Speakers 2024

Jasmina Selimović, Ph.D. was appointed at the position of CBBH Governor on January, 2024. The newly appointed Governor, who is also the Presiding of the CBBH Governing Board, has a doctorate in economic sciences.

​Since 2004, she has been employed at the School of Economics and Business in Sarajevo, at the Department of Finance and the Department of Quantitative Economics. She completed her postgraduate studies at the School of Economics and Business in Sarajevo, in Business Economics, with Actuarial and Insurance, major course. She prepared her doctoral dissertation in the field of actuarial science in the USA, and defended it at the School of Economicas and Business, University in Sarajevo. As a full professor, she teaches courses in the fields of Finance, Quantitative Economics and Actuarial Science at the School of Economics and Business in Sarajevo.

In addition to being involved in the teaching process, she performed the duties of Deputy Head of the Department of Finance, Vice Dean for Teaching and International Cooperation, and in 2018 she was elected to the position of Dean of the School. In 2022, she renewed her four-year mandate.

She is a member of numerous professional associations in the country and abroad. She is active in the world organizations for accreditation of business schools and universities (AACSB and EFMD), and she is engaged as an international expert for accreditation at quality assurance agencies in EU countries.

She is the author and co-author of several books and chapters in monographs, numerous scientific and professional articles, published in internationally indexed magazines. She participated in many international and domestic conferences and projects.

From 2011 to 2015, she was a member of the Advisory Group of the Fiscal Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 2018, she was an independent member of the Supervisory Board of Raiffeisen Bank BiH.

By the decision of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, she was appointed as a member of the Governing Board of the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for a mandate period of six years, starting on January 3, 2024.

Guillermo Avellánobtained his bachelor’s degree in business economics with a minor in finance from the University of Richmond (USA). Mr. Avellán holds a master’s degree in economic analysis from the Barcelona School of Economics (Spain). Finally, he concluded executive programs in macroprudential policies and gold reserves management at Columbia University.

Mr. Avellán started his career as an analyst and advisor of the investment division at the Central Bank of Ecuador. He also worked as a corporate banking analyst at Citi-Ecuador and as a senior analyst on risk management at Banco Bolivariano. In addition, he was a full-time professor of macroeconomics and finance at Espiritu Santo University. He served as research director at the Guayaquil Chamber of Commerce and Ecuador Libre think tank.

Since June 2021, he has been the General Manager of the Central Bank of Ecuador. He also served as President of Ecuador’s Public Debt Committee between June 2021 and August 2022.
 

Aleš Michl was born in Prague on 18 October 1977. He obtained a Ph.D. in finance at the University of Economics in Prague in 2020. He graduated from the University of Economics with an MSc (Ing.) degree in 2002. He completed a training programme on game theory and the psychology of decision-making at the Summer School at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2005 and took an investment portfolio management course at the Wharton School in Philadelphia in 2009. He started his professional career as an economic journalist during his studies and later as an economic adviser to Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Martin Jahn. He worked as an economic and investment strategist at Raiffeisenbank in 2006–2015. In 2014–2018, he was an external economic adviser to the Czech Ministry of Finance and later the Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, specialising in macroeconomic analysis and government debt stabilisation. He founded Michl Fund Management s.r.o. in 2016, which subsequently co-founded Robot Asset Management SICAV a.s., which carries on the activities of an investment fund for qualified investors with the Quant sub-fund. He terminated these activities on the date of commencement of his position in the CNB Board. Mr Michl is the author of numerous columns and articles in newspapers, journals and magazines. He also wrote the books MICHLiq - průvodce eckonomií a investicemi (MICHLiq – a guide to economics and investment), Jestřábi a holubice (Hawks and Doves) and Reset ekonomiky (How to Reset the Economy). He is not and has never been a member of a political party. Aleš Michl was appointed a member of the CNB Bank Board on 1 December 2018. The President appointed him CNB Governor for a term of six years with effect from 1 July 2022.

Aivo H ANDRIANARIVELO is the Governor of the Central Bank of Madagascar since 4 January 2023. He brings 30 years’ experience in the banking and financial sector through various managerial assignments.

 Economist, he has a deep knowledge and experience with regard to capital markets, banking matters, business management, project management and public-private funds management. 

Prior to joining the Central Bank of Madagascar, he was the Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Africa II, where he served as a member of the Board and represented 23 African countries. 

He has held several senior positions at a bank, where he has been involved in the establishment of the accounting system and the regular report, in the management of foreign currencies, the trading, and then in the organizational, administrative and operational management of the bank as a Deputy Director. 

He supported the efficiency of the management related to the financial resource of the programme as Financial Director of Catholic Relief Services. He also headed the Portage and Privatisation Fund as the Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman. Prior to joining the International Monetary Fund, he was a Technical Advisor to the Cabinet of the Minister of Finance in Madagascar. 

He holds degrees in economic sciences and in banking techniques, and also received various training in trading, monetary market, foreign exchange, capital market, leadership and management

Valda Frederica Henry is the Deputy Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. She is VF Inc.’s former Chief Executive Officer and Principal Trainer. She formerly served as a Senior Investment Officer at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and played an instrumental role in the restructuring of the Investment Unit and the development of the Investment Management Framework of the Bank. She has lectured in, among other subjects, Human Resource Management and Accounting and has extensive experience in organisational reviews, job analyses and job descriptions working with companies in the Caribbean and served as the Coordinator of the Administrative Reform Program of the Commonwealth of Dominica. She has served as a Mentor for Executive and Middle Managers in many sectors including banking, hospitality and utility. Valda is also a Global Human Resources and Organizational Development Expert who excels at collaboration, with very strong interpersonal, communications, leadership and decision-making skills. She has developed and led numerous multi-year personal and professional development programs for youth in Dominica as well as individuals and businesses throughout the Caribbean. She hosted a weekly radio and twice- monthly television programs on which she discussed solutions to challenges faced by businesses in the region. She wrote a Column, “Business and Life,” for the online newspaper, “Dominica News Online. Valda holds formal qualifications in Financial Analysis and Planning, Governance and Business Management. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst, holds a PhD in Industrial Relations & Business, Masters of Business Administration, Bachelors in Management and Bachelors in Law. She is a Certified Global Professional in Human Resources, Society for Human Resource Management, Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and an Accredited Director. She is also a Certified ProNet Trainer and a Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Practitioner and a Certified “Train the Trainer” for InfoDev and the Women Innovators Network in the Caribbean (WINC).

ALBERTO NAUDON DELL'ORO is Board Member of the Central Bank of Chile since March 2018. Before his appointment to the Board and since September 2014, he was Director of the Research Division of this Institution.

He is a Commercial Engineer from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, where he received the Raúl Iver award as the best graduate among his 2000 classmates, and holds a Master's Degree and PhD in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles, USA.

He joined the Research Division of the Central Bank as an Economist in 2000, where he served as Chief Economist and then as Head of the Macroeconomic Modeling and Forecasting Department. In 2013, he held the position of Chief Economist at Banco de Crédito e Inversiones, where he worked for one year.

Among his academic activities he has been a professor at the University of Chile, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the University of Los Andes, and the Adolfo Ibáñez University, teaching courses in the areas of Macroeconomics, Econometrics and International Economics.

He has also researched and published several papers on monetary policy and financial issues.

Christopher Jeffery is Editor of Central Banking Publications, which includes the Central Banking Journal, CentralBanking.com and Central Banking On Air. He has more than 15 years of experience covering banking, business, economics, finance and public policy in London, Hong Kong and New York. His interviews include those with Agustín Carstens, Stanley Fisher, Stefan Ingves, Ahmed Alkholifey, Raghuram Rajan, Robert Schiller and Christopher Sims. Chris is Chairman of the Central Banking Awards Committee and is Editor of IFF China Report, a publication offering insight and opinion from China’s top policymakers. Chris was previously Editor of Asia Risk in Hong Kong and Deputy Editor of Risk in London

Gerardo García is the Director of International Operations of Banco de México, and as such, is responsible for the investment of the Central Bank’s foreign currency reserves. The Central Bank is also the financial agent of the Federal Government; therefore, Mr. García is also responsible for the foreign currency transactions and the implementation of hedging programs on behalf of the Mexican Government. His former responsibilities included the management of both the Fixed Income and Foreign Exchange Divisions at the Central Bank of Mexico. Mr. García holds a B.A. degree in Economics from the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey (1999) and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree from Yale University (2005). 

Elisa Vilorio de Painter holds a PhD in Economics from Florida International University (FIU). She holds a Master of Science in Finance and a Postgraduate degree in Risk Management from the Instituit D'administration d'enterprise (IAE) Aix en Provence in France, and is a Magna Cum Laude Industrial Engineer from the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM). She is also a former scholar of the prestigious Fulbright Program of the United States Embassy and the scholarship program of the French Embassy.

She has worked at the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic since 2007, and currently holds the position of Advisor to the Governor. She began her career in the Treasury Department where she held the positions of Technical Consultant, Deputy Director of International Reserves Management, Head of the Risk and Financial Analysis Division, and Investment Manager of the International Reserves portfolio. For more than a decade, she was responsible for the design and execution of the investment strategy of the International Reserves portfolio, quantitative analysis, risk management, and strategic asset allocation. In turn, she participated in official advisory missions to other Central Banks within the Reserves Advisory Management Program (RAMP) of the World Bank.

