Wilfred Muskens

Wilfred Muskens has an extensive background in international business development. In his former capacity as Deputy Secretary for the Office of International Business Development for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), Wilfred led a team of over 50 international economic development specialists and foreign-based trade and investment representatives that contributed to the growth and strength of the Commonwealth’s economy by providing value-added international trade services to Pennsylvania’s businesses and ports and by attracting foreign investment to the state.

Wilfred’s previous experience with the Commonwealth includes serving as Executive Director of the Center for Direct Investment and Director of Foreign Investment for the Governor’s Action Team. In this capacity, he oversaw more than $1 billion in capital investments and the creation and retention of more than 10,000 jobs by foreign-owned companies, such as Austrian plastics company Greiner Packaging, French food processing company Charles & Alice, Chinese manufacturing company Fuling Plastics, German energy giant Conergy, South Korean-based dental implant manufacturer Osstem, and the Spanish wind energy company Gamesa.

A highlight of his career at DCED was implementing the World Trade PA initiative, which substantially expanded Pennsylvania’s global presence through new and innovative programs, such as the Global Alumni Program, the Regional Investment Marketing program, International Press Tours, a performance-based compensation system for international representative, and other initiatives that helped generate record results and return-on-investment for Pennsylvania businesses and taxpayers.

Before joining DCED, Wilfred was a Project Manager and Public Relations Consultant for several organizations in Europe, where he oversaw new investment projects, proposed possible sites for companies considering expansion, and developed communication and business development strategies.

Wilfred is fluent in English, French, Dutch and German.

A native of the Netherlands, Wilfred earned master’s degrees from Bordeaux University, France, and Utrecht University, Netherlands. He earned an undergraduate degree from Utrecht University and attended Hull University, United Kingdom.