DUBAI PRECIOUS METALS CONFERENCE

Ahmed Bin Sulayem

Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | DMCC

Ahmed Bin Sulayem is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DMCC and has driven its growth from a start-up of 28 member companies in 2003 to the world’s leading free zone in 2023 with over 23,000 member companies from 180 countries, employing over 66,000 people.

Tasked with enhancing commodity trade flows through Dubai, DMCC has introduced to the market a number of value-added products and services under Mr Bin Sulayem’s leadership. In 2023, DMCC has been named the ‘Global Free Zone of the Year’ by The Financial Times fDi Magazine, for a record ninth consecutive year.

Mr Bin Sulayem oversaw the exponential growth of the DMCC Free Zone master development in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), a 200-hectare business and residential community in Dubai of over 100,000 people living and working across 87 towers. Mr Bin Sulayem also oversees the development of DMCC’s latest real estate project; the much-anticipated Uptown Dubai district.

Mr Bin Sulayem currently serves as the Chairman of the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) and the Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX).

The Kimberley Process officially appointed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the first and only Arab country to Chair the Kimberley Process in November 2015. Shortly after, the UAE Ministry of Economy officially appointed Mr Bin Sulayem as the UAE’s Chair of the Kimberley Process for 2016.

H.E. Dr. Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi

Minister of State for Foreign Trade

H.E Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi is UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, a position he has held since July 2020. His primary responsibility is to oversee the development of non-oil foreign trade, the expansion of global trade partnerships and the increase of UAE exports.

His Excellency is currently presiding over the nation’s efforts to secure Comprehensive Economic Partnerships Agreements with strategic allies around the world, a key part of the UAE’s efforts to boost exports by at least 50 percent by 2030. In May 2022, the first of these CEPAs, and the first ever bilateral deal signed by the UAE, was concluded with long-standing trade and investment partner India.

His Excellency also leads the efforts to enhance the UAE’s investment climate and strengthen its position as a prime destination for business and investments at both regional and global levels. This includes his portfolio as Minister in Charge of Talent Attraction and Retention, in which he ensures the best global talents have the pathways, incentives and opportunities to contribute to the UAE’s long-term economic objectives.

In October 2023, His Excellency was appointed as Chairman of Board of the Emirates Drug Establishment, a newly established federal agency responsible for regulating the UAE’s pharmaceutical and medical industries, promoting research and development in this sector, and ensuring the quality, safety, and availability of medical products in the UAE.

Dr Thani also serves as Vice Chairman of the Industry Development Council and Chairman of the Council’s Executive Committee, as well as Deputy Chairman of Etihad Credit Insurance’s Board of Directors. His Excellency is also a member of the Supreme Committee for the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), the decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Prior to his appointment as the Minister of State for Foreign Trade, H.E. held the position of Minister of Climate Change and Environment and supervised the implementation of the country’s strategies on climate action, agricultural development, animal husbandry and fisheries, in addition to combating desertification and preserving biodiversity. He led efforts to enhance the sustainability of natural systems, food diversity and the transition to a green economy.

Jim (James) Rickards

Global Finance and Precious Metals Expert and Best-selling Author

Jim Rickards is the Editor of Strategic Intelligence, a financial newsletter, and Director of The James Rickards Project, an inquiry into the complex dynamics of geopolitics + global capital. He is the author of Wall Street Journal and national bestseller Aftermath (2019), three New York Times best sellers, The Road to Ruin (2016), The Death of Money (2014), and Currency Wars (2011), and national bestseller, The New Case for Gold (2016), all from Penguin Random House. He is an investment advisor, lawyer, and economist and has held senior positions at Citibank, Long-Term Capital Management, and Caxton Associates. In 1998, he was the principal negotiator of the rescue of LTCM sponsored by the Federal Reserve. His clients include institutional investors and government directorates. He is an Op-Ed contributor to the Financial Times, Evening Standard, The Telegraph, New York Times, and Washington Post, and has been interviewed on BBC, CNN, NPR, C-SPAN, CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox, and The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Rickards is a guest lecturer in globalisation and finance at The Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, The Kellogg School at Northwestern, the U.S. Army War College, and the School of Advanced International Studies. He has delivered papers on risk at Singularity University, the Applied Physics Laboratory, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He is an advisor on capital markets to the U.S. intelligence community and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He is also on the Advisory Board of the Center on Economic and Financial Power in Washington, DC. Mr Rickards holds an LL.M. (Taxation) from the NYU School of Law, a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, an M.A. in international economics from SAIS, and a B.A. (with honours) from Johns Hopkins. He lives in New Hampshire.