Her areas of professional expertise are: Financial Economics, International Economics, Applied Econometrics and Finance. She has presented her research on macroeconomics at different annual meetings of the American Economic Association (AEA), the Southern Economic Association (SEA), the Midwest Economic Association (MEA), the Eastern Economic Association (EEA), the International Atlantic Economic Society (IAES) and the International Trade and Finance Association (ITFA). She has also published in various Journals related to the active management of an International Reserves portfolio, hedging strategies using interest rate futures and the foreign exchange derivatives market.

She has been an undergraduate professor and researcher at Florida International University (FIU). She also taught in the Master's in Financial Management and MBA in Risk and Treasury Management at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra.

Ximena Alfarache Morales, Manager of International Operations, Banco de México

Mrs. Alfarache is the Manager International Operations at Banco de México. Her main responsibilities include supervising the international reserves portfolio´s investments (around 215 bln. US dollars) mainly invested in US, Chinese, European, Canadian and Australian and New Zealand debt, specifically the Tactical Asset Allocation of those investments. She also supervises the Asset Management and Securities Lending Program. She has worked for the bank since 2008, and her former positions at the bank include fixed income trader, head of the US fixed income desk and head of the FX and currencies desk. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from ITAM as well as a Master in Finance degree by the same institution, both graduated with honors. 

Jon Frost heads the Economics for the Americas (EFTA) team in the BIS Americas Office in Mexico City. He has published on fintech, big tech in finance, central bank digital currencies, stablecoins, capital flows, and technology and inequality. Previously, Jon worked in the BIS Innovation and the Digital Economy (IDE) unit, and prior to that at the Financial Stability Board, the Netherlands Bank, VU University in Amsterdam, and in the private sector in Germany. Jon holds a PhD in economics from the University of Groningen. He is a research affiliate of the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance at the University of Cambridge, and has served as a Board member in the FinTech@CSAIL initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Filipe Dinis served as the Bank of Canada’s first Chief Operating Officer (COO) from 2014 until his retirement from the Bank in June 2024. As COO, he oversaw the Bank’s operations, strategic planning, risk and corporate functions, including the currency function, with a focus on cybersecurity and operational resilience.

Throughout his tenure, Mr. Dinis was a leader of innovation, driving the digital transformation of the Bank’s operations and promoting the adoption of new technologies and approaches to better face future challenges.

Mr. Dinis promoted innovation and resilience beyond the Bank as well and led the creation of the Canadian Financial Sector Resiliency Group, a public-private partnership responsible for coordinating sector-wide responses to systemic-level operational incidents and for strengthening the financial sector’s critical infrastructure.

Before joining the Bank, Mr. Dinis served in the Privy Council Office as Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, providing strategic advice and analysis to the Clerk of the Privy Council on business transformation and public service renewal. He also served as Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee on the Public Service. Before that, he was Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Commissioner at the Canada Revenue Agency.

Mr. Dinis holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and is a chartered professional accountant. He currently serves as Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee on the Board of Directors of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. In 2023, he was made a CPA Fellow in recognition of his exceptional leadership and contributions to the profession and to his community. Mr. Dinis also received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Arnab Das is Global Market Strategist at Invesco in the EMEA region, based in London, and a member of Invesco’s Global Thought Leadership team. He helps develop and communicate analysis and insight on the global economy and financial markets across asset classes for clients, media, governments and central banks.

He works with Invesco’s investment teams across disciplines and regions and is a member of Invesco’s Global Investor Forum Advisory Council with a focus on global macro and emerging markets. Arnab’s research interests span economic policy, performance and reform; and economic and financial history.

Arnab joined Invesco in 2015 as Head of EM macro research for Invesco Fixed Income. He began his career in finance in 1992, and has served as Co-head of Economic Research & Strategy at Roubini Global Economics; Co-head of Global Economics & Strategy, Head of Global FX Research, and Head of EM Economics & Strategy at Dresdner Kleinwort; and Head of EEMEA Research at JP Morgan. He has also been a private consultant in global and emerging markets, as well as consulting with Trusted Sources, a specialist EM research boutique.

Arnab’s studies were in macroeconomics, economic history and international political economy. He received an AB from Princeton University in 1986 and completed his postgraduate and doctoral work at the London School of Economics in 1987-1992.

Eliud "El-G" Ramocan is responsible for cyber resilience and threat intelligence at the Bank of Jamaica, leading Jamaica’s cyber resilience framework for the financial sector and also chairs the Cyber Risk Technical Working Group of the Caribbean Group of Bank Supervisors.

With a distinguished background in technology, economics and strategy early in his career, El-G was designated a short-term IMF Technical Assistance Expert at age 28 and later appointed by his country to upgrade the cyber infrastructure across the military, police force and mission-critical systems in cooperation with the Government of Israel. Following this, he was seconded to the Financial Services Commission in Jamaica as CIO where he orchestrated a swift and successful recovery following a major ransomware attack.  With a wealth of resilience, he crafted his country’s Ten Cyber Resilience Principles for the Financial Sector, alongside policies centred on cyber risk governance and cybersecurity preparedness.

He holds a degree in Computer Science and Economics and an MBA from the University of the West Indies. Then further pursued studies at Harvard Kennedy School of Government focusing on Cybersecurity Policy and Strategic Management for Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies. Giving back, he lectures at the university-level in cybersecurity, risk governance and project management and travels extensively as a speaker and accomplished author.

Mr Moad Fahmi, CFA is Chief FinTech Officer at the Bermuda Monetary Authority (Authority or BMA). Mr. Fahmi's leads specialised teams that manage the regulatory authorisation and supervision of innovative business models, including InsurTech digital assets, investments and money service businesses. Mr. Fahmi’s Team is also tasked with fostering FinTech innovation while ensuring robust consumer protections, through the strategic operation of the BMA’s Innovation Hub and Regulatory Sandbox.

Prior to joining the Authority in August 2018, Mr. Fahmi was Director - Fintech and Innovation at the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), the integrated regulator of the financial services sector for the province of Quebec, Canada.

Before joining the AMF, Mr. Fahmi held senior roles within the Banking sector in Canada.

Mr. Fahmi holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from HEC Montreal and an executive certificate in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He obtained his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charter in 2011.

Carlos Cantú is currently Lecturer at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México and was previously the senior economist at the monetary economics department at the BIS. He obtained his MA and PhD in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. Before obtaining his PhD, he worked for the Bank of Mexico in the Economic Research Department. He is part of the secretariat of the BIS Consultative Group on Innovation and the Digital Economy Technical Task Force on CBDCs.

Johanna is the CEO North America for BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM). She is also the Head of Central Banks and Official Institutions.

As CEO for North America, Johanna is responsible for our strategic leadership and development. She manages the growth of our business, overseeing business development, and maintaining direct oversight of management and effective governance in the region. In her capacity as Head of Central Banks & Official Institutions, Johanna’s responsibilities include managing and growing the official sector business globally, while also ensuring we are meeting our clients’ needs.

Johanna originally joined FFTW, a predecessor of BNPP AM, in 1997. She then left the firm in 2000, rejoining in 2004 to focus on the official institutions business. Since 2013, she has been the head of the Central Banks and Official Institutions team, successfully growing our client base and increasing our AUM for this sector. In addition to working for BNPP AM and FFTW, Johanna worked in the Corporate Finance division at UBS for two years, where she was an Associate Director in the Consumer Products Group in New York. She later transferred to the Global Industrial Group in Japan where she lived for a year.

Johanna has over 20 years of experience. She earned an MBA in Finance and International Business from New York University, and a BA in East Asian Studies from Stanford University. She is based in New York.

Ali Akbulut, Principal Portfolio Manager, Foreign Reserves Management at the Bank of Canada, is responsible for managing the swaps portfolio which is used to fund and hedge Canada’s foreign reserves investments. His responsibilities include contributing to the development of funding and investment strategies and providing regular briefings to the Bank’s senior leadership on financial and market developments.

 

Prior to joining the Bank of Canada, Ali worked for buy-side and sell-side institutions, as well as in consulting.

 

Ali holds a Master of Science in Finance from HEC Montreal and is a CFA charterholder.

Kurtuluş Taşkale Diamondopoulos, Director, Central Banks and Public Policy, World Gold Council. She works with official sector investment managers at central banks and SWFs around the world exploring the case for gold as a reserve asset as well as working on a wide variety of policy initiatives that affect the gold market. 

Before joining the Council in 2016, she worked at the Central Bank of Turkey for 25 years. She acted in a leading role in the reserve and risk management as well as structuring the acceptance of gold within the framework of Reserve Option Mechanism. She holds MA in International Economics and Finance degree from Brandeis University, USA.

Roberts Grava is Chief Executive Officer of Crown Agents Investment Management. He brings over 25 years of global institutional asset management experience to the firm, having focused mainly on sovereign investment institutions and official sector investment issues. He has held several senior roles in public and private sector institutions, including Head of Official Institutions, Institutional Solutions and Advisory and Managing Director, Fixed Income at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Head of Quantitative Strategies, Risk and Analytics and Engagement Manager, Reserves Advisory and Management Program (RAMP) at the World Bank.  Previously, he had spent 11 years as Chief Investment Officer, Head of Reserves Management and Market Operations and Member of the Executive Board at Latvijas Banka, the central bank of Latvia. He has a degree in Economics from Columbia University and is a CFA charterholder.

Carlos Antonio Cano is responsible for the research, design and implementation of the strategic asset allocation of Peru’s FX Reserves and leads the BCRP’s external asset management program. Before taking up his current assignments, he led the development of strategic projects in the BCRP’s International Operations Department. He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Lima, Perú, and an MBA with focus on asset management and investment research from Cornell University, USA.

