Odile Renaud-Basso President at EBRD
Odile Renaud-Basso President at EBRD Odile Renaud-Basso was elected the 7th President of EBRD on 2 November 2020 by the EBRD’s Board of Governors and is the first ever female head of a multilateral development bank. Prior to joining the EBRD, as Director General at the French Treasury, Ms Renaud-Basso oversaw the development of France’s economic policies, leading on European and international financial affairs, trade policies, financial regulation and debt management. In this capacity she also served as Vice-President of the European Economic and Financial Committee, deputy to the G7/G20 groups and French Governor or Alternate Governor of the WB , EBRD and ADB. She was also Chair of the Paris Club. Ms Renaud-Basso is a graduate of the Paris Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po), and an alumna of the Ecole Nationale d’Administration and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Beata Javorcik Professor, Chief Economist at EBRD
Beata Javorcik Professor, Chief Economist at EBRD Beata Javorcik is Chief Economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London. She is on leave from the University of Oxford, where she is the first woman to hold a Statutory Professorship in Economics. She is also a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford and the Director of the International Trade Programme at the Centre for Economic Policy Research in London. She is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee at ifo Institute, University of Munich, as well as of the Executive and Supervisory Committee of CERGE-EI in Prague. Before taking up her position at Oxford, she worked at the World Bank in Washington DC, where she focused on research, lending operations and policy advice. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale and a B.A. in Economics (Summa cum Laude) from the University of Rochester.
Jonathan Charles Managing Director of Communications at EBRD
Jonathan Charles Managing Director of Communications at EBRD Managing Director of Communications at EBRD, responsible for the Bank’s internal and external image and messages. Before joining the EBRD, he was the presenter and editor of BBC World News European breakfast program. Previously he spent 17 years as a BBC foreign correspondent from Frankfurt, Brussels, Paris and New York. His work involved covering events in Russia, including the Beslan School Siege, the Chechen War (1999-2000) and the 1998 Economic Crisis. He also covered the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as many other conflicts, all over the world. One of his specialist areas of expertise was the European Union. He covered the Maastricht Treaty Negotiations and the evolution of the Euro, (1991-2010). He holds both a BA and MA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from University of Oxford.
Heike Harmgart Managing Director for the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region of EBRD
Heike Harmgart Managing Director for the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region of EBRD Heike Harmgart is the Managing Director for the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Based in Cairo, Dr Harmgart is responsible for the formulation and delivery of EBRD’s strategy and business plan for the SEMED region currently including Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon and West Bank and Gaza. She manages a team of 150 staff with an annual business volume of over € 2 billion. A German national, Dr Harmgart joined the EBRD in 2006 as an economist. In 2013 she became EBRD’s first Head of Office in Jordan, based in Amman. She was appointed Director for the Eastern Mediterranean after EBRD expanded under her local leadership into Lebanon and West Bank and Gaza in 2017. Prior to joining EBRD she worked for the Economist Intelligence Unit and the Institute for Fiscal Studies. She holds a PhD in economics from University College London.
Mark Bowman Vice President, Policy and Partnerships at EBRD
Mark Bowman Vice President, Policy and Partnerships at EBRD Mark Bowman is the Vice President for Policy and Partnerships at EBRD. Prior to joining EBRD, he was Director General, International Finance at HM Treasury with responsibility for advancing the UK’s economic and financial interests internationally. He led HM Treasury’s work with foreign finance ministries, central banks and international institutions; and was the UK’s Finance Deputy at the G7 and G20. Mark was also a member of the Treasury’s Executive Management Board. Mark re-joined the Treasury in November 2013 from the Department for International Development (DFID) where he spent two years as Director General, Humanitarian, Security and International Finance, which included oversight of DFID’s humanitarian programmes, its work in the Middle East region and relations with the World Bank. Immediately prior to joining DFID, Mark was Director, Strategy, Planning and Budget at HM Treasury and a member of the Executive Management Board. Mark initially joined the Treasury in 1995 as an economist and has done a number of jobs including Principal Private Secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer (2001 to 2004), Director International Finance (2006 to 2008) and Director Budget and Tax (2008-10). He started his career as an Overseas Development Institute Fellow working in the Mozambican Ministry of Planning and Finance.
