Mrs. Vilayphone Xindavong currently serves as Deputy Director General of the Department of Internal Trade, Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC), Lao PDR, and has been with MOIC since 2007. Ms. Xindavong was a member of the national negotiating team for Lao PDR’s accession to the World Trade Organization from 2008 to 2013 and served as Lead Negotiator for the Trade Remedies Sub-Working Group under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2021. In 2022, she also led the Lao Trade Negotiating Committee for RCEP implementation. Since joining the Department of Internal Trade in 2023, Ms. Xindavong has played a leading role in advancing competition policy and consumer protection in Lao PDR. Her responsibilities include overseeing the implementation and enforcement of competition and consumer protection frameworks, promoting fair trade practices, conducting public awareness activities, and contributing to the amendment and strengthening of the Competition Law and Consumer Protection Law. She has also actively represented Lao PDR in regional cooperation initiatives on competition policy and consumer protection within ASEAN. In 2026, Ms. Xindavong serves as Chair of the ASEAN Experts Group on Competition (AEGC) meetings under Lao PDR’s ASEAN chairmanship responsibilities in the competition sector. She also serves as Chair of the Lao Consumer Protection Association, contributing to the promotion of consumer welfare and fair market competition at both the national and regional levels.