Arvinder Bharath brings to bear a blend of experience spanning over 30 years in technology, banking, and policy setting. She started her career in technology working with corporates, conglomerates and tech and telecom giants such as British Telecom, Nortel Systems, Cisco, Compaq and Hewlett Packard. She later joined Barclays Bank where she held senior positions in technology, mergers, acquisitions, and separations across the globe. She then returned to the Caribbean to lead RBC Royal Bank as president and country head for Trinidad and Tobago. Arvinder subsequently moved to the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago as Deputy Inspector of Financial Institutions, transitioning to lead Financial Technology, Information Security and Knowledge and Information departments. She is currently a Digital Risks Expert with the IMF where she provides technical assistance to member countries in management of digital and cyber risks arising from digitalization of the financial services sector, public financial management and adoption of digital currencies. She is involved in various international working groups and forums on transformative technologies such as Quantum Computing, generative AI, DeFi and others. 

Arvinder holds a BSc Hons in Information Technology and an MBA in Banking – both from the University of London.

Ádám Nyikes has been working at the Magyar Nemzeti Bank (MNB), the central bank of Hungary since 2020. In this role, he is actively supporting the digitalization of the incumbent banking system, promoting FinTech innovation and playing a crucial role in the development of CBDC-related initiatives. As a CBDC expert he participated in the successful development of the first retail CBDC pilot project in the European Union involving retail users and played a pivotal role in the MNB’s blockchain testing pilot project. He also leads the annual evaluation of the Hungarian banking system's digitalization level and regularly contributes to central bank publications. Mr. Nyikes graduated in 2021 with a degree in economic analysis at Corvinus University of Budapest.

Karmendra Kohli is a cybersecurity leader with over 23 years of experience in information/cyber security and information risk management. As the CEO and co-founder of SecurEyes, Karmendra has transformed a two-person start-up into a global cybersecurity company, known for delivering cutting-edge security solutions tailored to complex sectors such as finance, government, and healthcare.

With a Master's in Computer Applications and advanced certifications including CISSP, CISA, CRISC, and CISM, he combines technical expertise with a deep understanding of strategic business needs.

Under Karmendra's leadership, SecurEyes has become a trusted partner for over 700 clients across 12 countries, including prominent names in both the public and private sectors. His focus on operational excellence and client-centered solutions has driven the company to conduct more than 14,000 security assessments and gain accolades for several global projects.

A recognised figure in cybersecurity, Karmendra regularly speaks at prominent conferences, sharing insights on the evolving cyber threat landscape and innovations in cyber resilience. He has also served as an advisor to senior management and boards of directors, helping organizations shape their cybersecurity strategies in the face of a rapidly changing threat environment.

Karmendra’s mission is to empower organisations with secure, adaptive, and compliant digital ecosystems. He is passionate about fostering a culture of digital trust and resilience, particularly in critical infrastructure sectors. Looking forward, he aims to further SecurEyes’ global reach, supporting enterprises and governments in their cybersecurity transformation journeys while developing future leaders in the information security industry. 

Dr. Juan-Carlos Castañeda has worked for Banco de Guatemala (the Guatemalan central bank) in several positions for 35 years.  He is currently the Director of the Economic Research Department at the Bank.  As such, he is in charge of leading the economic research activities of the staff in the Department.  He also leads the processes of development, implementation, management, and evaluation of the main macroeconomic models for inflation forecasting and monetary policy advice at the Bank.

He has taught courses in Economics and Monetary Policy at Universidad del Valle, Universidad Francisco Marroquín and Universidad Rafael Landívar in Guatemala.  He has published specialized articles in several journals, including the Latin American Journal of Central Banking.

Dr. Castañeda obtained a Ph.D. in Economics from University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA).  He also holds two Master’s degrees in Economics, one from UCLA and the other from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.  He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Economics from Universidad Rafael Landívar (Guatemala).

Malick Dioume is a seasoned central banking professional with extensive experience in foreign reserves management and risk management. As Director of Risk Management at the Central Bank of Haiti (BRH), Malick has overseen the development of strategic asset allocation frameworks and led significant reforms in the foreign reserves management framework. His work has focused on ensuring regulatory compliance and aligning the bank’s investment strategies with its long-term objectives.

Over the years, Malick has participated in numerous high-level seminars hosted by institutions such as the Federal Reserve, World Bank, and Bundesbank, on various topics revolving around foreign reserves management and risk management. He has also contributed to key projects at the Central Bank of Haiti (BRH), notably the 2015 Caribbean Financial Stability Report and a feasibility study on the creation of a stock market in Haiti.

Malick graduated from HEC Montreal and began his career in Canada, working in consulting and for a commercial bank, before moving to Haiti to pursue his central banking career. He regularly shares his insights on global financial markets, macroeconomic trends, and the evolving role of central banks in reserve management.

Fun Fact: Malick was an instrumental part of BRH's team that reached the final of the football tournament at the 2018 Central Banking Games of the Caribbean in St. Kitts, where his team lost to the Central Bank of Jamaica on penalty kicks. His dream is to see the creation of a World Cup for central banks and to participate in it.

Mr. Franz Hamann is Director of the Macroeconomic Modelling Department of the Bank of the Republic, Colombia. He has published in academic and policy journals specialized in macroeconomics and international economics. He has more than 20 years’ experience in macro modeling, analysis and forecasting at the Colombian central bank and has been visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, International Monetary Fund Consultant and has advised several central banks of emerging economies, as well as the Czech National Bank. He holds a Ph.D. at North Carolina State University.  

Juan is a Senior Financial Officer in the World Bank Treasury, where he works as an engagement manager for the Reserves Advisory and Management Partnership (RAMP).  He is responsible for coordinating and developing capacity building programs and technical assistance for RAMP’s members.

Prior to joining RAMP, Juan was the Chief Investment Officer of Fogafin, Colombia’s deposit insurance agency, overseeing the investment of all portfolios and reporting directly to the institution’s board of directors. He also worked on resolution strategies, financial crisis simulations, and liability modeling. Additionally, Juan has substantial experience in reserve management. He began his career as a portfolio manager for Colombia’s central bank, where he was later promoted to head of risk management and as the technical advisor to the Deputy Governor supporting the bank’s strategic planning. As head of risk management, he led the development of investment guidelines and risk management initiatives, and he supervised the external management program.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, as well as a master’s degree in applied economics and a master’s degree in applied statistics, both from the University of Michigan in the United States. Juan also has a PhD in Finance from EDHEC Business School in France. He is a CFA and an FRM charterholder.

Jeville John is a Senior Analyst with the Bank of England in the Bank’s Central Bank Digital Currency Directorate. His main responsibilities include developing the regulatory expectations and standards for private sector firms in delivering CBDC. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law with First Class Honours from the University of the West Indies, as well as a Master of Laws in International Banking and Finance Law from University College London (UCL). Jeville also holds an executive education certificate in FinTech and Regulatory Innovation from the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, Cambridge Judge Business School.

Shamika Walrond is an Assistant Advisor in the Governor’s Office at the Central Bank of Barbados, bringing over nine years of experience in central banking. In February 2024, she transitioned to this advisory role after serving as Head of the External Sector Unit and Senior Economist in the Research and Economic Analysis Department. Among her key responsibilities, Ms. Walrond leads as Project Coordinator for Barbados' Payments System Modernisation Project, a strategic initiative focused on enhancing the nation’s financial infrastructure. She holds a BSc in Economics from the University of the West Indies, Barbados, and an MSc in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Nottingham, UK.

Jose Antonio is currently a Senior Advisor for the Payment Systems Development Group of the World Bank. He has also worked as a senior consultant for the Bank for International Settlements, UNCTAD and several central banks. 

Jose Antonio is mostly involved in assisting countries in the implementation of fast payment systems, in assessing and developing financial market infrastructures, and in financial inclusion initiatives. He has also had substantial involvement in financial literacy initiatives. 

From June 2009 to March 2012, he served as Deputy CEO at INFONACOT, a state-owned financial institution based in Mexico City that provides consumer loans to lower income workers. 

From March 2004 to May 2009, Jose Antonio was a Senior Payment Systems Specialist at the World Bank. Prior to joining the World Bank Mr. Garcia was a Senior Economist at the Centre for Latin American Monetary Studies (CEMLA) and a Credit Analysis Specialist at Banco Inbursa, both in Mexico City.

Rosanna Costa has been Governor of the Central Bank of Chile since February 2022, and a board member since January 2017. She graduated as an economist from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. She was Director of Budget of the Chilean Ministry of Finance between 2010 and 2013. She was also Deputy Director of the Instituto Libertad y Desarrollo and a member of the Council of the National Productivity Commission and the Technical Education Advisory Commission. She has taught at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and on graduate courses at the University of Chile.

Mr. Rolle was appointed Governor of the Central Bank of The Bahamas in January 2016.  Prior to this, he served as the Financial Secretary in the Ministry of Finance; and before this, he served on the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a Senior Advisor to the Executive Director for Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean Constituency.

The Governor’s substantive career from 1990 to 2012 was also in central banking, in various economic policy and research capacities.  In addition, he has contributed as an Adjunct Lecturer, in Economics, at the American University (2008) in Washington, DC and for many years as a Part-Time Lecturer in Economics and Statistics at the College of the Bahamas. 

He holds graduate degrees in Economics from the American University in Washington DC and Carleton University in Ottawa Canada; and is an undergraduate of the University of Western Ontario, Canada and the College of The Bahamas.

The Governor has also earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

The Governor has published scholarly articles in a number of professional journals, and maintains research interests in monetary, fiscal and exchange rate policies.

