Senior Management Committee Members: International Development Research Centre

Aboudou Karim Adjibade is Regional Director, Middle East and North Africa, in Cairo, Egypt. A long-time employee of UNICEF, he was most recently its representative in Yemen and a member of the Regional Management Team for the Middle East and North Africa. Before joining UNICEF, Adjibade worked for USAID in Burkina Faso and taught in the law faculty at the Université de Ouagadougou. He holds a master’s degree in law from the Université de Nancy and a doctorate of law from the Université de Nice.

FEDERICO BURONE
Regional Director, Latin America and the Caribbean (LACRO)
Montevideo, Uruguay

Education/profession – PhD Economics (1997) and MSc Environmental Sciences (1993), University of Valencia, Spain; BSc Ecological Sciences, University of the Republic, Uruguay (1984).

Federico Burone joined the Centre as Executive Director of the Environmental Management Secretariat (EMS) in 1997. He was appointed Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2001.

Other positions – Senior Researcher, European Commission DG XII Project (1994-1997); Research Assistant, Industrial Relations and the Environment Network in Europe (IRENE) (1993-1994); Research Assistant, Research and Development Department, Technological Park of Valencia, Spain (1992-1993).

Education/profession – PhD, Geography, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom.

Simon joined the Centre in 1998, as a Senior Program Specialist in the Agriculture and Environment Program area. In November 2010, he was appointed to the position of Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.

Other positions –Program Manager, Climate Change (2006 – 2010), Program Leader for the Rural Poverty and Environment Program area, IDRC, (2004-2006); Team Leader of Minga Program (1998-2003); Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Program, Nairobi, Kenya (1992-1998). Additionally, from 1983-1986, and 1988-1992, he was at the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture in Cali, Colombia.

MICHAEL CLARKE
Director, Information and Communication Technologies for Development

Education/Profession – PhD Microbiology (1982), University of Guelph, Ontario.

Michael Clarke joined the Centre in January 2007 as Director, Information and Communications Technologies for Development.

Other positions – Director, eCurriculum, Faculty of Medicine and Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, (2004-2006); with the University of Western Ontario, Assistant Dean, Information Technology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry (2001-2002) and Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology (1986-2004).

Michael's career has bridged a bench-based medical research background with continual work in international development mostly across the African continent and in China. His research into the application of new and appropriate information and communications technologies in education and health in both Canada and in the developing world has provided him a broad background for his role at IDRC.

Nikki Dignard was appointed Director, Finance and Administration, in December 2010. Prior to joining IDRC, she was Executive Officer, Campus d’Alfred and Kemptville Campus, University of Guelph; Lecturer, Sprott School of Business, and Administrative Officer, Faculty of Science, Carleton University; Lecturer, Business Programs, Kemptville College, University of Guelph and St. Lawrence College; and held positions with Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and General Motors of Canada Ltd. A Member and Fellow of the Certified Management Accountants of Ontario, she holds a Certificate in University Management, University of Manitoba; an MBA, University of Ottawa; Certificate in Automotive Management, GMUAM, Michigan; and a BA Honours (Economics & Management), University of Guelph.

Education / profession – B.Ing. (Civil), École Polytechnique de Montréal; MSc (Civil Engineering), University of Alberta; M.Eng (Management), University of Ottawa; DESS (Accounting), Université du Québec en Outaouais; member of the Order of Engineers of Québec and member of the Order of Certified Management Accountants of Québec.

Sylvain Dufour became Vice-President, Resources, and Chief Financial Officer in July 2010.

Other positions – Director of Finance and Administration, IDRC (2005-2010); Director of Grant Administration, IDRC, Ottawa (1996-2005); Interim Director for Eastern European Initiatives and Special Advisor to the President, IDRC (1994-1996); Senior Program Officer, Earth Sciences and other environment-related programs, IDRC (1987-1994); Northern Region Manager, Geocon Inc., Calgary and Yellowknife (1985-1987). Sylvain has spent most of his career in project management, administration and financial management in science and technology environments. He has worked in every sector of IDRC, which gives him an intricate knowledge of IDRC's financial modelling and a thorough understanding of financial management related to grant-making, the budgeting process, etc. Throughout his career, he has occupied positions with progressively higher-level management responsibilities in the private and public sector.

