Rebeca Grynspan, of Costa Rica, became UNCTAD's eighth Secretary-General on 13 September 2021 and is the first woman to lead the organization.

Prior to her UNCTAD appointment, she was the Ibero-American secretary-general from 2014 to 2021, also the first woman to head the organization. During her mandate, she has coordinated the 22-member Iberoamerican Conference and led four key summits of Heads of State and Government. 

In 2010 she was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and prior to that was UNDP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.  

Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. Grynspan served as Vice-President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998. She was also Minister of Housing, Minister Coordinator of Economic and Social Affairs, and Deputy Minister of Finance. In 2021 she was named Special International Advisor to the newly created Economic and Social Council of Argentina and invited to join as member of the G20 High-Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

In addition to her experience as a lecturer and advisor to several international organizations, she has been actively involved in key United Nations initiatives, such as the Millennium Project's Task Force on Poverty and Economic Development and the High-level Panel on Financing for Development.  

In 2014 and 2015, she was recognized as one of the 50 leading intellectuals of Latin America.  And she was recognized as one of the 100 most powerful women in Central America by Forbes magazine.

Ms Grynspan holds a degree in Economics by the University of Costa Rica and a MSc in Economics by the University of Sussex. She has been awarded a Doctorate Honoris Causa by the University of Salamanca, the University of Extremadura and the European University of Madrid in recognition of her outstanding professional achievements. 

H.E. Mrs. Julia Imene-Chanduru was appointed Permanent Representative of Namibia to the United Nations Office at Geneva in February 2021.

Prior to her appointment to Geneva, Ms. Imene-Chanduru had been serving as Counsellor and Deputy Permanent Representative of Namibia to the United Nations in New York from December 2018 to November 2020. She was the Personal Assistant to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation from May to December 2018, and was the Deputy Director of the Ministry of International Relations and cooperation from January 2015 to April 2018.

A career diplomat, Ms. Imene-Chanduru joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Namibia in 2004. She served as First Secretary at the Embassy of Namibia in Washington, D.C. from January 2007 to December 2011. She has held various posts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including as Administrative Assistant to the Permanent Secretary, Chief Foreign Relations Officer, and Foreign Relations Officer.

Ms. Imene-Chanduru has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Namibia (2005) and a master’s degree in international service from the American University in Washington D.C., United States (2011). She was born on 10 September 1979 and is married.

H.E. Mr. Oike Atsuyuki was appointed Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations Office at Geneva in January 2024.

Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Oike had been serving as the Permanent Delegate of Japan to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization since 2020. From 2017 to 2020, he was Deputy Chief Negotiator, Trans-Pacific Partnership Headquarters, Cabinet Secretariat (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and Japan-United States negotiations). He served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in the United States from 2016 to 2017; and Assistant Minister and Director-General for Global Issues, and Chief Negotiator for Climate Change (Paris Agreement) from 2014 to 2016.

Mr. Oike joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 1983. He has held a number of other posts, including Economic Minister at the Embassy of Japan in China from 2012 to 2014; Economic Minister at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations Office at Geneva, in charge of the World Trade Organization, from 2010 to 2012; and Economic Minister at the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Korea from 2007 to 2010.

Mr. Oike was born on 26 August 1960 in Osaka. He has a Bachelor of Arts in law from the University of Tokyo and a Master of Letters in international relations from the University of Oxford.

H.E. Mr. Ahmed Kouchouk was appointed the Minister of Finance of Egypt in July 2024. He served as the Vice Minister of Finance for Fiscal Policies and institutional Reform from March 2016 to July 2024. Since then, he has been playing a leading role in planning and implementing Egypt’s macroeconomic and fiscal policies and reforms. He has also been the Chief Negotiator and Government focal point with the IMF since 2016.

He served as a Board Member at the Central Bank of Egypt from April 2016 to June 2018, at Egypt Air Holding Company from 2018-2020 and at Misr Fertilizers Production Company (MOPCO) from 2021- April 2022. He had been also entitled as a board member in several other institutions over the past years.

Mr. Ahmed Kouchouk is a professional economist and policy advisor with almost 25 years of applied experience. He worked as a Senior Economist for the World Bank from June 2013 to March 2016. Furthermore, he worked for the Ministry of Finance in several leading roles for more than 14 years including as the Vice Minister, the Economic Advisor, and the Director of the Macro Fiscal Unit. He also served for the Ministry of External Trade and the Ministry of Economy in Egypt.

He earned his master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government in 2010 and a master’s degree in economics from York University in the United Kingdom in 2002. He also had a B.S., in Economics in 1999 from the American University in Cairo.