Mr. Kareem Michael serves as the present Governor of the Central Bank of Belize. The Governor is appointed by the Governor General of Belize on the advice of the Prime Minister. He serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Bank and is responsible for providing strategic direction and leadership, subject to the general overview of the Bank’s Board of Directors.

The Governor's principal focus is on the design and execution of policies that underpin monetary and exchange rate stability, soundness and development of the financial system and economic growth. The Governor undertakes and oversees Central Bank communications with the public to ensure that these are in alignment with the Bank’s primary goals and objectives.

Her Excellency Froyla Tzalam, Governor-General of Belize, on the advice of the Hon. John Briceno, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment, appointed Mr. Kareem Michael as Governor of the Central Bank of Belize, with effect from 1 December 2021.

Mr. Michael began his work at the Central Bank as Monetary Economist in 2000. He later led the development of and oversaw the Bank’s Statistical Unit and was promoted to Deputy Director of the Research Department in 2008. In 2014, Mr. Michael resigned from the Central Bank to take up the position of Senior Business Analyst at the Belize Electricity Limited. He returned to the Central Bank as Deputy Governor in November 2017, with responsibility for the Financial System Supervision Department, Research Department, and Compliance Unit.

Mr. Michael performed as Acting Governor since 13 August 2021, before assuming the substantive position of Governor. Mr. Michael brings a wealth of supervisory and regulatory experience to the role. His areas of expertise include Monetary Policy, Exchange Rates and Capital Flows, Economic Indicators and Survey Methods, Financial Programming and Policies, Monetary and Financial Statistics Compilation, Leadership Development, and Project Management. Mr. Michael holds a Master of Public Administration Degree in Economics from the Columbia University in New York City, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Valdosta State University in Georgia, USA.

Richard Owen Byles was born in Kingston, Jamaica on 25 February 1951.

He has served the private and public sectors in several senior management positions spanning three decades, and is one of the most accomplished corporate leaders of his generation.

Mr. Byles was appointed Governor of Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) effective 19 August 2019.

Before assuming the role of BOJ Governor, he served as Chairman of Sagicor Group Jamaica Limited following 13 successful years at the helm of Sagicor Group Jamaica as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Prior to his tenure at Sagicor, Mr. Byles served as President and CEO at PanJam Investment Limited for 13 years.

Mr. Byles was recently appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Financial Services Commission effective 23 January 2023.
He was also appointed as the Chairman of the CARICOM Central Bank Governors meetings for 2023.

In addition to serving as Chairman for several Sagicor Group-related boards, he was also Chairman of several other boards, including Desnoes and Geddes Limited (Red Stripe Jamaica), and a Director on others, including PanJam Investment Limited.

His public sector service includes serving as the first private sector Co-Chairman of Jamaica’s landmark Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC).

Mr. Byles holds a BSc in Economics from The University of the West Indies, Mona, and a MSc in National Development from the University of Bradford, England. He was awarded the Doctor of Humane Letters from Northern Caribbean University, and the Doctor of Business from the University College of the Caribbean.

He is also an inductee to the Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ) Hall of Fame, and an awardee from both the Observer and Gleaner publications for his work as a private sector business leader.

Mr. Byles is married to Jacinth and has two sons, Pavel and Yannick.

Dr. Ernest Kwamina Yedu Addison earned a PhD in Economics from McGill University in Montreal, Canada in June 1993 with specialization in Monetary Economics, Economic Development and International Economics. Prior to this, he had gained an M.Phil in Economics and Politics from Cambridge University as an ODA scholar.  Dr Addison graduated earlier with a B.A (Hons) degree in June 1986 from the University of Ghana.  Over the period of his career at the Central Bank, Dr Addison has taken several Central Banking training programmes in financial programming and policy, central bank reserves management with the IMF, the Swiss Central Bank, the Bank of England and the Bank of Israel to name a few.

Upon graduation at Legon, he taught as a Teaching assistant in the Economics Department, and following that a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Department of Economics at McGill University and a part time lecturer at the faculty for continuing education at McGill University. Dr Addison worked extensively in the Economic Policy arena, working with a group of consultants on the Privatization of the Kingston Harbour in Jamaica.  He later on joined the Bank of Ghana where he rose to become the Head of Research Department at the Bank of Ghana from 2003 to 2011.  During this period, Dr. Addison played key roles in the decision-making processes, participated in several discussions with IMF/World Bank Teams on Ghana’s Financial Programmed, and was a core member of Bank of Ghana delegations to high level policy meetings on the Ghanaian economy.  He also chaired several Committees, including the International Taskforce on WAMZ, Economic Policy Coordinating Committee, and the Technical Committee on Redenomination of the Cedi, and the Taskforce on Second Monetary Zoon Project.

Dr. Addison took some time off and joined the African Development Bank as Lead Economist, Regional Operations 2011 to 2013, and then as Lead Regional Economist Southern African Resource Centre from 2014 to 2016 where he led the policy dialogue in the Southern African region of the African Development Bank.

With this illustrious career spanning over 30 years of experience working in the broader areas of public service, with a focus on Economic Development, Monetary Policy Formulation and Implementation, and Macroeconomic Surveillance, Dr. Addison was appointed Governor of the Bank of Ghana on April 3, 2017 by His Excellency, Nana Akufo Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana.  With his deep knowledge and experience in financial markets, foreign exchange market and sound macro-economic, Governor Addison has demonstrated strong leadership, management and policy skills, and inspired confidence and credibility both within the Bank and throughout the financial sector.

Under his leadership, the Bank of Ghana has achieved several successes in the pursuit of macroeconomic and financial stability, following the implementation of prudent monetary policies to bring inflation down to single digits, and widespread policy and regulatory reforms including major recapitalization efforts over the years.  This has cleaned up the financial sector, strengthened governance and the supervisory frameworks, and repositioned the sector to undertake its primary role of financial intermediation for the growth and development of the country.

In addition to his Governorship role, Dr. Addison served as the Chair of the Board of Governors of the IMF and World Bank at the 2020 Annual meetings of the World bank and the IMF in Washington DC.  He is currently a Co-chair, of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), a Regional Consultative group for Sub-Saharan Africa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ghana International Bank, and a member of the Ghana Cocoa Board, among others.

Tobias Adrian is the Financial Counsellor and Director of the Monetary and Capital Markets Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In this capacity, he leads the IMF’s work on financial sector surveillance, monetary and macroprudential policies, digital money, financial regulation, bank resolution, debt management, capital markets, and climate finance. He also oversees capacity building activities in IMF member countries with regard to the supervision and regulation of financial systems, bank resolution, central banking, monetary and exchange rate regimes, central bank digital currency, and debt management. 

Prior to joining the IMF, Mr. Adrian was a Senior Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Associate Director of the Research and Statistics Group. At the Federal Reserve, he contributed to monetary policy, financial stability policies, and to crisis management.  

Mr. Adrian has published extensively in economics and finance journals. His research spans macro-finance, monetary policy, financial stability, and climate finance, with a focus on aggregate consequences of capital markets developments. He has taught at Princeton University and New York University. He is member of the editorial boards of the International Journal of Central Banking and the Annual Review of Financial Economics.  

Mr. Adrian holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Economics, an MSc from the London School of Economics in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, a Diplom from Goethe University Frankfurt and a Maîtrise from Dauphine University Paris. He received his Abitur in Literature and Mathematics from Humboldtschule Bad Homburg. 

Alexandre Tombini became Chief Representative of the BIS Office for the Americas on 1 September 2019.

Before joining the BIS, he was Executive Director of the Board at the International Monetary Fund for Brazil, Cabo Verde, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname, Timor-Leste and Trinidad and Tobago.

Previously, he served as Governor of the Central Bank of Brazil. Also, at the Central Bank of Brazil he held the roles of Deputy Governor for Financial System Regulation and Deputy Governor for Economic Research.

He also held positions as a Board member of the BIS and Chairman of the Standing Committee on Budget Resources of the Financial Stability Board.

Mrs. Natalie Haynes has devoted her career to central banking and has served Bank of Jamaica and the Jamaican people for over 35 years. Born in St. Catherine, Jamaica Mrs. Haynes was educated in Jamaica at the University of the West Indies Mona, where she obtained a BSc degree in Economics and History (Honours) which she received in 1985 and a Masters degree in Economics, which she received in 1988.

In 2019, Mrs. Haynes was appointed to the Executive Management of the Bank as Deputy Governor with responsibility for the Banking & Currency Operations and Payment System and Money Services Oversight Divisions. She currently leads a dynamic team of over 100 staff members, spanning seven departments.

Throughout her career at Bank of Jamaica, Mrs. Haynes has spearheaded growth and innovation in the areas for which she has responsibility that have fostered the development of the local financial market. She was a critical part of the team for the implementation of the JamClear® Real Time Gross Settlement System and the JamClear® Central Securities Depository. In addition, in 2020, she was responsible for the implementation of the JamClear® Foreign Exchange Trading Platform. These financial markets infrastructures have not only served to modernize the financial system in Jamaica but also promoted development by ensuring transparency and price discovery. As Chairman of the Bank’s Oversight Committee for the implementation of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), Mrs. Haynes is leading the charge for this major fintech innovation by the Bank. She also serves as Chairman of Retail Payments of Jamaica and the National Payments Council and is a member of the Bank’s Financial Policy Committee.

Most recently, Mrs. Haynes lead the process to introduce a redesigned series of Jamaican banknotes to the public, which included the introduction of a new $2000 note. This was indeed a historic accomplishment, as it marked the second time in our nation’s history that Bank of Jamaica released a full series of banknotes. The first time was in 1969 when Jamaica changed from pound, shilling and pence to dollars and cents.

