Regional Advisory Group: Caucasus and Central Asia*

Mr. Ahmed Masood, Mr. David Owen, Mrs. Ana Lucía Coronel and the members of the Advisory Group for the Caucasus and Central Asia

MEMBERS:

Levon BARKHUDARYAN, Senior Adviser at AVAG Solutions Ltd., Armenia

Levon BARKHUDARYAN, a national of Armenia, has been Senior Adviser at the AVAG Solutions Ltd. since 2001 and Associate Professor at the Armenian State Economic University since 2006, where he is serving as Vice Rector of the university since 2010. Mr. Barkhudaryan was Minister of Finance of Armenia in 1993–97 and in 1999–2000, where he had actively participated in the introduction of the Armenian national currency (dram) and in the design and implementation of the fiscal policy reforms. Mr. Barkhudaryan served as a Board Member of the BTA Bank during 2008–09 and as a Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Armimpexbank during 2001–07. Mr. Barkhudaryan holds a post-graduate degree in Economics from the Central Economic and Mathematical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Oraz JANDOSOV, Director, RAKURS Center for Economic Analysis, Kazakhstan

Oraz JANDOSOV, a national of Kazakhstan, has been Director of the RAKURS Center for Economic Analysis and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Kazakhstan Economic Association since December 2008. Previously, he was Chairman of the Agency for Regulation of Natural Monopolies and Protection of Competition from June 2003 to July 2004. Mr. Jandosov is a former Advisor to the President (January–June 2003), Deputy Prime Minister (December 2000-November 2001), former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance (January 1999–October 1999), former First Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Committee on Investment (February 1998–January 1999), former Governor of the National Bank of Kazakhstan (January 1996–February 1998), and former First Deputy Minister of Economy and Chairman of the National Agency on Foreign Investment (January 1993–January 1994).Mr. Jandosov attended the Moscow State University's Department of Economics for his graduate studies.

Jean LEMIERRE, Advisor to the Chairman, BNP Paribas, France

Jean LEMIERRE, a national of France, took office as Advisor to the Chairman of BNP Paribas on September 1, 2008. Mr. Lemierre has had a long and distinguished career in international finance. He was President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) during 2000–08. Previously, he was Head of the French Private Office of the Minister of Economy and Finance, and Director of France's Treasury. Mr. Lemierre served as a member of the European Monetary Committee and was Chairman of the European Economic and Financial Committee and Chairman of the Paris Club. Previously, he had served as Head of France's Internal Revenue Service, and Head of the Tax Policy Administration. Mr. Lemierre is a graduate of Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Economy, 1971), Degree in Law (1972), and Graduate of Ecole Nationale d'Administration (1976).

Irakli MANAGADZE, Senior Policy Advisor, Financial Institutions Group of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, U.K.

Irakli MANAGADZE, a national of Georgia, is a Senior Policy Advisor at the Financial Institutions Group of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). He is also the Board Member at several banking institutions from the transitional economies, in which the EBRD is a shareholder. Previously, as Chairman of the Central Bank of Georgia (1998—2005), Mr. Managadze reinforced the institution's independence, improved the quality of financial intermediation, and introduced and enforced prudential regulations in line with international best practices. Mr. Managadze also has served as Advisor to the Executive Director representing Georgia at the World Bank. Prior to that, he managed the Division of Economic Policy, in charge of economic reforms and collaboration with International Financial Institutions, in the Cabinet of Ministers of Georgia. He is a former Governor of Georgia for the IMF. Mr. Managadze holds a post-graduate degree in Economics, from the Scientific and Research Institute of Social-Economic and Regional Problems of Georgia.

Thomas MOSER, Alternate Member of the Governing Board, Head of International Affairs, Swiss National Bank, Switzerland

Thomas MOSER, a national of Switzerland, is Alternate Member of the Governing Board and Head of International Affairs of the Swiss National Bank. Mr. Moser was Executive Director at the IMF in Washington, representing the Swiss-led constituency from May 2006 to end-2009. Mr. Moser's prior experiences include his position as Assistant Director and Deputy Head of the International Research and Technical Assistance at the Swiss National Bank during 2004–06 and Senior Advisor to the Swiss Executive Director at the IMF during 2002–04. Mr. Moser obtained his post-graduate degree in Economics from the University of Zurich.

Martha Brill OLCOTT, Senior Associate, Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment, Washington, D.C.

Martha Brill OLCOTT, a national of the U.S.A., is a Senior Associate with the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment. She specializes in the problems of transitions in Central Asia and the Caucasus as well as the security challenges in the Caspian region more generally. She has followed interethnic relations in Russia and the states of the former Soviet Union for more than 30 years. In addition to her work in Washington, she co-directs the Carnegie Moscow Center Project on Religion, Society, and Security in the former Soviet Union. Ms. Olcott is professor emerita at Colgate University, having taught political science there from 1974 to 2002. Ms. Olcott served for five years as a Director of the Central Asian American Enterprise Fund. Prior to her work at the Carnegie Endowment, Ms. Olcott served as a special consultant to former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger. Ms. Olcott obtained her post-graduate degree from the University of Chicago.

Saodat OLIMOVA, Deputy Director and Head of the Public Opinion Service, SHARQ Research Center, Tajikistan

Saodat OLIMOVA, a national of Tajikistan, has been Deputy Director and Head of the Public Opinion Service of SHARQ Research Center since 1997. She has published more than 180 research works, mainly concentrating on migration studies, Islam, and political and social issues. She is a member of the Independent Research Council for Migration in the CIS and Baltic States. Ms. Olimova's prior experience includes being Country Representative of the Swedish "Central Asia and the Caucasus" journal in Tajikistan from 1997 to 2003. She was also Head of Department as a Senior Researcher at the Tajik Academy of Sciences Institute of World Economy and International relations in 1994–98. Over the last ten years, Ms. Olimova has also been a consultant for the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Organization of Migration, and International Labor Organization. Ms. Olimova obtained her post-graduate degree in Philosophy from the Institute of Philosophy of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

Djoomart Otorbaev, Senior Adviser, Investment Climate of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, U.K.

Djoomart OTORBAEV, a national of Kyrgyz Republic, is a Senior Adviser on Investment Climate at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Previously, he was Deputy Prime Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Investments (2002–05). In 2001, he was appointed as a Special Representative of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic on Foreign Investments. Concurrently, he founded, and became the first Executive Director of the Public Association "Investment Round Table"—an NGO known for its contribution to the economic reform progress in the country. He became the CEO of Philips Electronics Representative office in the Kyrgyz Republic in 1996, and later, the Vice President of Philips Electronics organization in Central Asia. In addition to his involvement in government and business, Mr. Otorbaev is the founding member of the Board of Trustees of the American University in Central Asia, the only self-governing liberal arts university in the region since its inception in 1997. Mr. Otorbaev received his post-graduate degree from Lebedev Physical Institute in 1981 and received his Research Professorship in 1989 in Moscow.