H.E. Mr. Carlos Cuerpo Caballero was appointed Spanish Minister of Economy, Trade and Business on 29 December 2023. Prior to his appointment as Minister, he held two senior positions within the Ministry. First, he served as Director General of Macroeconomic Analysis between February 2020 and August 2021, and then as Secretary General of the Spanish Treasury.

Mr Cuerpo began his career as a civil servant in 2008, when he joined the Spanish Corps of State Economists. Since then, he has also worked for the European Commission and the Spanish Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIReF).

Carlos Cuerpo holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Universidad de Extremadura.

Mr. Li Junhua of China was appointed as the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs effective 25 July 2022.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Li was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Italy and San Marino. He brings to the position perspectives and visions on fostering multilateral economic and social cooperation, with a commitment to engage with all parties to further implement the 2030 Agenda including dedication to serve Member States. He has contributed to numerous meetings of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council, as well as other multilateral meetings including the G20, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM), BRICS etc.

As Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Mr. Li guides UN Secretariat support for the follow-up processes of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. He also oversees the substantive services to many intergovernmental processes, including the annual meetings of the Second and Third Committees of the General Assembly, the meetings of the Economic and Social Council, including its Development Cooperation Forum, and the work of the subsidiary bodies of ECOSOC. In addition to intergovernmental processes, Mr. Li oversees DESA’s policy analysis and capacity development work. He also serves as the Convenor of the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs, and advises the United Nations Secretary-General on all development-related issues, including climate change, internet governance, and financing for development.

Mr. Li began his career at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in 1985. Since then, he has served in various capacities, including as Director General of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China (2013-2019), Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of China to Myanmar (2010-2012), Deputy Director General of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences (2008-2010), Minister Counselor (Political), Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations (2003-2008), Division Director and Counselor in charge of UN General Assembly and Security Council Affairs (2001-2003), Second and First Secretary, Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations (1997-2001). Third and Second Secretary, the Department of International Organizations and Conferences (1992-1997) and Assistant to the Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of China to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok (1986-1992).

Mr. Li holds a Master’s in International Public Policy, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.

Penelope Hawkins is a senior economist, policy researcher and adviser at UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Previusly, as founder and managing director of Feasibility (Pty) Ltd, she has undertaken some of the leading research projects in the financial sector in Southern Africa, commissioned by regulators, policymakers, and the private sector.

She researches and engages with member country representatives and the broader civil and academic society on sovereign debt, financing for development, illicit financial flows, and financial inclusion.

She is a published economist, with a Ph.D. in economics from Stirling University, Scotland. She has an M.A. in economics (cum laude) from the University of South Africa and a B.A. in economics (honours), a higher diploma in education (cum laude) and a B.Sc., all from the University of the Witwatersrand.

H.E. Ms. Maira Mariela Macdonal Alvarez was appointed Permanent Representative of the Plurinational State of Bolivia to the United Nations Office at Geneva in March 2021.

Prior to her appointment to Geneva, Ms. Macdonal Alvarez had been serving as an advisor in the office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Plurinational State of Bolivia since 2020, after serving as Chief of Cabinet of the Minister in 2019. In 2018 and 2019, she served as First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Bolivia to the United Nations in New York, after being a Second Secretary there from 2016 to 2018, and a civil assistant there from 2014 to 2016.

Ms. Macdonal Alvarez worked in the office of the Vice President of the Plurinational State of Bolivia from 2012 to 2014, where she was first in charge of press and communication, then of public relations.

Ms. Macdonal Alvarez has a diploma in human rights from the University of Zaragoza, Spain (2020); and a degree in social communication from the University of San Andrés, the Plurinational State of Bolivia (2007-2013).

H.E. Mr. Jérôme Bonnafont was appointed Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations Office at Geneva in September 2021.

Prior to his appointment in Geneva, Mr. Bonnafont was, since September 2020, working on human resources policies at the Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs, after having been Advisor to the Prime Minister, from January 2020 to July 2020. Previously, between 2015 and 2019, Mr. Bonnafont was the Director of North Africa and the Middle East at the Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs. From 2011 to 2012, he was Chief of Staff to the Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Bonnafont served as the Ambassador of France to Spain (2012-2015) and to India (2007-2011). He was Counselor at the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations in New York (1993-1995) and at the Embassy of France in Kuwait (1991-1993), as well as Secretary at the Embassy of France in India (1986-1989).

The new Permanent Representative also worked as the Advisor for Global Affairs and the Spokesperson for the Presidency of the Republic (1997-2007), Head of the International Affairs Department of the Ministry of the Environment (1996-1997), and in the Directorate of Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1995-1996).