Throughout her career at BOJ Mrs. Haynes has represented the Bank at many international conferences and has served as a member of several international committees including the Caricom Fintech Working Group, Center for Latin American Monetary Studies (CEMLA) Forum on Fintech Data Gaps, Western Hemisphere Payments and Security Settlement Forum and the World Bank Expert Group on Faster Payments.

In her private life, Mrs. Haynes is an active member of her church Unity of Jamaica, having previously served as Chairman of its Board, and is a Platform Assistant. She is a devoted wife and mother to her two children Robyn and Nathan-Edward.

Dr. Dorian M. Noel is currently the Deputy Governor (Monetary Operations and Policy) of the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago and a Governor of the Board of Governors of the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund of Trinidad and Tobago (HSF).

Dr. Noel is a former Commonwealth Scholar to the ICMA Centre (The Business School for Financial Markets) at Henley Business School, University of Reading, where he obtained his PhD in Finance. He is also a former Commonwealth Academic Fellow to the Systemic Risk Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Dr. Noel holds a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) professional designation from the CAIA Association. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the advancement of the Institute of Banking and Finance of Trinidad and Tobago (IBF), Dr. Noel was conferred with the title of Fellow of the Institute of Banking and Finance of Trinidad and Tobago in 2014.

Valda Frederica Henry is the Deputy Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. She is VF Inc.’s former Chief Executive Officer and Principal Trainer. She formerly served as a Senior Investment Officer at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank and played an instrumental role in the restructuring of the Investment Unit and the development of the Investment Management Framework of the Bank. She has lectured in, among other subjects, Human Resource Management and Accounting and has extensive experience in organisational reviews, job analyses and job descriptions working with companies in the Caribbean and served as the Coordinator of the Administrative Reform Program of the Commonwealth of Dominica. She has served as a Mentor for Executive and Middle Managers in many sectors including banking, hospitality and utility. Valda is also a Global Human Resources and Organizational Development Expert who excels at collaboration, with very strong interpersonal, communications, leadership and decision-making skills. She has developed and led numerous multi-year personal and professional development programs for youth in Dominica as well as individuals and businesses throughout the Caribbean. She hosted a weekly radio and twice- monthly television programs on which she discussed solutions to challenges faced by businesses in the region. She wrote a Column, “Business and Life,” for the online newspaper, “Dominica News Online. Valda holds formal qualifications in Financial Analysis and Planning, Governance and Business Management. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst, holds a PhD in Industrial Relations & Business, Masters of Business Administration, Bachelors in Management and Bachelors in Law. She is a Certified Global Professional in Human Resources, Society for Human Resource Management, Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and an Accredited Director. She is also a Certified ProNet Trainer and a Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Practitioner and a Certified “Train the Trainer” for InfoDev and the Women Innovators Network in the Caribbean (WINC).

George Roper FCA, FCCA, CISA (non-prac.), B Sc. (Hons.) is employed with the Bank of Jamaica as Deputy Governor with responsibility for Finance, Technology and Administration, having served as the Bank’s Supervision Evaluation Expert between August 2017 and February 2019. Prior to that, Mr Roper was the Vice President Compliance – Scotiabank Group Jamaica (2010 – 2017). In that position he had responsibility for the leadership and oversight of the AML/CFT and financial regulatory compliance programmes of Scotiabank and its affiliates in Jamaica.

Mr Roper was previously the Deputy Executive Director of the Financial Services Commission (FSC), taking up that position on April 1, 2007. The Commission is the public sector body responsible for regulating the investments, insurance and pension sectors in Jamaica. Mr Roper acted as Executive Director of the FSC in 2008, during which time the FSC fearlessly took decisive action against unregulated financial organizations. During that period, the FSC also made significant progress in the registration of pension funds. Mr Roper had previously served as Senior Director of Securities at the FSC and prior to that was its Senior Director of Examinations and Investigations.
Mr Roper is a former President and CEO of Mayo Holdings Limited (1998-1999) a management consultancy practice specializing in providing value-added outsourced internal audit services for clients operating in the investment, merchant banking, fast food, real estate property management and hospitality industries. Mr Roper was also previously the Head of Information Systems Audit at ICWI Group (1992–1995) and Chief Internal Auditor at Jamaica Mutual Life Assurance Society (1995-1997). Over his career he led or directly conducted audit assignments which uncovered fraud and irregularities in North America, Jamaica, and other parts of the Caribbean.
Mr Roper is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica (“ICAJ”), a Fellow of the UK’s Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, and holds a B Sc. degree in Management Studies. He is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor (“CISA”) having extensive experience in financial statement and information systems auditing which was gained as an employee of “big four” international audit firm PriceWaterhouse between 1984 and 1992.
Mr. Roper has been an insightful, vibrant and much sought after presenter at conferences and seminars. He has presented on matters related to regulation, audit and compliance at events held in the Americas, Caribbean and Europe, organized by prominent organizations such as the International Organization of Securities Commissions, Council of Securities Regulators of the Americas, The International Symposium on Economic Crime (at Cambridge University in the UK), the Institute of Internal Auditors (“IIA”), the ICAJ, the FSC, the IMF administered Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Centre, the Caribbean Group of Securities Regulators, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (headquartered in St. Kitts), the Caribbean Association of Insurance Regulators, the Jamaica Institute of Financial Services, the Jamaica Bankers Association, the Florida International Bankers Association, KAW Management Services (Antigua), Global Compliance Solutions (Cayman), the Jamaica Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Jamaica Stock Exchange (“JSE”) and the Jamaica Chapter of the Global Association of Risk Professionals.

Since July 2021, Mr. Roper has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Jamaica, appointed by the Governor General to that role. He is also a member of the Board of Commissioners of the FSC, an appointment that took effect in February 2023.

Mr. Roper is a former member of the ICAJ’s Audit Practices Committee (1999 – 2023) and of the Public Accountancy Board (2014 to 2016), the body with statutory authority to register public accountants. Since 2011, he has been a member of the Board of Governors of the JSE’s e-Campus. Between 1997 and 1998, Mr. Roper was President of the Jamaica Chapter of the IIA and was a member of the chapter’s Board of Governors (2013 to 2020). He is a member of the Kiwanis Club of North St Andrew and a proud past student of the 100 plus year old Calabar High School, which has a rich tradition of achievement in academics, sports, arts and contributing to the building of Jamaica as a nation state.

Mrs Hemlata Sadhna Sewraj-Gopal was appointed, with effect from the 1st of March 2020, Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Mauritius by His Excellency the President of the Republic upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

Mrs Sewraj-Gopal joined the Bank of Mauritius in 2003. Prior to her appointment as Second Deputy Governor, Mrs Sewraj-Gopal was the Secretary to the Bank of Mauritius. In that capacity, she also acted as Secretary to the Board, Secretary to the Audit Committee, Member of the Investment Committee and Chairperson of the Tender Committee. In the course of her career, Mrs Sewraj-Gopal has overseen several key departments including Human Resources, Procurement as well as Accounting and Budgeting.  

Prior to joining the Bank of Mauritius, Mrs Sewraj-Gopal was Director- Corporate services at the Board of Investment (2001-2003), Financial Controller at the Mauritius Export Development and Investment Authority (1997-2001) and Manager at KPMG Mauritius (1993-1997). Mrs Sewraj-Gopal also worked for three years in London at Arthur Andersen.

A State Scholar, the Second Deputy Governor holds a Bachelor in Economics and Social Studies (Honours) from the University of Manchester. Mrs Sewraj-Gopal is also a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW).

As Second Deputy Governor, Mrs Gopal is in charge of Supervision Division, Corporate Services Division and Accounting and Budgeting Division of the Bank.

She is currently a Board Director in the following institutions:

1. Financial Reporting Council (Responsible for licensing of auditors and  monitoring corporate financial reporting of public interest entities among others)
2. Mauritius Investment Corporation (Investment Company & Subsidiary of the Bank)
3. National Committee on Corporate Governance
4. Regional Centre of Excellence (Training Centre, funded by Bank of Mauritius and Financial Services Commission)
5. Member of the HSBC/MIOD Climate Governance Initiative

Elsie Addo Awadzi is a Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, having been appointed to the role in February 2018. She has oversight of the Bank of Ghana’s banking supervision, market conduct, and financial stability functions, among others. She is a member of the Bank’s Board of Directors, a member of the Monetary Policy Committee, and a member of Ghana’s Financial Stability Council which has representation from financial regulatory authorities in Ghana and the Finance Ministry. She also oversees the Bank’s sustainable banking initiative and chairs the Alliance for Financial Inclusion’s Gender Inclusive Finance Committee which provides thought leadership and guidance to the 100-member AFI network on the design and implementation of measures to close the gender gap in access to finance in developing countries.

Her career over the last 27 years has spanned law, finance, governance, policy and regulation. Before her appointment as Deputy Governor, Elsie was Senior Counsel of the Financial and Fiscal Law Unit of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) where she conducted financial sector stability assessments on a number of G20 countries, and provided technical assistance for the design and implementation of banking supervisory, resolution, and crisis management frameworks and fiscal public financial management frameworks in a number of IMF member countries. Before joining the IMF in 2012, Elsie was a Commissioner of Ghana’s Securities & Exchange Commission for six years, worked as an independent consultant for the World Bank, IFC, DfID, Commonwealth Secretariat, and USAID on key financial sector policy and regulatory reforms in Ghana, Africa, and the Caribbean for several years, and worked in private law practice and banking, among others.

