Sean Marion Managing Director, Structured Finance Moody's Investors Service

Sean Marion heads up Moody’s EMEA Structured Finance Group, based in London. He is responsible for overseeing both primary issuance and surveillance functions for Consumer Assets, Corporate Assets and Covered Bonds, with teams based in London, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid and Milan.

Prior to joining the Structured Finance Group he was a London-based Managing Director in the Financial Institutions Group, responsible for ratings coverage in the Nordics, Baltics, South-Eastern Europe and emerging markets in the Middle East and Africa.

Before relocating to London in 2011, Mr. Marion held various positions of progressive responsibility in Moody’s, including working in the firm’s offices in Mexico City and Toronto. Before joining Moody’s, Mr. Marion worked for The Economist Intelligence Unit, conducting research on macroeconomic and country risk. Mr. Marion holds graduate degrees in economics from the Université Paris I (Sorbonne) and the London School of Economics. He also holds an undergraduate degree from Bishop’s University, Canada. Mr. Marion is fluent in French and Spanish.

Colin Ellis Managing Director, Global Credit Strategist Moody's Investors Service

Colin Ellis is Moody’s first Global Credit Strategist, and a Managing Director in the Credit Strategy team. 

In his current role, Colin provides thought leadership for the rating agency that deepens the understanding of ratings and debt capital markets through rigorous and quantitative research. He leads Moody’s teams working on default and ratings analytics and on global financial analysis, including bank projections and stress testing. Colin is also a member of Moody’s Macroeconomic Board, which sets the global forecasts that underpin Moody’s universe of ratings.

Colin joined Moody’s in February 2012, initially leading the work of the Macroeconomic Board and authoring the quarterly Global Macro Outlook. He subsequently worked in the Financial Institutions Group, developing quantitative forward-looking analyses. For 8 years he was the Chief Credit Officer for EMEA, leading analysis and coordination of credit and ratings across all rating franchises in the region. He was also the ‘Head of UK’ for MIS, responsible for the running of Moody’s UK operations, from 2019-2022 including the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Prior to joining Moody’s, Colin held roles at the Bank of England, Daiwa Capital Markets, the BVCA and at Birmingham University. He has published papers on a range of topics including corporate investment and pricing, credit risk, private equity, data uncertainty, stress testing, financial contagion and monetary policy. Colin holds degrees from York University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Middlesex University. He is a Visiting Professor at Hult International Business School and LSBU, and is also a Fellow of the RSA.

Evan Wohlmann Vice President - Senior Credit Officer, Sovereign Risk Moody's Investors Service

Evan is responsible for a portfolio of credits in Europe and the CIS that includes the United Kingdom, Russia and Ukraine; he has previously worked on European countries including Portugal, Hungary, Iceland and Israel. Evan joined Moody’s in 2015 after a varied career in the UK public and private sector.

Prior to starting at Moody’s, he spent five and half years working as an economist at the Bank of England, where his last role was an economic adviser in the External Monetary Policy Committee unit. He also worked as a financial economist in the Monetary Analysis division as well as in the bank resolution area working with other UK authorities to monitor and resolve financial institutions as part of the UK’s Resolution Regime. Before joining the Bank of England, he worked in corporate finance at KPMG focusing on debt advisory and mergers and acquisitions.

He holds an MSc in Finance from Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Spain as well as an MComm in Economics from the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Joanna Fic Senior Vice President, Infrastructure Finance Moody's Investors Service

Joanna Fic is a Senior Vice President in Moody’s EMEA Infrastructure Finance team, based in London. She is currently responsible for a portfolio of utilities and transport infrastructure companies in the United Kingdom and Africa, in addition to certain transport infrastructure companies in Norway and Turkey. With extensive credit experience across both the utility and infrastructure sectors, Joanna has a deep understanding of both conventional and complex structured financing arrangements.

Over the course of her career at Moody’s, Joanna has written extensively on transport infrastructure credit, covering airports, ports and toll roads. She has contributed to the development of a number of transport infrastructure methodologies and was the author of Moody’s Rating Methodology for Privately Managed Toll Roads, published in October 2017. Joanna has also published widely on European utilities, including in Germany, United Kingdom and Central and Eastern Europe. A highly regarded analyst and respected commentator, Joanna is a frequent speaker at conferences, investor roundtables and other events.