Born on 8 January 1961, Mr. Bonnafont is a graduate of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris and the École Nationale d'Administration.

Marcos Chiliatto, a Brazilian national, is the World Bank Group Executive Director representing Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Panama, Philippines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, since February 2024.

Mr. Chiliatto brings with him his experience in international development, working on a wide range of areas from economic research to public policy. Prior to joining the World Bank, he worked at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) serving as Adviser in the Strategic Planning and Development Effectiveness department. At the IDB he has held roles as a Member of the Board of Executive Directors, Country Coordinator in the Southern Cone department, and Secretariat Coordinator.

Mr. Chiliatto has also worked for the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN-CEPAL) as Economic Affairs Officer, the Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEA), and in Academia.

He holds a PhD in Economics from State University of Campinas (Unicamp), a Master's Degree in Economics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Unicamp, Brazil.

Annina Kaltenbrunner is a Professor of Global Economics and the International Economy at Leeds University Business School. Her research focuses on financial processes and relations in emerging capitalist economies. She has published on financial integration, currency internationalisation and macroeconomic policy.

Matthew Martin established Development Finance International (DFI) in 1996, aiming to mobilize the best debt relief and new development finance to fight poverty and inequality.

Matthew has been advising developing countries, development partners and other stakeholders on these issues since 1991. He leads and quality controls all DFI work, especially programme design, liaison with funders and stakeholders, strategic planning and fundraising.

His current research and advocacy focuses on ending the global South’s worst ever debt crisis, and on progressive tax policy to fight inequality (leading the tax work on the CRI).

Matthew previously worked for the World Bank, Overseas Development Institute and Oxford University.

David Cowan is a Managing Director and Economist at Citi Research, covering Africa (excluding South Africa).

Prior to this he worked at the Economist Intelligence Unit for a total of eight years as Senior Economist for Africa and the Director of the Middle East and North Africa team.

Before joining the Economist Intelligence Unit, he worked for six years as the Principal Research Officer at the Bank of Botswana, the country’s central bank. He also worked for three years for the Economic Research Unit of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He has a first degree in economics from the University of Bath and a PhD from the University of London that examined the impact of Tanzania’s structural adjustment programs from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s.

During his working career, David has built up has a wide-ranging knowledge of financial and foreign exchange markets in Africa and the problems of maximizing the benefits of natural resources in African countries.

H.E. Mr. Marc Bichler was appointed Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the United Nations Office at Geneva in June 2021.

Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Bichler had been serving since October 2016 as Luxembourg’s travelling Ambassador for human rights, whose duties included presiding over the work of the Government’s inter-ministerial committee for human rights, and being associated with Luxembourg’s candidature as a Member State of the Human Rights Council for the period 2022-2024. He was Luxembourg’s travelling Ambassador for climate change from August 2014 to 2016. He was the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Capital Development Fund in New York from November 2012 to April 2014.

A career diplomat, Mr. Bichler joined Luxembourg’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs in 1990. He has held several posts, including Deputy Director for cooperation in development and humanitarian action; Deputy Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the United Nations in New York; Director for cooperation in development and humanitarian action; and Ambassador to Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal, with residence in Luxembourg.

Mr. Bichler is a lawyer by training with a master’s degree from the University of Paris 1 – Panthéon Sorbonne. He also passed his Bar exam before becoming a diplomat.

Mr. Riza Damanik is Senior Advisor to the Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in the Republic of Indonesia.

Previously from 2018 to 2019 Riza Damanik was the Assistant Coordinator of the Presidential Special Staff. Since 2021 he has served as the Head of the Indonesian Maritime Scholars Association (ISKINDO) and in 2022 he was entrusted as the Head of the Advisory Board of the Indonesian Traditional Fishermen's Association (KNTI).

Riza Damanik pursued his master's degree in Environmental Science at Universitas Gadjah Mada. He then continued his Ph.D education at the School of Humanities, Resource Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Ivan Rossignol works as a Senior Advisor to AIIB. As such he focuses on Digital Infrastructure, Cities, and sustainable growth strategies. On behalf of AIIB, he chairs the Multilateral Development Banks’ working group on digital regulatory risks and has represented AIIB in several G20 meetings.

Ivan is a former director of the World Bank, where he spent 24 years advising governments on Economic Development, Growth Opportunities and Competitiveness, mostly in South Asia and in Africa.  He has taught Development Economics at Georgetown University, University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University.  He has delivered lectures at Harvard University. 

Ivan recently published articles on competitiveness and is the author of a financial method to evaluate the cost of natural capital (2022).   He is the main author of a Compendium on Digital Infrastructure Financing, published by AIIB and the G20 in October 2022.