Abdallah Abu Sheikh

Founder & CEO
Astra Tech

Abdallah Abu Sheikh, a globally renowned entrepreneur, is celebrated for pioneering future-ready platforms driven by innovative strategies and ethical business practices. As the Founder of Astra Tech and CEO of Botim, he's behind the groundbreaking Ultra App which brings communication, fintech, ecommerce, and more under a unified platform. With a vision of simplifying the everyday lives of its users, Botim features the MENA region's first Arabic-language AI chatbot, further redefining the boundaries of technology and communication.

Andrew Naylor

Head of Middle East and Public Policy | World Gold Council

Head of the Middle East and Public Policy at the World Gold Council (WGC). Andrew relocated from Singapore to Dubai in 2023 to establish the WGC’s Middle East operations. Before moving to Dubai, he spent 13 years in Singapore with a focus on public policy.

Chris Cleverly

President | Tingo International Holdings Inc.

Dr Chris Cleverly is President of Tingo Inc. and Tingo International Holdings Inc., Africa’s largest Agri-Fintech. He has been a board member of several UK, India, China, and Africa companies listed on regulated exchanges and private in a number of sectors. As CEO of the Made in Africa Foundation, Dr Cleverly was co-architect and founder of the $1.5 billion Africa50 fund with the African Development Bank which has been the lead investor in several large-scale renewable energy projects. Chris has advised a number of UK PLCs on their entrance into African markets, including negotiation of oil blocks, mineral concessions and banking licenses. He also advises the UK Government on development issues and African governments on investment issues.

Erman Dönmez

Managing Director
IGR Metals

Shareholder and Director of IGR Metals Trading DMCC. Graduated from Dogus University School of Economics and Administration, he started his business at his family jewelery's company, and continued his career with watch & jewelery as a professional. He has been with the Istanbul Gold Refinery INC group for 15 years.

Jamie Belino

Compliance Officer | Al Etihad Gold

Jamie Belino has been a Compliance Officer with Al Etihad Gold since 2011. She is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist and Global Sanctions Specialist by ACAMS. She is particularly interested in Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) and has joined as a committee member under the Gold Associations or Refiners of the Craft Code, further demonstrating her dedication to responsible sourcing and ethical practices.

Over the past decade, she has successfully navigated complex compliance issues, contributed to developing robust policies and procedures, and provided leadership in cross-functional teams. This period has played a pivotal role in formulating the company's sourcing policies aligned with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Sourcing of Minerals in Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, the UAE AML-CFT, and Sanctions regulations.

Jeffrey Rhodes

Founder and Managing Consultant | Rhodes Precious Metals Consultancy

Jeffrey Rhodes is the founder and managing director of Rhodes Precious Metals Consultancy DMCC. With 50 years of experience in bullion markets, starting with Samuel Montagu and working with Credit Suisse and Standard Bank, he served as the CEO and the Global Head of Precious Metals at INTL FC Stonex (now StoneX).

He has spearheaded various industry initiatives in the UAE and has been the consulting leader in creating new growth opportunities for multiple institutions in the last decade.

John Mulligan

Director of Market Relations and Climate Change Lead | World Gold Council

John is the Director of Market Relations and Climate Change Lead at the WGC, leading its climate change research programme and associated engagement activities with investors, policymakers, and stakeholder organisations. Additionally, he contributes to the organisation’s wider insight and communications outputs to improve understanding of the whole gold supply chain and the integration of ESG considerations into strategic market and investment perspectives.

John joined the WGC in early 2005. Before that, he held several senior roles focused on business strategy, product development, trading systems and market analysis.

He has degrees from the University of Sussex and Birkbeck College, University of London.