Prior to joining Moody’s in 2007, Joanna was a credit risk manager at Citigroup in Warsaw, where she was responsible for a diversified portfolio of corporates. Joanna holds a master’s degree in Finance and Banking from Warsaw School of Economics.

Laurie Mayers Associate Managing Director, European Banks Moody’s Investors Service

Laurie Mayers is an Associate Managing Director in Moody’s European Banking team. Laurie has responsibility for the analytical teams covering bank and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) in the UK and Ireland as well as for the global investment banks located in EMEA and for NBFIs in Western Europe. Leveraging her risk and regulatory background, she has provided leadership within the Financial Institutions business unit on the cross jurisdictional regulatory matters such as the implementation of Basel III, the BRRD and TLAC/MREL requirements, UK ring fencing and Brexit.

Prior to Moody’s, Laurie’s most recent role was Manager of the Capital Management Team at the UK Financial Services Authority (now the Prudential Regulation Authority), where she had responsibility for Pillar 2 capital assessments and firm-wide stress testing for the largest UK banks and building societies.

Laurie’s previous roles include Partner, Risk and Regulatory Advisory, Ernst & Young, Group Head of Basel 2 and a member of the Group Risk Executive Team at RBS, Global Head of Counterparty Credit Risk at RBS and previously, Principal and EMEA Head of Credit for Morgan Stanley International. Laurie began her career at as a staff economist at the New York Mercantile Exchange , and subsequently worked as a lending officer in the Commodity Finance Division at Chase Manhattan Bank following completion of their credit analyst training programme.

Laurie holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs (with a specialisation in International Economics) from Columbia University SIPA and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Economy from Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Sandra Veseli Managing Director, Corporate Finance Moody's Investors Service

Sandra Veseli is a Managing Director in the Corporate Finance Group at Moody’s Investors Service in London, leading the UK corporate and EMEA leveraged finance franchise.

Sandra joined Moody’s in 2013, bringing 20 years of banking experience. Prior to Moody’s, Sandra worked at Credit Suisse, where she was the Head of Rating Advisory for EMEA since 2010, after holding senior positions in the rating advisory teams at Morgan Stanley and Citi.

Sandra began her career at Dresdner Bank in Germany.

Sandra holds a Diploma from the Frankfurt Business School of Finance & Management.

Jorge Rodriguez-Valez Senior Vice President, Credit Strategy & Research Moody's Investors Service

Jorge Rodriguez-Valez is a Senior Vice President in Moody’s Credit Strategy & Research team in London. Since he joined Moody’s in 2014, he leads the Financial Analytics team, developing quantitative forward-looking analyses of sectors and institutions, including modelling asset quality trends and stress testing.

Prior to joining Moody’s in 2014, Jorge worked as a macroeconomist responsible for forecasting and scenario analysis, and as a university lecturer in macroeconomics and econometrics.

Jorge is a PhD in Econometrics and holds degrees in Economics and in Business.

Alastair Wilson Chief Credit Officer Moody's Investors Service

Alastair Wilson is Moody's Chief Credit Officer. In that capacity he is responsible for Moody's
global credit strategy and thematic research, for the quality and consistency of ratings across
regions and sectors, and for the procedures, methodologies and models used to determine ratings.

Prior to that, Alastair was responsible for Sovereign and Sub-Sovereign ratings, and specifically
for maintaining the quality of Moody's ratings and for its analytical leadership in these sectors.
Alastair joined Moody's in September 2010 as Chief Credit Officer in EMEA, responsible for the
quality and consistency of Moody's credit standards and methodologies across all franchises within
the region.

Before joining Moody's, Alastair spent twenty-one years at the Bank of England, working in a
variety of roles in banking supervision, FX and reserves management, banking operations and
financial stability.

Alastair graduated from St John's College, Oxford University in 1988, having studied Philosophy,
Politics and Economics. He is based in London.