Ivan has lived in the US, India, Kenya, Cameroon, and Zimbabwe.  He currently resides in France.

Jeroen Huisman is an experienced strategic advisor and passionate about contributing to the shift towards a sustainable economy and financial system.

He is leading Systemiq’s work on Blended Finance for Emerging Markets and Developing Economies with a focus on de-risking mechanisms, project pipeline facilities and reform of domestic and international financial system architecture.

Prior to joining SYSTEMIQ Jeroen worked for the Ministry of Finance in the Netherlands and McKinsey & Company before that. At the Ministry of Finance Jeroen contributed to a government-wide change program to improve insight in policy effectiveness and several policy researches.

At McKinsey & Company Jeroen focused on strategic work for public sector clients and he founded a platform for leadership development of talent within the public sector.

He has a bsc and msc from Erasmus University Rotterdam with a specialisation in applied micro-economics with a focus on incentives within systems.

Ritu Bharadwaj is the Director of Climate Resilience, Finance, and Loss and Damage at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).

With over 20 years of experience in policy development, research, and management across government, funding agencies, and international NGOs, she has extensively worked on climate resilience, resource conservation, social protection, migration, and gender issues.  

Ritu has led initiatives addressing climate adaptation, debt sustainability, and locally led adaptation efforts, particularly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Her work has significantly influenced policy frameworks and strategies for national governments and international organisations. She has also facilitated high-level engagements with world leaders and international bodies to drive climate finance and equity-focused solutions.

Clara Manuela da Luz Delgado Jesus was appointed Permanent Representative of Cabo Verde to the United Nations Office at Geneva on 13 January 2021.

Prior to her appointment to Geneva, Ms. Delgado Jesus had been serving as an Ambassador and Advisor to the President of Cabo Verde for diplomatic matters since 2016. She was a Minister Plenipotentiary at the Directorate General for Global Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Communities from 2015 to 2016, responsible for matters relating to the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and trade relations with the European Union, among others. Ms. Delgado Jesus also served as Head of the Embassy of Cabo Verde in Luxembourg as Chargé d’affaires from 2009 to 2015.

From 2006 to 2009, Ms. Delgado Jesus was a Counsellor at the Directorate General for Foreign Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Communities, where she served as the Coordinator for United Nations matters, the environment, and Small Island Developing States, among others. She was First Secretary at the Embassy of Cabo Verde in Brussels and the Permanent Mission of Cabo Verde to the European Union and to African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, as well as to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Luxembourg, from 2001 to 2005. She joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Communities in 1993.

Ms. Delgado Jesus has a master’s degree in international economic relations (1992/1993) from the State University of Kiev, Ukraine. She also has a degree in international economic relations (1987/1991) from the same University.

Martin Guzman is Professor of Professional Practice at the School of international and Public affairs (SIPA), Columbia University.

Previusly he served as Minister of Economy of the Republic of Argentina (December 2019- July 2022).

He is a leading global expert in the fields of sovereign debt and debt crises resolution. His research focuses on the emergence, propagation, and resolution of macroeconomic disequilibria, monetary economics, and economic development. His research has been published in leading international journals and books.

He is the co-President of the Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD), an academic center at Columbia University Business School established in 2000 by Nobel Laureate Joseph E. Stiglitz, which works to broaden dialogue and explore trade-offs in development policy by bringing the best ideas in development to policymakers facing globalization’s complex challenges and opportunities, and that strives to contribute to a more equitably governed world by democratizing the production and use of knowledge. At IPD, he is also the Director of the Sovereign Debt Management and Restructuring Program.

He has served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Globalization and Development and is a member of the editorial board.

He is a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences in the Vatican, a member of the Scientific Board of the Trento Summer School in Adaptive Economic Dynamics at the University of Trento, Italy, and a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. He is also a Commissioner of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation (ICRICT).

He holds a PhD. In Economics from Brown University, United States (2013). Prior to his doctoral studies, he received a B.A. in Economics (2005) and a M.A. in Economics (2007) from the National University of La Plata, Argentina.

Ms Hassatou Diop N’Sele is the Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the African Development Bank Group since October 2022. She has been the Group Treasurer from May 2015 to end 2022.

Ms N’Sele is responsible for the mobilization and investment of financial resources for the Bank Group, financial reporting and financial risk management, as well as Client solutions and Syndication. She oversaw the launch of successful balance sheet optimization transactions of the Bank and the introduction of innovative instruments.