She holds an LL.M. degree (International Business and Economic Law) from the Georgetown University Law Center (2012), M.B.A. (Finance) and LL.B. Degrees from the University of Ghana (2000 and 1993 respectively), and a post-graduate qualifying certificate to practice law from the Ghana School of Law (1995). She also holds a Certificate in Executive Public Leadership from the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government (2012) and a Certificate in WTO Studies from the Georgetown University Law Center (2012).

Filipe Dinis served as the Bank of Canada’s first Chief Operating Officer (COO) from 2014 until his retirement from the Bank in June 2024. As COO, he oversaw the Bank’s operations, strategic planning, risk and corporate functions, including the currency function, with a focus on cybersecurity and operational resilience.

Throughout his tenure, Mr. Dinis was a leader of innovation, driving the digital transformation of the Bank’s operations and promoting the adoption of new technologies and approaches to better face future challenges.

Mr. Dinis promoted innovation and resilience beyond the Bank as well and led the creation of the Canadian Financial Sector Resiliency Group, a public-private partnership responsible for coordinating sector-wide responses to systemic-level operational incidents and for strengthening the financial sector’s critical infrastructure.

Before joining the Bank, Mr. Dinis served in the Privy Council Office as Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, providing strategic advice and analysis to the Clerk of the Privy Council on business transformation and public service renewal. He also served as Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee on the Public Service. Before that, he was Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Commissioner at the Canada Revenue Agency.

Mr. Dinis holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and is a chartered professional accountant. He currently serves as Chair of the Audit and Finance Committee on the Board of Directors of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. In 2023, he was made a CPA Fellow in recognition of his exceptional leadership and contributions to the profession and to his community. Mr. Dinis also received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Clair Mills is the Director of Strategic Change and Operations for the Markets, Banking and Payments Deputy Governorship, at the Bank of England, and is responsible for middle and back office operations, which includes delivery of the Markets, Banking and Payments Operations and Data Strategy, Budget, Operational Resilience and Risk and the Investment and Change Portfolio. Clair has over 20 years’ extensive financial services experience operating at board level and leading successful strategic and transformational change in a number of complex organisations, having started her career in the Building Society and Retail Banking sector, before moving into Operational and Technological Change Management and Consultancy. Clair joined the Financial Services Authority in 2011 to lead the Internal Twin Peaks programme transition to the PRA and FCA regulatory model, moving across to the Bank of England with the PRA becoming the Chief Operating Officer in the PRA in 2018. In her current role, as well as providing the leadership, management and vision necessary to support the business and to ensure that the proper operational controls, administrative and reporting procedures, and people systems are in place, Clair is also responsible for leading the area’s extensive project portfolio, helping translate business and policy vision into deliverable change programmes, this includes giving key note speeches both in the UK and internationally on topics such as Financial and Regulatory Technology (FinTech/RegTech) and how Central Banks and regulators can take advantage of the advances in technology in the work we do.

Arvinder Bharath brings to bear a blend of experience spanning over 30 years in technology, banking, and policy setting. She started her career in technology working with corporates, conglomerates and tech and telecom giants such as British Telecom, Nortel Systems, Cisco, Compaq and Hewlett Packard. She later joined Barclays Bank where she held senior positions in technology, mergers, acquisitions, and separations across the globe. She then returned to the Caribbean to lead RBC Royal Bank as president and country head for Trinidad and Tobago. Arvinder subsequently moved to the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago as Deputy Inspector of Financial Institutions, transitioning to lead Financial Technology, Information Security and Knowledge and Information departments. She is currently a Digital Risks Expert with the IMF where she provides technical assistance to member countries in management of digital and cyber risks arising from digitalization of the financial services sector, public financial management and adoption of digital currencies. She is involved in various international working groups and forums on transformative technologies such as Quantum Computing, generative AI, DeFi and others. 

Arvinder holds a BSc Hons in Information Technology and an MBA in Banking – both from the University of London.

Luis Guilherme Siciliano Pontes has joined Banco Central do Brasil (BCB) in 2003, having worked in reserve management and FX policy operations. Nowadays he is the Deputy Head of the Foreign Reserves Department. Before that, he was the Head of the Foreign Exchange Division, being responsible for monitoring of and intervention in the Brazilian FX market. On the international reserves side, he was the Head of the Money Market and FX Division, where he also worked as Portfolio Manager and FX Strategist. Prior to joining the BCB, Mr. Pontes worked for five years as an FX Derivatives Trader and Emerging Market Fixed Income Strategist in private investment banks.

Mr. Pontes is graduated in Naval Engineering (1994), has a Master degree in Naval Engineering (1998) and an MBA in Finance (2001).

Nicolás E. Magud is a Senior Economist in the International Monetary Fund. He currently works in the Finance Department, specialized in SDR issues. In the IMF, he previously worked in the Macro-Modeling and Monetary Division of the Institute for Capacity Development and in the Western Hemisphere Department, working on several Latin American countries and in the Regional Studies Division. Before that, he was a professor of international finance at the University of Oregon; associate professor at the University of Buenos Aires; visiting professor at CEMA; teaching assistant at the University Torcuato Di Tella in Argentina; advisor to the President’s Cabinet Secretariat and the Secretariat of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Argentina; and an analyst at Citibank and at the Ministry of Economy of Argentina. Nicolas has published extensively in peer-reviewed international journals. His research focuses on open economy macroeconomics, with an emphasis on exchange rates, capital flows, foreign exchange intervention, capital controls, credit booms, and fiscal policy. He has edited a book on foreign exchange intervention in inflation targeting countries in 2109. He has also worked on topics in international trade and income distribution, and more recently on the macroeconomics of populism and its political economy, and on firm-level investment and information coordination issues. He holds a PhD and an MA from the University of Maryland, an MA from the University Torcuato Di Tella (Argentina), and a licensure from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina).

I am the Head of Reserves and Investment Management Operations at the Central Bank of Uganda since February 2022, prior to that I held several roles all revolving around the reserves management process.

My current role involves providing leadership to the portfolio management team, the global markets research as well as the external fund managers and liaison of the reserves management capacity building programs in the Bank.  The role also involves giving advice to senior management and development of reserves management proposals and frameworks including; the Investment Policy and the Strategic Asset Allocation.

Prior to this role, I was a portfolio manager responsible for the BOU’s money markets portfolio, in the foreign exchange reserves for 7 years. This  required  management and monitoring of daily fx liquidity needs for BOU & government payments, as well as investments in the money markets instruments, proposal and implementation of Strategic Asset Allocation and Investment Policy.

In addition to portfolio management, I’m passionate about efficiency in reserves management operations. In that line, I have taken a lead role in implementing two of the BOU’s reserves management systems which involved automation of the reserves management processes for improved efficiency.

I am also involved in BOU’s sustainability efforts which embody the Bank’s ESG initiatives. I am a member of the taskforce that studied and saw through to approval the Central Bank led model of Sustainability, which is currently being implemented in the BOU.

I possess a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from Makerere University Business School, a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the East and Southern African Management Institute. I am a certified Prince 2 Project Management Practitioner and an ACI Financial Markets Association certified portfolio trader.

Jeremy is a Senior Advisor focusing on the economics of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in the Bank’s CBDC Unit.  He contributed significantly to the Bank’s 2023 CBDC Consultation Paper and the Bank’s 2021 Discussion Paper on New Forms of Digital Money. Jeremy has worked at the Bank for over 25 years in financial stability, market operations, fintech and digital money.  Prior to working at the Bank, Jeremy worked at a consultancy specialising in microeconomic analysis for businesses.  He has a MSc in economics and BSc in mathematics from Warwick University.

As an investment director in Investment Product & Fund Strategies, Diana is responsible for the Global Bond suite of investment approaches. She works closely with the fixed income investment teams and investment directors to help ensure the integrity of their investment approaches by overseeing portfolio positioning, performance, and risk exposures. She meets regularly with the investment teams and contributes to developing new products and client solutions and managing business issues such as capacity, fees, and guidelines. She also participates in meetings with clients, prospects, and consultants to communicate our investment philosophy, strategy, positioning, and performance.

Diana re-joined Wellington in 2021, after previously working at Wellington as a portfolio specialist and, later, investment director in Investment Product & Fund Strategies. Prior to joining Wellington, she worked as a portfolio analyst at New Holland Capital, LLC. Before that she worked at Citigroup as an analyst in the Global Securitized Markets Group.

Diana earned an MBA, with honors, from the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) and a BA in economics from Yale University. Additionally, she holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the CFA Institute and New York Society of Security Analysts.

Jim Cunha was an Executive Vice President and former interim COO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.  His entire career has focused on the interrelationship of payments, security, technology and innovation.

In addition to Cunha’s interim CAO role, for 2022 he was responsible for financial management activities across all Federal Reserve Banks.    

Most recently, Cunha spearheaded the Boston Fed’s efforts to study distributed ledger technology, or blockchain, to determine potential benefits and risks in financial services for internal and external uses. He was also responsible for the Bank’s technology research related to central bank digital currencies (CBDC), including a joint research effort with MIT’s Digital Currency Initiative called “Project Hamilton”. 

Over the last couple of decades be built and ran a number of payment related systems for the U.S. Treasury, was responsible for ACH, Check and Cash operations and run the technology and computer operations groups.   

Cunha has worked at the Boston Fed since 1984. Prior to that, he worked at Fleet National Bank. He holds a bachelor’s in accounting and philosophy from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s in computer science from Rhode Island College.

