David O'Sullivan is currently the European Commission's Director General for Trade. His services support the EU's Trade Commissioner in negotiating bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, ensuring that foreign markets are open for EU businesses and that the international rules agreed are actually applied, so that trade policy contributes to the Commission's headline goals of prosperity, solidarity and security both in the EU and around the world. The post of Director General for Trade has brought David back to the Department in which he started his Commission career, first in Brussels and then in the Commission's Tokyo office. David was Secretary General of the European Commission from June 2000 to November 2005, Head of Cabinet of Commission President Romano Prodi and Director General for Education and Training. He also has extensive experience in EU social and employment policy. David has a background in economics, graduating from Trinity College, Dublin and having completed post graduate studies at the College of Europe, Bruges. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from the Dublin Institute of Technology. He is also a Member of the Consultative Board of the Institute for International Integration Studies at Trinity College, Dublin.