NASER FARUQUI
Director, Innovation, Policy and Sciences

Education/profession – BSc. in civil engineering, University of Manitoba (1987); Masters in environmental engineering, University of Ottawa (1991); and an Executive MBA, Queen’s University, (2002).

Naser joined the Centre in 1995 as a Senior Program Officer with the Environment and Natural Resource Management program. Following a one-year secondment with Environment Canada, Naser returned to IDRC in 2004 as team leader of a new research initiative, Urban Poverty and Environment. Naser was appointed Director of Innovation, Policy and Sciences in June 2008.

Other positions – Chief, Water Coordination and Transboundary Water Issues, Environment Canada (October 2003-October 2004). Naser has published widely on water management issues, including the groundbreaking Water Management in Islam in 2001, and Wastewater Use in Irrigated Agriculture in 2004.

Education/professional – PhD Environmental Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal (1996), Graduate Diploma, Occupational Hygiene and MScA, Occupational Health Sciences, McGill University (1987), and BSc, Biology (Ecology), Université du Québec à Montréal (1986).

Jean Lebel joined the Centre in 1996 as a consultant, then was appointed Team Leader for the Ecosystem Health program initiative in 2001, In 2003, Jean was appointed Director of the Environment and Natural Resources Management program area.

Other positions – Teacher, Université du Québec à Montréal (1993-1997), consultant, IDRC, working on various projects (January-February 1996), consultant, Montréal Airport Corporation (ADM) (1993) and Union Carbide Chemicals and Plastics Canada Inc., Montréal (1988-1993).

Education/profession – A graduate of the Université de Montréal, of the American University in Cairo, and of Harvard and Oxford (D.Phil.) universities, he has published extensively on peace and security issues. His most recent books include the 2006 best-selling The International Struggle for Iraq: Politics in the UN Security Council and the 2008 release, The Law and Practice of the United Nations, with Simon Chesterman and Thomas M. Franck.

Other positions – High Commissioner for Canada to India and non-resident Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bhutan and to Nepal (2006–2008). Prior to his appointment to India, he was Assistant Deputy Minister (Global Issues) of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (2004–2006) and President of the International Peace Academy (1998–2004). He served within DFAIT as Director General, Policy, International Organizations and Global Issues Bureaus (1994–1998); as Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations (1992–1994); and represented Canada on the UN’s Economic and Social Council and related bodies. Other foreign assignments took him to Egypt, Kuwait, and Jordan.

Education/profession – PhD Development Economics, Food Research Institute, Stanford University (1990); MA, Development Economics, Food Research Institute, Stanford University (1986).

Stephen McGurk joined the Centre in February 2000 as Director of the Regional Office for Southeast and East Asia in Singapore. In June 2006, he was appointed Regional Director for South Asia and China.

Other positions – Program Officer, Economic Security Program, Ford Foundation (1993-2000); Resource Economist, Abt Associates (1992-1993); Assistant Professor, Economics and Environmental Sciences Colleges, University of California (1991-1992); he also worked as a consultant, Resource Economist and as a consultant, Macroeconomist, World Bank (1986-1993).

Education/profession – BA, MA, PhD (Toronto), economics with specialization in monetary policy and international finance.

Rohinton joined IDRC in 1992 as a program officer in the Economic and Technology Policy Program. He has since led two Program Initiatives (MIMAP followed by TEC), and has also served as Chair of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Centre’s Research on International Tobacco Control secretariat.

Other positions – Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Toronto (1988-92). Rohinton has also interned at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, consulted for the World Bank’s Economic Development Institute and worked in community newspapers in Washington and Toronto.

Education/profession – PhD in Economics, Institute for Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester; Honours BA in Political Science and Economics, and MA in development studies, University of Toronto.

Lauchlan Munro joined the Centre in 2003 as Senior Policy Analyst and was appointed to the position of Director of Policy and Planning in 2004. In 2006, he assumed responsibility for IDRC’s partially outsourced internal audit function and in April 2007 he was designated as the Senior Officer for the purposes of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act. Lauchlan assumed his duties as Vice-President in October 2008.