Salman Ahmed Global Head of Macro and Strategic Asset Allocation Fidelity

Salman Ahmed joined Fidelity in August 2020 as Global Head of Macro and Strategic Asset Allocation. Previously, he was co-chair of Global Investment Committee and Chief Investment Strategist at Lombard Odier IM (LOIM).

Before spending nearly 8 years with LOIM, Salman was head of Global Macro at EDF trading between 2009 and 2012. He also spent nearly 5 years with Goldman Sachs International as a global economist within the global macro team. He began his career in finance with Watson Wyatt (now Towers Willis Watson) in 2001.

Salman holds a PhD and MPhil in Economics & Finance from University of Cambridge. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan, in 1999.

Neil Williams Chief Economist OMFIF

Neil Williams is Chief Economist at OMFIF. He joined in February 2022 to lead economic and financial coverage of sovereign institutions worldwide. He is a veteran central bank watcher who in an over 30-year career was most recently Chief Economist for Hermes Investment Management (2009-2017), and Senior Economic Adviser (2017-2021) after its merger with Federated.

With his track record in asset management, investment banking and economic policy, Neil pays particular attention to central banks’ balance sheets, investments and divestments – including the cross-over between quantitative easing and quantitative tightening as policy-makers navigate a global rise in inflation.

Neil began his career in 1987 at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), becoming its youngest ever Head of Economic Policy. He went on to hold a number of senior positions in investment banks, including Director of Bond Research at UBS, Head of Research at Sumitomo International, and Head of Sovereign Research and Strategy at Mizuho International. 

Neil has an honours degree in Economics from University College of Swansea, and a Masters’ degree, also in Economics, from the University of Manchester.

Rahul Ghosh Managing Director – Sustainable Finance Moody’s Investors Service

Rahul Ghosh is Managing Director, ESG Outreach & Research for Moody’s Investors Service.

Rahul leads global oversight for the credit rating agency’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) research and outreach strategy. In this capacity, he is responsible for co-ordinating high quality and impactful research exploring the credit implications of ESG, as well as digital and in-person outreach to meet the growing market needs of investors, issuers and other important stakeholders.

Rahul is a regular participant at high-profile industry working groups, market briefings, external conferences and media engagements. He is a member of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, a market-led initiative to develop a risk management and disclosure framework for nature-related risks. He has also represented Moody’s on the UN Principles for Responsible Investment's advisory committee on credit ratings and the Green and Social Bond Principles working groups. He has presented on the impact of climate change on emerging market sovereigns at the G20 Green Finance Study Group and on sustainable finance trends at the International Finance Corporation’s Global Debt Mobilization Conference.

Before his current role, Rahul oversaw Moody’s ESG Solutions Group outreach and engagement activities globally with the sustainability stakeholder community. He also previously worked in Moody’s Credit Strategy & Research team where he was responsible for thematic research and outreach on global emerging market (EM) credit trends. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2013, Rahul was the Head of Asia at BMI Research (Fitch Solutions) in Singapore, leading a team of macroeconomists and industry specialists in analysing sovereign risk, sector performance and the capital markets.

Rahul is a passionate impact leader for Moody’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in London, chairing the pillar on “activating an environmentally sustainable future”. He holds a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Edinburgh and a Certificate in ESG Investing from the CFA Society of the UK.

John Ploeg Principal and Co-Head of ESG Research PGIM Fixed Income

John Ploeg, CFA is a Principal and Co-Head of ESG Research for PGIM Fixed Income, based in London. Mr. Ploeg is responsible for the strategic integration of ESG research across all elements of the firm, including investment decision-making, and internal and external education and engagement. He also serves as a member of the ESG Policy and ESG Ratings Sub-Committees. Prior to joining the ESG team, Mr. Ploeg graduated summa cum laude from Sciences Po’s Paris School of International Affairs, where Mr. Ploeg received a Masters in Environmental Policy. Previously, Mr. Ploeg was head of the firm’s European CLO product management team, where he was responsible for all business aspects of the firm’s European CLO platform. Prior to relocating to London, Mr. Ploeg was a member of the Firm’s U.S. CLO product management team in Newark. Before that, Mr. Ploeg worked in the CIO department of PGIM’s parent company, Prudential Financial Inc, first in the department's Alternative Assets Group, and later in its Modeling & Analytics Group. Mr. Ploeg received a dual BA degree in Computer Science and Economics from Brown University in 2007, and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Frank Medrisch Vice President - Senior Analyst Moody's Investors Service