John Reade

Market Strategist
World Gold Council

John Reade is Market Strategist: Europe and Asia and is based in London. He joined the World Gold Council in 2017 and, working closely with the research team, is responsible for developing strategy about gold and engaging with all aspects of the gold market. He is also one of the principle spokespeople for the organisation.

John has over 35 years’ experience in the gold industry and has worked for gold mining companies in production and project evaluation; for investment banks as an equity analyst and gold strategist; and at an asset manager as gold strategist and portfolio manager.

John has a degree in Mining Engineering from the Royal School of Mines, a constituent of Imperial College, London.

Kamlesh Sharma

Chief General Manager and Head - Department of Metals & Commodities
International Financial Services Centres Authority

Mr. Kamlesh Sharma is heading the Department (earlier named as Department of Precious Metals), IFSCA, presently focusing on the regulatory policy framework for building a bullion eco-system around the India International Bullion Exchange (IIBX) in GIFT-IFSC. During the period from October 2020 till March 2023, Mr. Sharma was also jointly heading the Banking Regulation Division of the IFSCA and has been involved in regulatory framework for International Trade Financial Services Platforms (ITFS) in GIFT-IFSC.

In the RBI, Mr. Kamlesh Sharma has worked in the areas of foreign exchange and financial stability. Before joining the RBI, he had worked in diverse roles and organizations in the financial sector and in academia.

Mr. Kamlesh Sharma is MBA (Finance) and is a Chartered Associate of Indian Institute of Banking and Finance (CAIIB). He also holds FRM® certification of the GARP®, USA.

Mr. Kamlesh Sharma is a qualified cricket umpire on BCCI Panel since 1997. He has officiated in four ICC Women’s One Day International matches and was a Reserve Umpire in IPL 2010 edition.

Keith Weiner

Founder, CEO and Chairman | Monetary Metals

Keith Weiner is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of Monetary Metals, a firm based on his unique vision of unlocking the productivity of gold. Keith is an economist who is a leading authority in the areas of gold, money, and credit and has made important contributions to monetary theory. He is also a serial entrepreneur specialising in businesses that solve hard problems. Before Monetary Metals, he founded DiamondWare, a software company that developed 3D voice technology, sold to Nortel in 2008 for $10M (this company was bootstrapped, there were no outside investors). His work was instrumental in the passing of gold legal tender laws in the state of Arizona in 2017. He has met with central bankers, legislators, and government officials worldwide.

Kenneth Khalkho

Director of Compliance - Risk & Governance
AKW Consultants

Kenneth is a highly experienced non-financial auditor, consultant, trainer, and investigator with an impressive 27-year career spanning diverse sectors in India. He boasts a rich portfolio of national and international projects covering retail, manufacturing, finance, energy, pharmaceuticals, IT, education, government, and non-profit organisations. His expertise encompasses areas such as corporate governance, business ethics, fraud investigation, risk assessment, social audits, SDGs, ESG, EHS, CSR advisory, supply chain compliance, AML, skill development, training, and teaching.

Kenneth has served as Director at Ernst & Young, leading the supply chain compliance and integrity division within the Forensic & Compliance practice. He also worked as a Partner at Thinkthrough Consulting, specializing in sustainable development advisory. Kenneth's career includes a stint as COO at Safeducate, a prominent skill development company in India's supply chain and logistics sector. He played a pivotal role in training over 70,000 students in multiple cities across India.

Kenneth's extensive involvement extends to partnering with various government initiatives and skill development missions. He has worked closely with organisations like the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), and state skill development missions.

Dr Kevin Telmer

Founder | Artisanal Gold Enterprises

Dr Kevin Telmer is the founder of Artisanal Gold Enterprise. He received his PhD from the University of Ottawa in Geochemistry. He held a tenured Professorship at the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria from 1999 until 2011 before transitioning to the full-time lead of the Artisanal Gold Council.

He started his work in artisanal mining in 1995 in the Brazilian Amazon and, in the following 25 years, has worked in numerous countries across three continents. He has extensive experience in technical, policy, and business capacities in the field with miners, governments, international institutions, and industry.