Maryam Haghighi is the Director of Data Science at the Bank of Canada. In this role, she is responsible for the vision, development and execution of strategies related to data and advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, as well as frontier technologies applicable to macroeconomics and central banking. She works with departments across the Bank to ensure timely robust analysis and insight is delivered towards the Bank’s objectives.

Ms. Haghighi has extensive experience in interdisciplinary leadership and strategic innovation. Prior to joining the Bank, she advanced key files in a variety of economic sectors to deliver tangible business value. Her career has encompassed work in public and private domains in aviation, aerospace, safety, security, health care and finance over many years.

Ms. Haghighi holds a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Ottawa.

Teresa Nainde E. Pascoal is the Director of the Governor’s Office at the Angolan Central Bank (Banco Nacional de Angola, BNA). Teresa was the Co-Chair I of the Financial Inclusion’s (AFI) Financial Inclusion Strategy Peer Learning Group (FISPLG) from 2022 to 2023 and Co-Chair II from 2021-2022. She was previously the Director of the Financial Inclusion Department (Departamento de Inclusão Financeira, DIF) from 2018-2023 and Manager of the Microfinance Project from 2018-2020 at the Angolan Central Bank. In 2018 she led the development of the Financial Inclusion Observatory Project, which began in 2018. Teresa was the Director of the Department of Economic Studies (Departamento de Estudos Económicos, DEE) from 2016 to 2018, and served as the Assistant of Technical and Scientific Projects, as well as Manager of Policies and Systems of Analysis and Prediction. From 2016 to 2017, Teresa was Chair of SADC’s CCBG Macroeconomic Subcommittee.

Teresa is a founding member of the Fulbright Association of Former Scholarship Recipients and served as President from 2006 to 2021 in Luanda, Angola. She also taught Microeconomics at Lusíada University in Angola in the Economics Department from 2005 to 2009.

Teresa holds a Bachelor of International Finance and Economics from Humboldt University, a Master of Development Economics from Williams College, and a master’s degree from International Finance and Economics from Brandeis University.

Ms. Johnson-Calari created and led the World Bank's Reserves Advisory and Management Program (RAMP), which is one of the world's leading providers of consulting and capacity building services to public sector asset managers. In this capacity, she worked globally with central banks, national pension funds and sovereign wealth funds in strengthening governance and building investment management capacity. She contributed to setting global standards of best practice for the management of sovereign assets and liabilities working with the IMF on the Reserves Management Guidelines and the ISWF's "Santiago Principles". Ms. Johnson-Calari has contributed to several books on the topic of portfolio and risk management and was a contributing author and editor of Sovereign Wealth Management, London: Central Banking Publications, 2008. She is a well-known expert on issues relating to central bank reserves management and portfolio management and has spoken widely at international conferences in both official and private sector fora.

She began her career with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in banking supervision with a focus on commercial bank asset/liability and risk management issues. She has earned advanced degrees from the Harvard Business School (GMP, 2004) the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) (MA, 1981) and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). She currently serves as a consultant to several international financial institutions.

Adolfo Sarmiento is Head of Economic Policy and Markets, advising to the board at the Central Bank of Uruguay, he is responsible for the Monetary Policy implementation, and he’s also involved in FinTech specially in the CBDC Projects. He holds a degree in Economics of the University of the Republic of Uruguay, a Master in Applied Macroeconomics of the Catholic University of Chile and a PhD in Economics for the Catholic University of Argentina.

Kristina Hooper joined Invesco Ltd. in 2017 and is Chief Global Market Strategist. Prior to Invesco, Ms. Hooper was US investment strategist at Allianz Global Investors, having previously held positions at PIMCO Funds, UBS (formerly PaineWebber) and MetLife. She has regularly been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Reuters and other financial news publications. She was featured on the cover of the January 2015 issue of Kiplinger’s magazine, and has appeared regularly on CNBC and Reuters TV.

Ms. Hooper earned a BA degree, cum laude, from Wellesley College; a J.D. from Pace University School of Law, where she was a Trustees’ Merit Scholar; an MBA in finance from New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, where she was a teaching fellow in macroeconomics and organizational behaviour; and a master’s degree from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labour Relations, where she focused on labour economics.

Ms. Hooper holds the Certified Financial Planner, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, Certified Investment Management Analyst and Chartered Financial Consultant designations. She serves on the board of trustees of the Foundation for Financial Planning, which is the pro bono arm of the financial planning industry, and Hour Children.

Sudhanshu currently handles the oversight function in the Department of Payment and Settlement Systems in RBI. This includes on-site and off-site monitoring of National Payments Corporation of India, Card Payment Networks, non-bank Prepaid Payment Instrument Issuers and other entities authorised by RBI. He has been instrumental in ensuring implementation of safety and security measures in the payments ecosystem. He has played a key role in creation of Central Payments Fraud Information Registry, which is a repository of payment related frauds being reported by the scheduled commercial banks / prepaid payment instrument Issuers in respect of those reported by customers as well as identified by themselves. He has also been important factor in construction of comprehensive Digital Payment Index (RBI-DPI), a first of its kind across the world, to capture the extent of digitisation of payments across the country.

A career central banker with over 24 years of experience, he also has extensive experience in the banking regulation and supervision space, as well as rural credit and foreign exchange aspects.

He represents the RBI on some of the International Working Groups such as, Expert Group on Cross-Border Payments Task Force on Targets, and Cross-Border Payment FX Workstream. He has also been a part of the Cross-jurisdictional Teams for conducting PFMI Assessments of various jurisdictions.

He is a post-graduate in Geology and loves travelling and driving.

Gustavo Santinoni Vera joined Banco Central do Brasil (BCB) in 2003 and has since focused on a successful career primarily in the Foreign Reserves Department. He has gained extensive experience across various areas within the department, with a particular emphasis on settlement and payments, where he contributed to the implementation of numerous new operations involving a wide range of financial instruments for investing the Brazilian Foreign Reserves. Additionally, he spent 3 years at the fixed income desk, actively involved in implementing new asset classes like MBS/TBAs.

Throughout his career, Vera's expertise has revolved around payments, security, and innovation. Notably, he served as the head of the operation division in the Department of Competition and Financial Market Structure, playing a pivotal role in the successful launch of the Brazilian fast payment system (PIX) in 2020.

Recently, Vera has returned to the Foreign Reserves Department, resuming his role as the Head of the Payments Division. His academic achievements include a Master of Science degree in economics, specializing in monetary policy, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2017). He also holds a master’s degree in Financial Regulation and Economic Law from the Universidade de Brasília (2006) and a Bachelor's degree in economics from the same institution (1991).

Juan is a Senior Financial Officer in the World Bank Treasury, where he works as an engagement manager for the Reserves Advisory and Management Partnership (RAMP).  He is responsible for coordinating and developing capacity building programs and technical assistance for RAMP’s members.

Prior to joining RAMP, Juan was the Chief Investment Officer of Fogafin, Colombia’s deposit insurance agency, overseeing the investment of all portfolios and reporting directly to the institution’s board of directors. He also worked on resolution strategies, financial crisis simulations, and liability modeling. Additionally, Juan has substantial experience in reserve management. He began his career as a portfolio manager for Colombia’s central bank, where he was later promoted to head of risk management and as the technical advisor to the Deputy Governor supporting the bank’s strategic planning. As head of risk management, he led the development of investment guidelines and risk management initiatives, and he supervised the external management program.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, as well as a master’s degree in applied economics and a master’s degree in applied statistics, both from the University of Michigan in the United States. Juan also has a PhD in Finance from EDHEC Business School in France. He is a CFA and an FRM charterholder.

Neha Mukhi is a Senior Energy and Climate Change Specialist at the World Bank based in Washington, DC working on sustainable finance and clean and resilient energy solutions. She leads WB’s work in the Caribbean region on energy transition and resilience and green finance. Currently, she is leading the renewable energy investments in the Eastern Caribbean that use innovative financial solutions to mobilize private capital for affordable, clean and resilient energy in the region. Neha leads WB’s global engagement on integrating resilience in energy sector planning and investments as part of WB country engagements. In the Africa region, she led World Bank's climate change engagement in South Africa to advance efforts on long-term climate and development strategies through ‘whole of economy’ approaches. In her prior role with the WB’s Climate Change Group, she a led a range of initiatives focusing on mitigation, adaptation and finance supporting countries in their national climate and development actions and the working internally in the WB to develop and implement climate-related policies. She has also worked on clean energy investments and strategies in East Asia and South Asia. Neha has an M.S. in Energy and Climate Policy from Harvard University and Bachelor of Engineering in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering, India.

Guly Sabahi is Senior Advisor, Climate Finance, for the NDC Partnership Support Unit. Working across both the NDC Partnership's Country Engagement and Knowledge and Learning teams, Guly focuses on providing strategic advice and thought leadership to the climate finance efforts of the NDC Partnership to facilitate private sector investment for the implementation of the NDCs.

Guly has 20 years of experience advising private sector and public sector clients on energy and infrastructure projects internationally, particularly in emerging markets. Prior to joining the NDC Partnership, Guly was a senior executive in an international engineering firm, working on infrastructure and energy projects for governments in the Middle East and Africa. Previously, Guly practiced for 15 years at Big Law (including as a law firm partner), where she advised clients on equity and debt financing transactions and projects (including PPPs, JVs, M&A, PE fund formation) in energy and infrastructure sectors in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Guly has also led the capacity building programs for government officials at the International Law Institute (ILI) – to facilitate energy and infrastructure projects, particularly, in Africa. She has also served as Vice President and Director of the Association of International Energy Negotiators (AIEN), where she spearheaded the AIEN’s sustainability taskforce. Over the years, Guly has chaired, and presented at, a number of professional events – focusing on energy transition, PPPs and infrastructure finance, investments in emerging markets, and ESG.