Frank Medrisch, CFA is Vice President - Senior Analyst within the ESG team, based out of London. He specializes in the credit implications of the energy transition for multiple sectors, climate change mitigation policy, and emerging decarbonisation technologies. Frank plays a key role in the development of Moody’s Carbon Transition Assessment (CTA) scores, a suite of analytical frameworks and tools designed to measure the carbon transition risk exposure for energy-intensive rated issuers. He also participates, presents, and moderates in Moody’s events and webinars, as well as external outreach meetings and working groups. Prior to his current role, he spent six years as a lead analyst within the Structured Finance Group, covering Latin American and European consumer securitizations from the Buenos Aires and the London office. Before joining Moody’s in 2015, Frank worked for five years in corporate finance credit ratings and equity/fixed income research in Argentina and Chile. He is a CFA charterholder and also holds a Master’s degree in Finance as well as a BA in Economics from UTDT in Buenos Aires

Marie Diron Managing Director, Sovereign Risk Moody's Investors Service

Marie Diron heads the Sovereign Risk Group for Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Sub-Sovereign Risk Group for Asia Pacific and EMEA. She is responsible for analytical teams covering more than 70 sovereign ratings, 15 Multilateral Development Banks and around 400 sub-sovereign ratings in about 30 countries. Marie is also a project owner of Moody’s Investors Service’s ESG scores, which were launched in early 2021.

Marie has worked as Moody’s lead sovereign analyst for a number of Asia Pacific credits, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka and Australia. Marie has also worked in Moody’s Credit Policy, leading a number of macroeconomic analyses, including our regular Global Macro Outlook and other credit research work. Marie was previously Director at Oxford Economics, leading the company’s forecasting and scenario analysis service to financial sector and corporate clients, after a number of years at the European Central Bank and Brevan Howard LLP. Marie received a MPhil in Economics from the University of Cambridge and graduated from the Ecole Centrale Paris. 

Salman Ahmed Global Head of Macro and Strategic Asset Allocation Fidelity

Salman Ahmed joined Fidelity in August 2020 as Global Head of Macro and Strategic Asset Allocation. Previously, he was co-chair of Global Investment Committee and Chief Investment Strategist at Lombard Odier IM (LOIM).

Before spending nearly 8 years with LOIM, Salman was head of Global Macro at EDF trading between 2009 and 2012. He also spent nearly 5 years with Goldman Sachs International as a global economist within the global macro team. He began his career in finance with Watson Wyatt (now Towers Willis Watson) in 2001.

Salman holds a PhD and MPhil in Economics & Finance from University of Cambridge. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan, in 1999.

Neil Williams Chief Economist OMFIF

Neil Williams is Chief Economist at OMFIF. He joined in February 2022 to lead economic and financial coverage of sovereign institutions worldwide. He is a veteran central bank watcher who in an over 30-year career was most recently Chief Economist for Hermes Investment Management (2009-2017), and Senior Economic Adviser (2017-2021) after its merger with Federated.

With his track record in asset management, investment banking and economic policy, Neil pays particular attention to central banks’ balance sheets, investments and divestments – including the cross-over between quantitative easing and quantitative tightening as policy-makers navigate a global rise in inflation.

Neil began his career in 1987 at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), becoming its youngest ever Head of Economic Policy. He went on to hold a number of senior positions in investment banks, including Director of Bond Research at UBS, Head of Research at Sumitomo International, and Head of Sovereign Research and Strategy at Mizuho International. 

Neil has an honours degree in Economics from University College of Swansea, and a Masters’ degree, also in Economics, from the University of Manchester.

