international trade, investment and development issues, regional integration in Africa, Africa-China relations and emerging powers.