She is a seasoned professional, with more than 30 years of banking and finance experience. As Treasurer, she led the expansion of the AfDB capital markets activities across the globe. During her time in Treasury, Ms. N’Sele led a diverse team of professionals in the management of the Bank’s +USD 33 billion borrowing portfolio, oversaw the investment of the Bank Group’s liquidity in multicurrency portfolios, and supervised the back-office operations.

Prior to this position and from 2008, Ms. N’Sele was the Head of funding of the AfDB. Prior to joining the Bank in 1999, she was the finance director of Tiger Denrees Senegal, a commodity trading company, and a Manager at Citibank in Senegal.

Ms. N’Sele is a Senegalese citizen and holds an MBA in Finance and a Bachelor of Business Administration.

Betty N. Wainaina is the Program Director of the Multilateral Reform Program at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation (CIC).

She is a social development specialist with diverse experience in the development sector, working in several countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, East Timor, Malawi, and Ghana. She has designed programs aimed at promoting institutional strengthening and deepening governance arrangements, including working with executive branches of government, legislatures, local authorities, and civil society.

Her previous roles have been with the World Bank as an economist in the Kenya, Somalia, and Comoros country programmes, respectively. She later joined the Global Centre for Conflict Security and Development, which sought to deepen and advance the community of practice within the World Bank on issues affecting fragile and conflict-affected states. In this role, she supported the engagement of the World Bank at both global and country levels with the g7+ Secretariat and the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and State Building in operationalizing the New Deal for engagement in fragile states. She has also worked for the Heinrich Böll Foundation and has served as a consultant for various United Nations (UN) agencies and other international development organizations.

She possesses a master’s degree in environmental economics from the University of Kent in the UK and a first degree in Environmental Planning and Management from Kenyatta University in Kenya.

Chris Humphrey is a senior scientist at NADEL since January 2016. He has a PhD in Political Sciences from the London School of Economics.

Chris consults for various development organizations, including the Overseas Development Institute, World Bank, African Development Bank, Inter-?American Development Bank, New Development Bank and the Inter-?Governmental Group of 24. Previously Chris worked in operations at the World Bank’s Latin America division (2001-?2008) and as a journalist based in Mexico City (1994-?2000).

His work is on the evolution of development finance in the 21st century.

H.E. Tareq Md. Ariful Islam was appointed Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Office at Geneva on 7 August 2024.

Before his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Islam had been serving as High Commissioner at the Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka, since 2020. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York from 2016 to 2020. He also served at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York as First Secretary and then Counsellor from 2005 to 2009.

Mr. Islam served at the Bangladesh High Commission in Kolkata, India, from 2009 to 2012. He has held other posts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka.

Throughout his career, Mr. Islam has undergone a variety of professional training courses, including in water resources management at the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand (2015); international trade promotion at the International Trade Institute of Singapore (2003); and cypher training at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka (1999), among others.

Mr. Islam has a master’s degree in diplomacy and trade from Monash University in Australia (2002) and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (1993).

Daniel Cash is currently a Senior Fellow (non-resident) at the United Nations University, in their Center for Policy Research. Within this role, Daniel is leading numerous initiatives concerned with the credit rating agencies and their interconnection with the Global Financial Architecture.

Daniel has a Doctorate, Financial Regulation, Durham University; an LL.M., International Business Law, The University of Liverpool; and a Bachelors of Arts (Hons), Criminology and Sociology, University of Liverpool.

Lucie Villa is the lead analyst for several Sub-Saharan African sovereigns and supranational issuers and is a senior member of Moody’s Africa Sovereign Ratings team. Prior to January 2015, Lucie Villa covered a variety of advanced and emerging market European sovereign credits, having joined the Sovereign Risk Group in early 2011 from Moody’s Sub-Sovereign Group.

Prior to joining Moody’s in 2007, Lucie Villa spent two years at the French Ministry of Finance in the Forecast division, responsible for projections and analyses of France’s government finances.

Lucie Villa holds a postgraduate degree in Probability and Statistics from a French Engineering School (ENSAI) and a Master’s degree in Economics from the Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris.

Unoma Okolo, CFA, currently serves as an Emerging Market Portfolio Manager at Artisan Partners, a position held since January 2022.

Prior experience includes a role as an Emerging Market Sovereign Analyst at Fidelity Investments from April 2013 to January 2022, where responsibilities encompassed investment coverage for various countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, and South Africa. Unoma's earlier positions at Fidelity also included Emerging Market Research Associate and participation in an Equity Business Associate rotational program.

Prior to Fidelity, Unoma gained experience as a Summer Analyst in the Emerging Market Debt Group at Invesco, supporting credit analysis for Nigerian banks, and in Goldman Sachs' Securities Division.

Unoma holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Stanford University, complemented by studies at East China Normal University and Ardingly College.