Destination Strategies Managing Director Dan Nicholls has worked with many of the world's leading economic development agencies, consultancies, international organisations and other authorities on FDI. Here is a snapshot of our clients and other organisations we have worked with, along with a few examples of our work:
European Commission - Directorate General for International Partnerships
Dan Nicholls has worked on projects funded by the Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), formerly DEVCO, since 2013. For eleven years, he worked on a couple of trade and investment facilities in Indonesia, where his work involved a combination of technical assistance to key Indonesian ministries and authorities, along with advisory services for existing and potential European investors. From 2015-2016, he was based in Indonesia as Key Expert for Investment under the EU-Indonesia Trade Cooperation Facility, establishing and leading the EU Desk team at the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM). The EU Desk, which was enhanced and relaunched in 2025, attracts and facilitates European FDI into Indonesia, with a particular focus on the EU’s Global Gateway priorities and suite of instruments.
During Dan's tenure at the Ministry of Investment, more than 170 European businesses were assisted by the EU Desk, and US$760 million in European investment commitments were made by EU Desk client companies.
From 2019-2024, Dan led the Investment Planning and Policymaking workstream under the ARISE+ Indonesia Trade Support Facility (2019-2024). The role combined leading and delivering technical inputs, alongside managing the work of experts and contracted organisations. Key assignments included:
- An EU-focused Investment Attraction Plan - aligning Indonesian Government and EU Global Gateway sectoral and thematic priorities and opportunities.
- A Sector Prioritisation Study for Investment
- An Electronics Sector Deep-Dive for Investment
- 'Grand Design' Strategic Plans for Export Acceleration, Investment and Economic Cooperation
- An Assessment of Indonesia's Carbon Trading System
- An Investor Perceptions Study
- An Assessment on Ecosystems and Institutions for Investment
- Investment visits to Europe - with a focus on Global Gateway sectors and thematic areas.
More recently, Dan has worked on a range of Global Gateway technical assistance assignments for Malaysia, Mongolia, the Republic of Congo and Bhutan. These assignments have involved a combination of: market and project mapping assignments, project appraisals, investment attraction strategy development, as well as planning and moderating investment fora and roadshows.
Foreign Direct Investment Consultancy - World Bank Group: multiple locations globally
From 2017-2025, Dan Nicholls was retained as a Senior Consultant with the World Bank Group, delivering on assignments for Sri Lanka, South Africa, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, India, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Fiji and the Solomon Islands
In Indonesia, Dan led an investor outreach and lead generation campaign and associated teams for the tourism sector, with a focus on three strategic tourism locations: Borobudur, Labuan Bajo and Lake Toba. The campaign succeeded in generating more than 50 active investment leads, of which more than 20 leads were committed.
In Ethiopia, Dan delivered technical assistance on investor due diligence processes and tools for Ethiopian Investment Holdings - the country’s sovereign wealth fund, while previously, he led a comprehensive FDI capacity-building programme for the Ethiopian Investment Commission, the Industrial Parks Development Corporation and regional investment commissions across the country.
In the Pacific, Dan has worked on a combination of value proposition development, lead generation and capacity-building assignments in Fiji and the Solomon Islands. He has worked to showcase tourism investment opportunities by moderating a session and arranging 1-on-1 investor meetings at the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Singapore. He also co-delivered a World Bank Investment Promotion Certification Programme for twelve Pacific island countries.
In Sri Lanka, Dan worked with the Board of Investment (BOI) to develop their new 2017-2020 FDI Strategic Plan. He also co-designed and delivered a competitive 4-month Investment Promotion Certification Program for a select intake of BOI's officers. He also worked with the BOI to design an Investor Aftercare & Re-investment Program.
In South Africa, Dan worked both with key national agencies (InvestSA and the Industrial Development Corporation) as well as sub-national entities - conducting assessments and providing advice for optimizing South Africa’s institutional framework for investment promotion.
In Mongolia, Dan provided technical assistance to the National Development Agency and the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry on Investment Promotion as well as Investment Reform: he was one of the authors of the World Bank’s Investment Reform Map for the country. In April 2018, he was invited as a panellist alongside the President of Mongolia during an agribusiness round-table at the Mongolian Economic Forum in Ulaanbaatar.
In Azerbaijan, Dan co-authored an economy-wide ‘sector scan’ for the Ministry of Economy to identify and prioritise sectors for investment promotion, coupled with an agribusiness ‘deep dive’ assessment for the Ministry of Agriculture, to identify priority sub-sectors for investment promotion.
In India, Dan worked with the country's national Investment Promotion Agency, Invest India, as the organisation seeks embed FDI best practice within all of the regional Investment Promotion Agencies and Industrial Development Corporations in India's States and Union Territories.
Business Position Paper - EU-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
Dan Nicholls was appointed by the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) and the EU Delegation in Jakarta to lead the development of a Position Paper on the EU-Indonesia Free Trade Agreement - the "Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" (CEPA).
The position paper outlines the concerns and recommendations of European companies doing business (or seeking to do business) in Indonesia and is structured to reflect the various chapters being negotiated under CEPA, from Trade in Goods and Services, to Investment, Government Procurement, Intellectual Property Rights and other areas.
Tasks included:
• Developing and overseeing the research program with EuroCham Indonesia
• Leading stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions
• Drafting the position paper, coordinating team inputs and quality control
Testimonials:
Here are some examples of what organisations have said about our work:
"You really impressed us with your work, and I would like to underline my colleague's words that your work is a worldwide benchmark." Teresa Casachia, Business Development, ENEL Green Power
“Your guidance and insights were invaluable. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in championing attractive investment opportunities!” Ipek Peri Savut, Senior Manager, PwC
"I would like to extend our gratitude to ARISE+ Indonesia for their invaluable assistance in the development of the Indonesia-EU Investment Attraction Plan, the organisation of the mission to Europe, and their pivotal role in facilitating connections with EU investors.” Nurul Ichwan, Deputy Minister for Investment Promotion, Indonesia
"I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude towards you for your presentation during the Invest India workshop. Your views on developing an efficient investment promotion strategy and its execution have really broadened our horizons." Amit Bora, Bureau of Investment Promotion, Rajasthan
"The [training] program is an excellent step towards a common foundation of understanding that allows SAGIA to operate more effectively and coherently." Imad Al-Abdulqader, Director, Investment Attraction Intelligence & Analysis, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA)
Beyond the sample assignments listed above, Dan Nicholls has also worked with numerous other national and regional Investment Promotion Agencies, Economic Development Organisations and Councils in both developed and emerging markets across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Below is a snapshot of the various countries worldwide with which we have worked, or where organisations we have worked with are based:
To find out more how we can use our global experience to help your organisation, contact us here