Other positions – Prior to joining IDRC, Lauchlan was Chief of Strategic Planning with UNICEF (2000-2003). He also worked for UNICEF in DR Congo (Senior Emergency Officer, 1997-1998), Zimbabwe (Programme Officer, 1992-1997), and Uganda (Assistant Programme Officer, 1989-1991). From 1985 to 1987 he was Lecturer in Economics at Sherubtse College, Bhutan.

Education/profession – LLB (1983), University of Toronto; BA Hons (1978) Queen’s University. Member of the Ontario Bar since 1985.

Other positions – Prior to joining IDRC, Annette was General Counsel at the Ottawa International Airport Authority from 1996 to June 2006. Annette practiced commercial litigation with Perley-Robertson, Panet, Hill & McDougall from 1985 to 1995 and opened the firm’s Washington office in 1987. She has taught in the IMBA program at the University of Ottawa and Business Law at Algonquin College.

Education/profession – Academic degrees - Master of Industrial Relations from the Université du Québec, Hull, and Bachelor of Business Administration (Human Resources) from the Université du Québec, Chicoutimi.

Other positions - Before joining IDRC, Line Noreau held various positions in the field of human resource management in a number of federal agencies, including Citizenship and Immigration Canada (1999-2006), Heritage Canada (1998-1999), Industry Canada (1996-1998), Training and Development Canada (1991-1996), the Public Service Commission (1988-1991), National Defence (1984-1988), and Supply and Services Canada (1981-1984).

Education/professional: Bachelor of Arts, Biology, Carleton University; Diploma of Excellence in French Studies, University of Nancy II.

Angela joined IDRC in 2009 and is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

Other positions: An award-winning communicator, Angela has more than 20 years of experience in the field. She has been part of the senior communication management teams of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, and the Canadian Red Cross Society.

Education/profession - PhD in Political Science, McGill University, Montréal.

Gerd Schönwälder has been the Director of IDRC`s Policy and Planning Group since February 2009.

Other positions - Between 2005 and 2009, he led the Peace, Conflict, and Development program. Before joining IDRC, he was the Deputy Director of the Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL), a policy institute also located in Ottawa. Gerd Schönwälder spent several years in Brussels as a European Union official, overseeing a diversified cooperation portfolio as well as working on trade issues and the enlargement of the European Union to the east.

ROSALIA SCIORTINO
Regional Director, Southeast and East Asia (ASRO)
Singapore

Rosalia Sciortino is Regional Director, Southeast and East Asia in Singapore. She was previously an advisor to the Australian Agency for International Development and Adjunct Professor at the Institute for Population and Social Research at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. Past positions include: Regional Director for Southeast Asia and Associate Director of Health Equity for the Rockefeller Foundation. She holds an MA in development sociology and cultural anthropology and a PhD in social and cultural sciences from Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Director, Social Economic Policy (SEP)

Education/profession – PhD Economics (1992) and MPhil. Economics (1988), University of Cambridge; BA Joint Honours Economics and Political Science (1986), McGill University.

Sue joined the Centre in March 2010 as Director, Social and Economic Policy.

Other positions: Chief, and Senior Advisor, Development Policy, Finance Canada (2004-2010); Assistant Director, Social Development Canada (2002-2004); International Relations Coordinator, Policy Research Initiative (2001-2002); lecturer, Carleton University (2001-2002); Director, Research and Learning, Aga Khan Foundation Canada (1998-2001); Senior Economist, CIDA (1995-1998); Economist, World Bank (1992-1995).

Education/profession – PhD thesis in education in progress, University of Montréal, Québec, Canada (2006-2010); BA, Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations, BA, French, and BA in Humanities, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA (1986); Certificate in African History, University of Cocody, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (1986); studies toward BA at University of Grenoble, Grenoble, France (1983-1984).

Kathryn Touré joined IDRC in October 2008 as Director of the Regional Office for West and Central Africa.

Other positions – Regional Coordinator of the Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa in Bamako, Mali (2001-2008). Kathryn held various positions at Africa Online which included: communications, sales, and customer service and Interim Managing Director. Additionally, she was Assistant Director of the Center for International and Comparative Studies (CICS) at the University of Iowa, USA (1991-1996).