John Ploeg Principal and Co-Head of ESG Research PGIM Fixed Income

John Ploeg, CFA is a Principal and Co-Head of ESG Research for PGIM Fixed Income, based in London. Mr. Ploeg is responsible for the strategic integration of ESG research across all elements of the firm, including investment decision-making, and internal and external education and engagement. He also serves as a member of the ESG Policy and ESG Ratings Sub-Committees. Prior to joining the ESG team, Mr. Ploeg graduated summa cum laude from Sciences Po’s Paris School of International Affairs, where Mr. Ploeg received a Masters in Environmental Policy. Previously, Mr. Ploeg was head of the firm’s European CLO product management team, where he was responsible for all business aspects of the firm’s European CLO platform. Prior to relocating to London, Mr. Ploeg was a member of the Firm’s U.S. CLO product management team in Newark. Before that, Mr. Ploeg worked in the CIO department of PGIM’s parent company, Prudential Financial Inc, first in the department's Alternative Assets Group, and later in its Modeling & Analytics Group. Mr. Ploeg received a dual BA degree in Computer Science and Economics from Brown University in 2007, and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Sandra Veseli Managing Director, Corporate Finance Moody's Investors Service

Sandra Veseli is a Managing Director in the Corporate Finance Group at Moody’s Investors Service in London, leading the UK corporate and EMEA leveraged finance franchise.

Sandra joined Moody’s in 2013, bringing 20 years of banking experience. Prior to Moody’s, Sandra worked at Credit Suisse, where she was the Head of Rating Advisory for EMEA since 2010, after holding senior positions in the rating advisory teams at Morgan Stanley and Citi.

Sandra began her career at Dresdner Bank in Germany.

Sandra holds a Diploma from the Frankfurt Business School of Finance & Management.

Sean Marion Managing Director, Structured Finance Moody's Investors Service

Sean Marion heads up Moody’s EMEA Structured Finance Group, based in London. He is responsible for overseeing both primary issuance and surveillance functions for Consumer Assets, Corporate Assets and Covered Bonds, with teams based in London, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid and Milan.

Prior to joining the Structured Finance Group he was a London-based Managing Director in the Financial Institutions Group, responsible for ratings coverage in the Nordics, Baltics, South-Eastern Europe and emerging markets in the Middle East and Africa.

Before relocating to London in 2011, Mr. Marion held various positions of progressive responsibility in Moody’s, including working in the firm’s offices in Mexico City and Toronto. Before joining Moody’s, Mr. Marion worked for The Economist Intelligence Unit, conducting research on macroeconomic and country risk. Mr. Marion holds graduate degrees in economics from the Université Paris I (Sorbonne) and the London School of Economics. He also holds an undergraduate degree from Bishop’s University, Canada. Mr. Marion is fluent in French and Spanish.

Laurie Mayers Associate Managing Director, European Banks Moody’s Investors Service

Laurie Mayers is an Associate Managing Director in Moody’s European Banking team. Laurie has responsibility for the analytical teams covering bank and non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) in the UK and Ireland as well as for the global investment banks located in EMEA and for NBFIs in Western Europe. Leveraging her risk and regulatory background, she has provided leadership within the Financial Institutions business unit on the cross jurisdictional regulatory matters such as the implementation of Basel III, the BRRD and TLAC/MREL requirements, UK ring fencing and Brexit.

Prior to Moody’s, Laurie’s most recent role was Manager of the Capital Management Team at the UK Financial Services Authority (now the Prudential Regulation Authority), where she had responsibility for Pillar 2 capital assessments and firm-wide stress testing for the largest UK banks and building societies.

Laurie’s previous roles include Partner, Risk and Regulatory Advisory, Ernst & Young, Group Head of Basel 2 and a member of the Group Risk Executive Team at RBS, Global Head of Counterparty Credit Risk at RBS and previously, Principal and EMEA Head of Credit for Morgan Stanley International. Laurie began her career at as a staff economist at the New York Mercantile Exchange , and subsequently worked as a lending officer in the Commodity Finance Division at Chase Manhattan Bank following completion of their credit analyst training programme.

Laurie holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs (with a specialisation in International Economics) from Columbia University SIPA and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Economy from Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Alastair Wilson Chief Credit Officer Moody's Investors Service

Alastair Wilson is Moody's Chief Credit Officer. In that capacity he is responsible for Moody's
global credit strategy and thematic research, for the quality and consistency of ratings across
regions and sectors, and for the procedures, methodologies and models used to determine ratings.

