Marvin Smith, Managing Director. After serving 15 years in the procurement business with various Fortune 500 companies—Cargill, Inc., Ford Motor, Navistar International, A.T. Kearney, and most recently as director of Global Procurement with Mattel, Inc.—Marvin decided to apply his global supplier development and strategic sourcing expertise to the cause of global economic development. His industry knowledge and international experience with developed and developing nation manufacturers provide the strategic and operational direction that guides Global Ladder. Marvin holds an MBA and BA in Economics from The Ohio State University. 

Cheryl Penn, Director NGO Relations. Cheryl brings 20 years of experience in international trade development and community service management. She has served in the State of Ohio Department of International Trade and has run her own trade consulting business. She also serves as president of Hebron CDC, a non-profit community development group in Columbus, Ohio. Cheryl’s insight into governmental and non-governmental organizations set the direction for the firm’s stateside activities in support the SME agenda. Cheryl received her BA from Wellesley College and Masters in Political Science from The Ohio State University. 

Sandhiya Ramaswamy, Director of Finance. Having spent the previous ten years in corporate, operational and sales finance with Ford Motor and Kraft Foods Sandhiya brings her considerable finance skills to manage Global Ladder’s internal finance operations. She also lends her knowledge to SME operational cost analysis and finance reporting structure, an invaluable asset to the challenges facing many SMEs. She most recently served as Financial Controller at the Kraft Foods operation in Fullerton, California. Being a native of Chennai, India Sandhiya has a personal appreciation for of the issues facing developing nations. She holds an MBA from The Ohio State University and BS from Purdue University.

    Beyond the core team we believe one of our advantages is the strength of the Global Ladder “network”.  Our extended team of advisors is comprised of professionals in the fields of IT management, manufacturing, marketing, and health care.  This network enables Global Ladder to be lean, creative and responsive to any given challenge.