Ramit Nagpal Deputy General Counsel at EBRD
Ramit Nagpal Deputy General Counsel at EBRD Ramit Nagpal is the Managing Director, Deputy General Counsel, for Corporate, Finance and Legal Transition at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Mr. Nagpal joined the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) in EBRD in late September 2020, and oversees OGC’s work on corporate, institutional and administrative law, partnerships, legal transition as well as the legal support for the Bank’s treasury operations. Prior to joining EBRD, Mr. Nagpal was the Deputy General Counsel at the Asian Development Bank, where he managed the delivery of OGC’s work program and supervised provision of legal support for lending, borrowing, corporate, institutional, policy formulation and the law and policy reform program. He has a deep understanding of cross-border development financing and IFI frameworks, and an extensive experience in private sector, including at American Express and as a partner at a law firm in India. Mr. Nagpal, an Indian national, holds a Master of Laws degree in International Finance from Harvard Law School, and two Bachelor's degrees; one in Law and the other in Economics, both from the University of Delhi, India.
Michel Nussbaumer Director of Legal Transition Programme at EBRD
Michel Nussbaumer Director of Legal Transition Programme at EBRD Before becoming Director of the Legal Transition Programme, which is the EBRD’s initiative to help its countries of operations upgrade their legal framework for business, Michel worked for almost three years as counsel in the banking operations section. There he was responsible for legal aspects of various investments of the Bank, with a particular focus on SME financing. Michel has practiced as a commercial lawyer in Geneva, Moscow and London. While in private practice, Michel acted as Swiss correspondent for various legal publications and has also published a number of articles on Swiss and Russian legal matters. Michel, who is a Swiss national, received his Masters Degree in Law from the University of California at Berkeley and also was a visiting scholar at Moscow State University.
Catherine Bridge Zoller Senior Counsel at EBRD
Catherine Bridge Zoller Senior Counsel at EBRD Catherine Bridge Zoller is a Senior Counsel for restructuring and insolvency in the EBRD's Legal Transition Team, which aims to promote an investor-friendly, transparent and predictable legal environment in the EBRD countries of operations. Since joining the Bank in 2012, Catherine has led a number of EBRD projects spanning from insolvency law reform to institutional and regulatory capacity building. She has also helped develop strategies for non-performing loan resolution in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (CESEE) both as part of the Vienna Initiative 2 platform and outside the CEE in countries such as Mongolia, Turkey and Ukraine. Prior to joining the Bank, Catherine was a senior associate in the Restructuring and Insolvency department of Clifford Chance LLP and worked in the firm's London, Milan and Munich offices and was seconded to Dubai, where she contributed to reform of the United Arab Emirates Bankruptcy Law. A UK and Canadian national, Catherine is a qualified solicitor in England & Wales and a graduate of Oxford University. She is fluent in French, German and Italian.
John Taylor Professor of International Finance and Trade Law at Queen Mary University of London
John Taylor Professor of International Finance and Trade Law at Queen Mary University of London John Taylor is Professor of International Finance and Trade Law at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London and a consultant on international law, finance and corporate governance. His cross-border corporate and finance experience, over 50 years, is exceptionally diverse. He has practiced in leading law firms in Australia, the UK and the USA and held senior international management roles in law and finance in banks, a private equity firm and a global fund manager. At various times during his career, he has held increasingly responsible legal and banking positions in the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, where he was a former General Counsel. He has law degrees from the University of Adelaide, Australia, and from Harvard Law School (Frank Knox Fellow, 1968-69) and has published widely on international finance and several other legal topics.