Prior to that, Alastair was responsible for Sovereign and Sub-Sovereign ratings, and specifically
for maintaining the quality of Moody's ratings and for its analytical leadership in these sectors.
Alastair joined Moody's in September 2010 as Chief Credit Officer in EMEA, responsible for the
quality and consistency of Moody's credit standards and methodologies across all franchises within
the region.

Before joining Moody's, Alastair spent twenty-one years at the Bank of England, working in a
variety of roles in banking supervision, FX and reserves management, banking operations and
financial stability.

Alastair graduated from St John's College, Oxford University in 1988, having studied Philosophy,
Politics and Economics. He is based in London.

Joanna Fic Senior Vice President, Infrastructure Finance Moody's Investors Service

Joanna Fic is a Senior Vice President in Moody’s EMEA Infrastructure Finance team, based in London. She is currently responsible for a portfolio of utilities and transport infrastructure companies in the United Kingdom and Africa, in addition to certain transport infrastructure companies in Norway and Turkey. With extensive credit experience across both the utility and infrastructure sectors, Joanna has a deep understanding of both conventional and complex structured financing arrangements.

Over the course of her career at Moody’s, Joanna has written extensively on transport infrastructure credit, covering airports, ports and toll roads. She has contributed to the development of a number of transport infrastructure methodologies and was the author of Moody’s Rating Methodology for Privately Managed Toll Roads, published in October 2017. Joanna has also published widely on European utilities, including in Germany, United Kingdom and Central and Eastern Europe. A highly regarded analyst and respected commentator, Joanna is a frequent speaker at conferences, investor roundtables and other events.

Prior to joining Moody’s in 2007, Joanna was a credit risk manager at Citigroup in Warsaw, where she was responsible for a diversified portfolio of corporates. Joanna holds a master’s degree in Finance and Banking from Warsaw School of Economics.

Colin Ellis Managing Director, Global Credit Strategist Moody's Investors Service

Colin Ellis is Moody’s first Global Credit Strategist, and a Managing Director in the Credit Strategy team. 

In his current role, Colin provides thought leadership for the rating agency that deepens the understanding of ratings and debt capital markets through rigorous and quantitative research. He leads Moody’s teams working on default and ratings analytics and on global financial analysis, including bank projections and stress testing. Colin is also a member of Moody’s Macroeconomic Board, which sets the global forecasts that underpin Moody’s universe of ratings.

Colin joined Moody’s in February 2012, initially leading the work of the Macroeconomic Board and authoring the quarterly Global Macro Outlook. He subsequently worked in the Financial Institutions Group, developing quantitative forward-looking analyses. For 8 years he was the Chief Credit Officer for EMEA, leading analysis and coordination of credit and ratings across all rating franchises in the region. He was also the ‘Head of UK’ for MIS, responsible for the running of Moody’s UK operations, from 2019-2022 including the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Prior to joining Moody’s, Colin held roles at the Bank of England, Daiwa Capital Markets, the BVCA and at Birmingham University. He has published papers on a range of topics including corporate investment and pricing, credit risk, private equity, data uncertainty, stress testing, financial contagion and monetary policy. Colin holds degrees from York University, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and Middlesex University. He is a Visiting Professor at Hult International Business School and LSBU, and is also a Fellow of the RSA.

Jorge Rodriguez-Valez Senior Vice President, Credit Strategy & Research Moody's Investors Service

Jorge Rodriguez-Valez is a Senior Vice President in Moody’s Credit Strategy & Research team in London. Since he joined Moody’s in 2014, he leads the Financial Analytics team, developing quantitative forward-looking analyses of sectors and institutions, including modelling asset quality trends and stress testing.

Prior to joining Moody’s in 2014, Jorge worked as a macroeconomist responsible for forecasting and scenario analysis, and as a university lecturer in macroeconomics and econometrics.

Jorge is a PhD in Econometrics and holds degrees in Economics and in Business.

Evan Wohlmann Vice President - Senior Credit Officer, Sovereign Risk Moody's Investors Service

Evan is responsible for a portfolio of credits in Europe and the CIS that includes the United Kingdom, Russia and Ukraine; he has previously worked on European countries including Portugal, Hungary, Iceland and Israel. Evan joined Moody’s in 2015 after a varied career in the UK public and private sector.

