Carolina Azar
Director of External Relations
Carolina.Azar@estandardsforum.org

Carolina has more than seven years of experience in operational and financial consulting and more than five years of experience in country risk analysis for Latin America. As the Director of External Relations at eStandardsForum, she is responsible for building and managing research partnerships and alliances around the world as well as establishing communications with local think-tanks, universities, and government officials. Ms. Azar joined eStandardsForum in late 2002 as a Research Associate with a focus on Latin America. Prior to joining eStandards Forum, she was involved with American International Group (AIG) and ING Barings, doing country risk analysis on projects associated with increasing business exposure and assessing financial and political risks in Latin America. She previously served as a Senior Financial Consultant for HLB International in Argentina, advising public and private sector organizations on financial, strategic, and business matters. Ms. Azar started her professional career as a CPA in the Ministry of Economy of Argentina. She holds a Master's degree in International Finance and Business with a focus on Latin America from Columbia University and a Master's degree in Accounting from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Ms. Azar became a licensed CPA in Argentina in 1997. She is a Spanish native speaker and is fluent in English, French, and Portuguese.

Ademola "Remi" Bello
Research Associate
abello@estandardsforum.org

As Research Associate at eStandardsForum, Remi writes country reports on Fiscal and Monetary Policy Transparency, Anti-Money Laundering, and Systemically Important Payment Systems. Prior to joining eStandardsForum in 2008, he was Founder/Publicist of Towncrier Public Relations. In this capacity, he designed innovative small-scale publicity solutions for small businesses and individuals. In addition, Remi worked as a Field Organizer & Spokesperson within the Dick Gephardt for President Campaign in 2003, during which he engaged numerous communities to promote Congressman Gephardt's positions. He was also a Business Reporter for the Austin Business Journal, where he wrote feature articles on Central Texas business trends. Remi holds a Master of International Affairs (International Economic Policy) from Columbia University. While at Columbia, Remi also completed an Africa regional concentration and wrote and presented several papers on the economic development challenges facing the continent. He also holds a BS in Journalism/Film from the University of Texas at Austin. A dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria, Remi is a native Yoruba speaker and is learning French.

Mona David
Executive Assistant
mdavid@estandardsforum.org

Prior to her appointment as Executive Assistant to The Westchester Group, Mona worked as the Director's Assistant for the Oliver Wyman Actuarial Consulting Group of New York, in their Actuarial Consulting Division. Prior to this, Mona worked as an Assistant for Financial Security Assurance, Inc., in both the Compliance and Internal Audit Departments. She has more than seven years experience working for financial firms, and worked specifically in the field of Risk Management for more than two years. She received a Master of Sciences degree from Long Island University, Brooklyn, in 1997, and a B.A. from Buffalo State College in 1995.

Andreas Grimminger
Senior Research Associate
agrimminger@estandardsforum.org

As Co-Head of Research at eStandardsForum, Andreas leads the country teams in their assessments of the standards on Monetary as well as Fiscal Policy Transparency, Corporate Governance, and Securities Regulation. He is also developing all aspects of eStandards' website. Before joining eStandards, he worked at the German Parliament, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, where he co-authored a study on the reform of the international financial system. He also taught International Relations at the University of Regensburg. Andreas holds a Masters' degree in Political Science from the University of Munich and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University. While at Columbia, he concentrated on International Economic Policy and was a Research Fellow at the Center for the Study of Economic Development in Bogota, Colombia. He is a Level III candidate for the Chartered Financial Analyst Program, a German native speaker, fluent in English and Spanish, and conversational in French.

Anuja Pande Joshi
Research Associate
apande@estandardsforum.org

Prior to joining eStandards Forum, Anuja was the principal correspondent at the New Indian Express, a leading Indian news daily. She previously covered Indian politics and business as a correspondent for Sunday, a popular newsweekly of its time. A Shastri-Indo Canadian fellow at the University of Toronto, she worked briefly on issues of gender equality and empowerment within the South Asian community. She holds a Masters' degree in Linguistics from the University of Delhi and a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University. While in graduate school, she interned with Corporate Research and Development, American International Group (New York) and was a research assistant for the Initiative for Policy Dialogue, an institute founded by Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz. Anuja is fluent in Hindi and English and has a working knowledge of Spanish.

Tija Kurian
Senior Research Associate
tkurian@estandardsforum.org

As Co-Head of Research at eStandardsForum, Tija is responsible for supervising the research team's work relating to country-assessments against international standards on Banking Supervision Practices, Systemically Important Payment Systems, Anti-Money Laundering Regimes, and Data Dissemination Practices. Prior to her work at eStandardsForum, Tija worked as an economist at the Beacon Hill Institute, a Boston-based, public policy think tank specializing in Computable General Equilibrium Tax Models, and U.S. state and local policy issues. While at the Beacon Hill Institute, Tija co-authored several policy publications on the Massachusetts state budget and the State's K-12 educational system. She also held the position of Research Associate at the Kuwait Institute of Banking Studies, where she worked on the institute's publications on the financial sector in the Middle East. During the course of her professional career, Tija has also held various internships at such organization as the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Tija has a Master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University and a Master's degree in Economics from Mahatma Gandhi University, India.