Rodrigo Olivares-Caminal Professor, Banking and Finance Law at Queen Mary University of London
Rodrigo Olivares-Caminal Professor, Banking and Finance Law at Queen Mary University of London Rodrigo Olivares-Caminal is a Professor in Banking and Finance Law at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) at Queen Mary University of London. Prior to joining CCLS he was a Senior Lecturer in Financial Law and the Academic Director at the Centre for Financial and Management Studies (SOAS), University of London and the School of Law, University of Warwick. He taught in undergraduate and postgraduate courses in various Schools of Law and Business Schools in the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, France and Argentina as well as in professional training courses in Africa, Asia and Europe. He has acted as a Sovereign Debt Expert for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Senior Insolvency Expert for the World Bank / IFC and as a consultant to several multilateral institutions in Washington DC and Europe, Central Banks and Sovereign States as well as in several international transactions with Law Firms. He specialises in international finance and insolvency law. He is the author/editor of seven books and has extensively published in peer-reviewed journals. He sits in the editorial/advisory board of several law journals in the UK and US and is a member of national and international institutions and associations specialised in comparative commercial and insolvency law.
Mahesh Uttamchandani Global Manager for Financial Inclusion & Infrastructure in the World Bank Group at World Bank Group
Mahesh Uttamchandani Global Manager for Financial Inclusion & Infrastructure in the World Bank Group at World Bank Group Mahesh Uttamchandani is the Global Manager for Financial Inclusion & Infrastructure in the World Bank Group (WBG). In this role, he manages the WBG’s global work on Insolvency, Fintech, Payments & Consumer Financial Protection. Mahesh is the Chair of the International Committee on Credit Reporting (ICCR) and oversees the World Bank’s Insolvency & Creditor Rights Task Force. Mahesh joined the World Bank’s Legal Vice Presidency in 2006 and has since held various positions at both the World Bank and IFC. Prior to joining the WBG, Mahesh worked at the EBRD and as a commercial litigator at a leading Canadian law firm. Mahesh is a member of the Executive Committee of CGAP, a board member of the legal journal, International Corporate Rescue, and an executive board member of INSOL International. Mahesh is on the Advisory Board of AfricaNenda, an NGO devoted to expanding financial inclusion in Africa. He has published and taught at the university level and lectured extensively in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Erika Papp Managing Partner at CMS Budapest
Erika Papp Managing Partner at CMS Budapest Erika Papp is the managing partner of CMS Budapest and the Head of Finance teams in CEE/CIS. Erika advises financial institutions and other companies on financial transactions and regulatory projects across the CEE region. She has several years’ experience in advising clients on restructuring and insolvency matters. Erika participated in developing the “Budapest rules”, the Hungarian adaptation of the London rules of financial restructuring, a system of support for companies in financial difficulty
Ondrej Vondracek PhD, Legislative officer at Insolvency unit of the Directorate-General for Justice of the European Commission
Ondrej Vondracek PhD, Legislative officer at Insolvency unit of the Directorate-General for Justice of the European Commission Dr. Ondrej Vondracek PhD, is a legislative officer at the insolvency unit of the Directorate-General for Justice of the European Commission. Ondrej Vondracek works on harmonisation of insolvency law in the European Union, both in the area of conflict of laws and substantive insolvency law. He was involved in the preparation of the 2019 Restructuring and Insolvency Directive and is participating on the existing insolvency harmonisation and implementation initiatives
Jose Garrido Senior Counsel at International Monetary Fund
Jose Garrido Senior Counsel at International Monetary Fund José M. Garrido is Senior Counsel and Supervisor of the Insolvency and Creditor Rights Working Group of the International Monetary Fund. Previously, he worked as Senior Counsel for the World Bank also in the area of insolvency and creditor rights. He is an internationally recognized specialist in company law and insolvency and creditor rights, with experience in legal analysis and law reforms in numerous countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. He is Professor of Commercial and Corporate Law at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) (on leave) and practiced with one of the largest transnational law firms in Madrid. He served as the General Counsel and Board Secretary of the Spanish Securities Commission (CNMV). Prof. Garrido holds degrees from the University of Alcala (JD), the University of London (LL.M.) and the University of Bologna (Ph. D.) and has written extensively in the areas of insolvency law, corporate law, and securities regulation.