Prior to starting at Moody’s, he spent five and half years working as an economist at the Bank of England, where his last role was an economic adviser in the External Monetary Policy Committee unit. He also worked as a financial economist in the Monetary Analysis division as well as in the bank resolution area working with other UK authorities to monitor and resolve financial institutions as part of the UK’s Resolution Regime. Before joining the Bank of England, he worked in corporate finance at KPMG focusing on debt advisory and mergers and acquisitions.

He holds an MSc in Finance from Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Spain as well as an MComm in Economics from the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Rahul Ghosh Managing Director – Sustainable Finance Moody’s Investors Service

Rahul Ghosh is Managing Director, ESG Outreach & Research for Moody’s Investors Service.

Rahul leads global oversight for the credit rating agency’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) research and outreach strategy. In this capacity, he is responsible for co-ordinating high quality and impactful research exploring the credit implications of ESG, as well as digital and in-person outreach to meet the growing market needs of investors, issuers and other important stakeholders.

Rahul is a regular participant at high-profile industry working groups, market briefings, external conferences and media engagements. He is a member of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, a market-led initiative to develop a risk management and disclosure framework for nature-related risks. He has also represented Moody’s on the UN Principles for Responsible Investment's advisory committee on credit ratings and the Green and Social Bond Principles working groups. He has presented on the impact of climate change on emerging market sovereigns at the G20 Green Finance Study Group and on sustainable finance trends at the International Finance Corporation’s Global Debt Mobilization Conference.

Before his current role, Rahul oversaw Moody’s ESG Solutions Group outreach and engagement activities globally with the sustainability stakeholder community. He also previously worked in Moody’s Credit Strategy & Research team where he was responsible for thematic research and outreach on global emerging market (EM) credit trends. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2013, Rahul was the Head of Asia at BMI Research (Fitch Solutions) in Singapore, leading a team of macroeconomists and industry specialists in analysing sovereign risk, sector performance and the capital markets.

Rahul is a passionate impact leader for Moody’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in London, chairing the pillar on “activating an environmentally sustainable future”. He holds a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Edinburgh and a Certificate in ESG Investing from the CFA Society of the UK.

Marie Diron Managing Director, Sovereign Risk Moody's Investors Service

Marie Diron heads the Sovereign Risk Group for Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Sub-Sovereign Risk Group for Asia Pacific and EMEA. She is responsible for analytical teams covering more than 70 sovereign ratings, 15 Multilateral Development Banks and around 400 sub-sovereign ratings in about 30 countries. Marie is also a project owner of Moody’s Investors Service’s ESG scores, which were launched in early 2021.

Marie has worked as Moody’s lead sovereign analyst for a number of Asia Pacific credits, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka and Australia. Marie has also worked in Moody’s Credit Policy, leading a number of macroeconomic analyses, including our regular Global Macro Outlook and other credit research work. Marie was previously Director at Oxford Economics, leading the company’s forecasting and scenario analysis service to financial sector and corporate clients, after a number of years at the European Central Bank and Brevan Howard LLP. Marie received a MPhil in Economics from the University of Cambridge and graduated from the Ecole Centrale Paris. 

Frank Medrisch Vice President - Senior Analyst Moody's Investors Service

Frank Medrisch, CFA is Vice President - Senior Analyst within the ESG team, based out of London. He specializes in the credit implications of the energy transition for multiple sectors, climate change mitigation policy, and emerging decarbonisation technologies. Frank plays a key role in the development of Moody’s Carbon Transition Assessment (CTA) scores, a suite of analytical frameworks and tools designed to measure the carbon transition risk exposure for energy-intensive rated issuers. He also participates, presents, and moderates in Moody’s events and webinars, as well as external outreach meetings and working groups. Prior to his current role, he spent six years as a lead analyst within the Structured Finance Group, covering Latin American and European consumer securitizations from the Buenos Aires and the London office. Before joining Moody’s in 2015, Frank worked for five years in corporate finance credit ratings and equity/fixed income research in Argentina and Chile. He is a CFA charterholder and also holds a Master’s degree in Finance as well as a BA in Economics from UTDT in Buenos Aires