Sandrine Merckaert
Research Associate
smerckaert@estandardsforum.org

Prior to joining eStandardsForum, Sandrine interned at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in New York and Geneva. While interning at the Department of Systemic Stability at the Swiss National Bank, she analyzed the development of risk factors within the framework of institutional and private partnerships that contributed to the stability of the Swiss banking sector. She also aided in the negotiations of new, preferential inter-governmental trade agreements as a Trainee in the Trade Relations Division of the European Free Trade Association. Sandrine graduated from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs with an MPA in Economic Policy Management, after having completed a Master of Economics at HEC Lausanne, Switzerland. She also studied international trade, development economics, and labor economics at Lund University's School of Economics in Sweden. Sandrine is a native English and French speaker, as well as fluent in German and conversational in Dutch.

Damon C. Morris, Ph.D.
Director of Policy Studies and Publications
dmorris@estandardsforum.org

Damon is contributor to and editor of eStandardsForum's policy publications, including annual and weekly reports, policy briefs and notes, and independent research. Formerly, Damon was Assistant North American Director of the Trilateral Commission and worked at the Council on Foreign Relations and The Journal of Comparative Politics. Damon earned his B.A. in Political Science at the University of New Orleans, his M.A. in International Affairs at American University (Washington, D.C.), and his Ph.D. in Political Science at the City University of New York, with particular emphasis on International and Comparative Political Economy. He was a Fulbright fellow at the University of Copenhagen, Institute of Political Science, where he also lectured on International Organization and Global Governance.

Mina Tidiani
Research Associate
mtidiani@estandardsforum.org

Mina Tidiani joined eStandardsForum in 2008 as a Research Associate. Prior to eStandards, she worked for a hedge fund where she was responsible for collateral management and served as liaison with the firm's prime broker. She also worked at the World Bank Group for more than three years as a Junior Professional Associate with the World Bank's Private Sector Development Division for the Africa region. At the World Bank, Mina's responsibilities included the production of profiles for different privatization programs; management of the privatization database; implementation of project components in the field; and assessment of the investment climate in various African economies. Mina has also interned with companies in different industries, primarily banking (asset management), oil (distribution), and information systems (writing software). Her education has focused on finance and economics. She earned a B.S. in Economics and Management Information Systems from the University of California and an M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University. She is fluent in English, French, Arabic, and several African languages.

Maria Tolstova
Director of Research
Maria.Tolstova@estandardsforum.com

Maria joined eStandardsForum in 2003 and currently holds the position of Director of Research. In this capacity, she is responsible for managing the activities of the eStandardsForum research team and supervising associates in their assessments of countries' compliance with international standards for insurance regulation, insolvency framework, accounting, and auditing. Maria's primary research interests lie in the area of the worldwide convergence of national accounting standards with International Financial Reporting Standards. Maria brings to eStandards six years of experience gained while working in the developing Russian securities market as an Investor Relations Associate for the Inficom and Vesta investment companies. Maria holds a Master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, with a concentration in International Finance and Energy Management. She has also earned a Master of Arts in Germanic philology and a Master of Economics and Business Administration, both from Saint-Petersburg State University, Russia.

Reshma Varma
Research Associate
Reshma.Varma@estandardsforum.org

Prior to joining eStandardsForum, Reshma worked as Financial Consultant with First Investors Corporation and as Project Manager in an alternative energy research project for the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. Reshma also interned with the Global Compact Office at the United Nations, formulating and developing an electronic resource kit for global corporations to incorporate good corporate governance practices in their organizations. Reshma holds a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) Degree in Political Science from the University of Delhi, India, from where she also got her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Political Science. Her M.Phil dissertation was entitled "Secularism: Recent Debates." Reshma went on to earn a Master's degree in Public Administration from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, with a concentration in International Finance and Policy. Reshma is fluent in Hindi and English, and conversational in Urdu and Bengali.

Matt Zimmer
Chief Operating Officer
mzimmer@estandardsforum.org

Matt has been involved in all aspects of the start-up and ongoing operation of eStandardsForum since it's founding in 2000. He has responsibility for the oversight of the research process, human resource management, outreach to governments, and development of the eStandards website. He has also been responsible for the publication of the eStandards Weekly Report and the project assessing low-income countries. Prior to joining eStandardsForum, he worked as a Program Officer for the Reinventing Bretton Woods Committee, a consultancy and advisory firm addressing issues related to reform of the global financial system. From 1995 to 1997, he worked in Ukraine as a Business Development volunteer with the United States Peace Corps. Mr. Zimmer has a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University, a Master of Business Administration from Pace University, and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Florida. He is a native English speaker and speaks conversational Russian.