Christoph Paulus Professor em. of law, Dr at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Christoph Paulus Professor em. of law, Dr at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Christoph G. Paulus is a professor em. of law at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin/Germany from 1994 to 2019 – holding a chair for Civil Law, Civil Procedure Law, Insolvency Law and ancient Roman Law. He had studied law at the University of Munich and has done his LL.M. at the University of California in Berkeley. Being an expert primarily in insolvency law, Prof. Paulus has worked several times as a consultant of both the IMF and the World Bank in Washington DC. Moreover, from 2006 through 2011, he served as an adviser of the German delegation on the UNCITRAL insolvency law sessions. He has lectured worldwide and has held guest professorships at various universities; additionally, he is member of various international institutions such as the American College of Bankruptcy or the International Insolvency Institute (of which he has been a Vice-President until summer 2017). Since his retirement in spring 2019 he is Associate Member of South Square, London, and since September 1, 2019 Of Counsel with White & Case, Berlin. Currently he is member of the European expert group advising the Commission on its harmonization efforts in insolvency law.
Christina Pak Principal Counsel at Asian Development Bank
Christina Pak Principal Counsel at Asian Development Bank Christina Pak specializes in international development finance, law and policy reform, dispute resolution and ESG standards and drives thought leadership on sustainable development issues. She is currently a Principal Counsel of the Asian Development Bank and leads the Office of General Counsel's Law and Policy Reform Program which designs and implements legal and judicial reform technical assistance projects across the Asia and the Pacific region. Christina oversees a diverse portfolio in the areas of environmental protection and climate change, gender equity, private sector development, public-private partnerships and digital economy. She also serves as ADB’s Accountability Mechanism Policy Counsel advising the Board of Directors, the Office of the Compliance Review Panel and the Office of the Special Project Facilitator. In her previous role as a project counsel at ADB, Christina worked on complex multi-sector projects across the Central West, Southeast and East Asia regions. She is a Steering Committee Member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Christina is a US-qualified lawyer, admitted in the States of New York and New Jersey.
Gerard Sanders Senior Adviser to the President and General Counsel Emeritus at Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Gerard Sanders Senior Adviser to the President and General Counsel Emeritus at Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Mr. Sanders is Senior Adviser to the President and General Counsel Emeritus of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, an international financial institution headquartered in Beijing. He earlier served as General Counsel of the AIIB. Previously he was General Counsel at the International Fund for Agricultural Development, a specialized agency of the United Nations, working at its headquarters in Rome. Prior to that, Mr. Sanders held various positions at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development working in its principal office in London, most recently as Deputy General Counsel. Earlier in his career, Mr. Sanders worked for law firms in Wellington, Washington, D.C. and Amsterdam and in a corporate legal role in London. Mr. Sanders graduated with degrees in law and commerce from the University of Otago, New Zealand, and has post-graduate law degrees from Victoria University of Wellington and Harvard Law School.
Samallie Kiyingi General Counsel at African Export-Import Bank
Samallie Kiyingi General Counsel at African Export-Import Bank Samallie Kiyingi is a Director and the General Counsel at the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank). Afreximbank is a multilateral development finance institution devoted to financing and promoting intra and extra African trade. As the chief legal advisor to Afreximbank, Samallie oversees the structuring, negotiation and documentation of the Bank’s transactions which cover various sectors including trade finance, project finance, corporate finance and capital markets. Prior to her current appointment, Ms. Kiyingi held a number of senior positions including, Director and Head of the Securitisation Regulatory Policy and Advisory Group at Deutsche Bank in London, Senior Associate at Clifford Chance in London and was a member of the UK government’s Emerging Capital Markets Taskforce.