Marcis Liors Skadmanis

Marcis Liors Skadmanis, Hon. Causa, LL.M., LL.B. (born May 29, 1984), is an entrepreneur, international lawyer and initiator. He is the Chairman and Executive Director of the Latvian-British Chamber of Commerce in the UK. He is also known as the initiator of the World NGO Day (International Day of Non-Governmental and Non-Profit Organisations). World NGO Day was officially recognised on 17 April 2010 by 12 countries of the Baltic Sea NGO Forum in Lithuania and first commemorated by various world leaders on 27 February 2014 in Helsinki, Finland.

Early life

Marcis was born on May 29, 1984, Latvia, he was the oldest of five children of Skadmani family. On November 21, 2013 his father Janis Skadmanis and youngest sister Daina Skadmane were tragically killed in the Zolitude shopping centre roof collapse in Riga, Latvia. Marcis graduated from the Department Of Business Law of the Turiba University in 2008. He holds a Master of Law (LL.M.) and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), in addition to his Certificate of Business Administrations (IEVF TIN).

Marcis Liors Skadmanis with his colleague meeting Liam Fox PC MP, House of Commons, Palace of Westminster, 23 February 2016.

Career

From 2008 to 2011 he worked as a lawyer at the law firms Blueger & Plaude and Begum & Co Solicitors, London, United Kingdom. He provided regularly market briefings to the World Bank “Doing business“. In 2009, he received the Certificate of Appreciation for contribution of market briefings to Getting Electricity: A pilot indicator set from the Doing Business Project, the World Bank and IFC - International Finance Corporation.

He collaborates with various professionals from Ministers, European Commissioners, NGO leaders and executives of the United Nations, UNESCO, UNDP, UNOPS, in addition to many executives within the private sector - from the banking and the IT sector.

International Commerce

In 2010 Marcis co-founded the in the United Kingdom. From 2013 he serves as the Executive Director and Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce. In 2016 part of the first large Baltic Tech Trade Mission organised by the Chamber of Commerce, he invited more than 30 talented Baltic Tech entrepreneurs from the three Baltic Countries - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia - in order to create new international business partnerships and exchange of new ideas in London and Bristol. The trade mission also brought together a range of high-profile guests, speakers and entrepreneurs from across the UK digital business world to discuss the various opportunities and challenges Baltic technology companies and municipalities have within Innovation, Finance and Future Cities Technology.

World NGO Day

In 2009 Marcis initiated the World NGO Day (International Day of Non-Governmental and Non-Profit Organisations), who first thought of the initial idea during his Masters in International Law. It was officially recognised and declared on 17 April 2010 by 12 countries of the IX Baltic Sea NGO Forum to the 8th Summit of the Baltic Sea States in Vilnius, Lithuania. In 2011 Mrs Sung-Joo Kim becomes as a first Honorary Patron of Marcis’s initiative “World NGO Day”. She is the Chairperson & CEO of SUNGJOO Group & MCM Holding AG.

Marcis increased the awareness of the World NGO Day Initiative through a round table at the House of Commons, UK Parliament, on 14 March 2012. This was possible through the good offices of Ian Liddell-Grainger, Member of Parliament. On 19 September 2012 Lord Lyndon Harrison, Baron Harrison hosted the Leadership Meeting “Governance and NGOs” at the UK House of Lords in order to support the World NGO Day. Guests were Dr. William F. Shija, Secretary- General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Royal Over-Seas League, Commonwealth Foundation, executives from European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and many others who expressed their public support for the recognition of the World NGO Day.

On 16 April 2012 Marcis brought the World NGO Day to Finland, Helsinki, where an introductory meeting was held at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Helsinki, Finland. Guests included like Canadian Ambassador to the Republic of Finland; Officer of Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Embassy of Turkey; Embassy of Italy in Finland; Department for Development Policy/Unit for Non-Governmental Organisations of Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland; Political Officer, Embassy of the United States; Union of Friendship Associations in Finland; UN Association of Finland and others.

On April 23, 2012 Marcis presented the World NGO Day initiative at the X Baltic Sea NGO Forum, Humboldt University in Germany. World NGO Day Initiative was accepted by the Baltic Sea NGO Forum Committee under the German CBSS Presidency at the Humboldt University in Berlin, during the X Baltic Sea NGO Forum: Social Capital for a Sustainable Baltic Sea Region. In 2012 his initiative was supported from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Law (SAARCLAW), the organisation of South Asian nations including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

In 2012 December Marcis received the letter of support from H.E. Ms. Heidi Hautala, the Minister for International Development of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Finland. World NGO Day has received the support of many countries and associations around the globe, including H.E. Dr. Fatima bint Mohammed Al Balooshi - Minister of Social Development, the Kingdom of Bahrain, who stated: “We strongly support this important initiative establishing it as an official international calendar day - World NGO Day.”

On 27 February 2014, the Minister for International Development Pekka Haavisto, Executive Director of United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Jan Mattsson, European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs, Secretary General of the Secretariat to the Nordic Council, Britt Bohlin, UNESCO Assistant Director-General Eric Falt and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark, former Minister of Women’s Affairs of Iran Mahnaz Afkhami and NGO leaders like the Former Deputy Director of the International Monetary Fund, and Former Chair of the Board of Women's World Banking Inger Prebensen marked the first commemoration of the World NGO Day in Helsinki, Finland.

Recognition and awards

In 2016 he received an Honorary Degree, awarded by Turiba University for an outstanding contribution to International Business and Relations. At the time (2007, aged 23), he became the youngest person ever to be awarded the Award for Society Unity Prize, Society Integration Foundation. In 2006 he received the memorial medal "Sedmset Let Staranove” in Prague, Czech Republic.

Community work

Marcis has been supporting the NGO and Charity community and promoting the NGO work among the younger generation. He had been supporting various charities and NGOs and also developed professional relations and connections with leaders from high-profile NGOs - BRAC (Bangladesh), World Fair Trade Organization Asia (Philippines), Public Interest Registry (United States), The NGO World (Pakistan), World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (United States), NGO-UNESCO Liaisons Committee (France), NGO Forum Cambodia and others.