Ms Sharmyn Powell has been employed at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank for over 27 years and currently holds the position of Chief Risk Officer.  She leads the Office of Corporate Strategy and Risk Management with responsibility for Enterprise Risk Management, Compliance, Strategic Planning and Business Continuity Management.

Prior to assuming this role, she served in various capacities at the Bank including, Deputy Director, Accounting Department, Director, Currency Management Department and Director, Support Services Management Department.  She is the Chairperson of the Bank’s Fintech Working Group, which is leading the implementation of the DCash Pilot Project for the issuance of a block-chain based digital version of the EC Currency.

Ms Powell is a Certified Accountant (ACCA), and also carries the designations of Chartered Director (C. Dir) and Audit Committee Certified (A.C.C).  She is also a Certified ISO31000 Internal Risk Control Analyst.

Hans Genberg is a professor of economics at the Asia School of Business and is the senior director of central banking and finance programmes. He has published considerably on issues related to exchange rate regimes, reserve management and capital markets development, having worked in senior roles at the South East Asian Central Bank (SEACEN) Research and Training Centre, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) IMF.​ Hans also has extensive academic experience, having been professor of international economics from 1979 to 2008 and head of the international economics department from 1989 to 1998 at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.​ Hans holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Kieran leads the ECCB’s Greening of the Financial System Initiative for the ECCU Region.  With over 15 years of diversified and consolidated regional and international experience in financial market services, supervision and regulation she also leads ECCB’s Money and Capital Market Development initiatives.  During the last 5 years she has been dedicated to developing and implementing transformative solutions for the region, namely as lead for: Financial Institution’s on the ECCB’s Blockchain-Based Central Bank Digital Currency pilot project, DCash; the Renewable Energy Infrastructure Investment Facility project and the Green Finance Strategy project.  She is a recipient of the ECCB’s 2021 Impact Award for her work on DCash and the IFC-Milken Institute Capital Market Game-Changer’s Policy Shark Tank 2019 award for work done on innovative market based renewable energy financing mechanisms for the Caribbean.

She is a member of the ECCB Securities Settlement Working Group, the ECCB Fintech Working Group and also represents the Bank on the Commonwealth FinTech Technical Advisory Committee and the SBFN Sustainable Finance Working Group.

Over the years she has been actively involved in strengthening partnerships, knowledge management and capacity building as: a lecturer of the Eastern Caribbean Securities Market Certification program, ECCB Savings and Investment Course and a speaker at various regional and international conferences. Prior to joining the Central Bank, Kieran worked as a Business Development and Private Client Relations professional with the region’s largest full service brokerage firm First Citizens Investment Services Limited.

Kieran has a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Accounting from the University of the West Indies and is a 2018 Graduate Scholar of the IFC-Milken Institute Capital Market Development Fellowship Program at the George Washington University School of Business. As part of her program, she interned as a capital market associate with a New York-based global private equity firm Clayton Dublier & Rice. Kieran currently serves on the alumni committees for Sustainable Finance and ESG, Fintech Blockchain and Digital assets.

Gregory N. Hill is Vice President, Finance & Corporate Services at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). His portfolio includes resource mobilisation, finance, human resources and administrative services, information technology, and communications.

A career investment banker and regional business executive, he has served in senior regional leadership and executive positions including Managing Director of ANSA Merchant Bank Limited in Trinidad and Tobago, Chairman of ANSA Merchant Bank (Barbados), and Head of Corporate Banking & Capital Markets, RBC Financial Caribbean Limited.

Mr. Hill has executed significant financial transactions throughout the Caribbean region in multiple sectors and in multi-currencies for close to 30 years for various sovereigns, conglomerates, projects and issuers, both regionally and internationally.

Mr. Hill is a former Director and Vice President of the Trinidad and Tobago American Chamber of Commerce and served as a Director and Past President of the Securities Dealers Association of Trinidad and Tobago (SDATT).

He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree (Hons) in Economics from the University of the West Indies. Mr. Hill was the Top EMBA graduate of his cohort from the Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business and has led the Alumni Association of the Business School as its Chair. He also attended the Harvard Business School, High Potential Leadership Programme. He is a graduate and Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK) (FCCA), a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad and Tobago (ICATT) and represents the Caribbean region as a Committee Member of the Accountants for Business Global ACCA Forum, based in the UK.

Karmendra Kohli is a cybersecurity leader with over 23 years of experience in information/cyber security and information risk management. As the CEO and co-founder of SecurEyes, Karmendra has transformed a two-person start-up into a global cybersecurity company, known for delivering cutting-edge security solutions tailored to complex sectors such as finance, government, and healthcare.

With a Master's in Computer Applications and advanced certifications including CISSP, CISA, CRISC, and CISM, he combines technical expertise with a deep understanding of strategic business needs.

Under Karmendra's leadership, SecurEyes has become a trusted partner for over 700 clients across 12 countries, including prominent names in both the public and private sectors. His focus on operational excellence and client-centered solutions has driven the company to conduct more than 14,000 security assessments and gain accolades for several global projects.

A recognised figure in cybersecurity, Karmendra regularly speaks at prominent conferences, sharing insights on the evolving cyber threat landscape and innovations in cyber resilience. He has also served as an advisor to senior management and boards of directors, helping organizations shape their cybersecurity strategies in the face of a rapidly changing threat environment.

Karmendra’s mission is to empower organisations with secure, adaptive, and compliant digital ecosystems. He is passionate about fostering a culture of digital trust and resilience, particularly in critical infrastructure sectors. Looking forward, he aims to further SecurEyes’ global reach, supporting enterprises and governments in their cybersecurity transformation journeys while developing future leaders in the information security industry. 

Allister Hodge is currently Deputy Director in the Research Statistics and Data Analytics Department.  He has been employed at the past 15 years. He has worked in several areas of the department over the last 15 years. Prior to joining the ECCB he worked as an economist at the Ministry of Finance and Economy in Antigua and Barbuda.  He received his Bsc and Msc degrees in economics from the University of West Indies. His main areas of research are in the areas of financial stability  and development and macro-prudential policy. He also has a deep interest in big data analytics and machine learning and their application to economic problems.

Maria Frantzi is a Team Lead and IT Project Manager for Supervisory Technologies and Data  section at the ECB. Maria's expertise extends to driving innovation in diverse industries including the financial sector, leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and data analytics to enhance regulatory processes. Maria holds an Msc on Electronic and Computer Engineering, as well as an Msc on Production Engineering and Management. With a background in project management, data management, and risk management, she has a successful track record of leading technical projects for the  European Insurance and Occupation Pensions Authority (EIOPA), Eurostat and European banks and insurance companies.

Dr. Kevin Finch is an Economist by profession with over 20 years of experience. He holds a PhD in Governance from the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Studies (UWI), an MBA from the Edinburgh Business School, an ACCA postgraduate diploma in Financial Management and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Economics from the UWI. His professional experience began in the insurance industry, serving in areas such as pension fund administration and investment management. Dr. Finch has been employed as an Economist at the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago since 2003, where a significant portion of his initial portfolio involved surveillance of the energy sector. Most of his tenure has been with the Research and Policy department where his responsibilities cover macroeconomic diagnostics, economic forecasting, applied research and policy formulation. As Manager of the Research department, his current functions span monetary policy, financial stability and the Central Bank’s international relations. Dr. Finch has also functioned in other capacities such as, Technical Assistant to the Governor and a three-year sojourn as representative for Trinidad and Tobago and Senior Advisor to the Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund.  In terms of national service, Dr. Finch served as a Director and Deputy Chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Postal Corporation from 2017 to 2020 and is currently an Alternate Director of the Deposit Insurance Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago.

Steen Byskov is a Senior Financial Officer at the World Bank’s Treasury.  His team provides bespoke structured finance solutions for clients and partners.  These include cat bonds for World Bank clients in emerging markets. Steen previously worked on financial sector development and financial stability in the World Bank’s operational departments for Latin America, Europe and Central Asia, East Asia the Pacific as well for the International Monetary Fund. Steen holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of Copenhagen and an MBA from the University of Maryland.

Jeanne Verrier is an Economist in the Monetary and Capital Markets department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She currently works on digital money and payment systems, leading technical assistance missions on central bank digital currency and conducting analytical projects on the macroeconomic impacts of digital money. Prior to this, she worked in the IMF Asia and Pacific department, Research department and the Institute for Capacity Development. Prior to joining the Fund, she also worked in the World Bank Development Research Group and the Reserve Bank of India. Her research has focused on monetary policy transmission, cross-border banking, financial development, and financial inclusion. Jeanne holds a MSc in Economics from the Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in International Economics from the Graduate Institute of Geneva

Keisha Lashley is the Assistant Manager, Information & Cybersecurity at the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago.  She leads the execution of the organization’s Cybersecurity programme and she provides technical guidance to help the institution maintain a resilient cybersecurity posture.  She has helped to shape the strategic direction of the IT department and has led numerous discussions at the Board and Management levels on cyber-risk.   During her career, Keisha has served in various capacities, including: Chairperson of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Group (CISG) – a threat intelligence group for all regional Central Banks; lead for the CBTT Cybersecurity Incident Response Team (CIRT) and the Technology sub-committee of the Business Continuity Team. Keisha has a Master’s degree in Information Systems from George Washington University and a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from Morgan State University.   She holds various certifications including the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Systems Security Certified Professional (SSCP), Certified Information Technology Manager (CITM) and Project Management Professional (PMP).