He has become a world-renowned expert and a voice on the international stage with numerous publications on the issue, including authoring the global estimate on mercury use in artisanal gold mining used to negotiate the Minamata Convention. Kevin has raised over US$50M to advance AGC projects in the non-profit sector.

Louis Maréchal

Senior Policy Advisor
OECD

Louis Maréchal joined the Centre for Responsible Business Conduct of the OECD in September 2014. He specifically works on projects related to the implementation of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas.

Prior to joining the OECD, Louis Maréchal worked for four years with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France on issues related to transparency and governance in the mining sector, and security of supply of strategic metals. He started his career with a strategic consultancy firm focusing on the defence and extractives industries.

Louis Maréchal holds a master’s degree in international relations, with a specialization in the defence industry.

Michael Lawrence

Chief Executive
Asia House

Michael Lawrence OBE is the Chief Executive of Asia House, an independent think tank and advisory service. He leads the Asia House team in delivering business and market intelligence to some of the world’s biggest companies and governments in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Michael was appointed Chief Executive of Asia House in September 2012 after a distinguished career as a journalist, editor and executive in international media. He has developed Asia House into the premier UK-based institution on Asia and the Middle East, chairing high-level dialogues between senior political figures and business leaders and enabling impartial and objective discussion on key strategic issues. Michael is a trusted advisor to governments, global financial institutions and multinational companies with relationships at the most senior level.

Prior to joining Asia House, Michael spent 18 years at Reuters (later Thomson Reuters), the international news and financial information organisation, where he held several senior positions over the course of his career.

Mohammad Ayyob

General Manager, Sam Precious Metals

Over 18 years of professional experience in Secured Logistics Solutions (Valuables & Cash Management), Business Developments and Operations. Ayyob has worked as the General Manager and Director at SAM Precious Metals FZ-LLC since 2018. Prior to this, he worked as the General Manager for UAE and Middle East for Brinks Global Services from 2012 to 2018 and has also been a member of the Dubai Advisor Group Technical Committee at Dubai Multi Commodities Centre.

Responsible for leading the commercial and business development activities at the SAM refinery, Managing counterparty relationships understanding gold and silver supply and demand in the UAE.

Navin D'Souza

Co-founder and CEO | ComTech Gold

Navin is an industry expert with over 20+ years of experience in financial and commodity markets, especially in the Exchange and Banking arena where he has been responsible for enhancing and implementing new processes. He began his career with Deutsche Bank in Global Cash Operations, followed by the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE). During his stint as Director of Operations for Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX), he was instrumental in operationalizing the launch of Shariah Gold Product and the implementation of DMCC Tradeflow warrants for physical Gold Deliveries. Before joining ComTech Gold, he spent four years as Head of Risk Management and Senior Vice President of Post Trade Strategy for Dubai Financial Markets and was the key member in setting up the independent Clearing House and Depository.

Navin is now leveraging his experience at ComTech Gold to bring strategic partnerships and operational efficiencies of tokenised gold. Navin is a Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) degree from the CFA Institute, a Chartered Accountant degree from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, and a Master's in Finance.

Nirali Shah

Chief Administrative Officer
Qenta Inc.

Nirali is the Chief Administrative Officer at Qenta Inc. Qenta has built an integrated financial technology platform to reduce friction and deliver better access to compliant, secure, and responsible digital financial products that elevate businesses and individuals worldwide.

Nirali is also the Chief Operating Officer of Responsible Gold Supply Chain LLC (RGSC), a subsidiary of Qenta Inc., where she oversees the development of the flagship blockchain-based supply chain traceability solution and Responsible GoldTM product.

Nirali has 20 years’ international experience in designing and delivering sustainable solutions for multinational organizations, having spent most of her career in professional practice at Deloitte and KPMG. Since 2012, Nirali has specialized in responsible sourcing of precious metals and worked with several mining houses and refineries globally. Prior to joining Qenta, until 2019 Nirali led sustainable supply chain solutions at Deloitte UK. She currently acts as a specialist advisor to the London Bullion Market Association on their responsible previous metals sourcing program.

Ronald-Peter Stöferle

Managing Partner and Fund Manager | Incrementum AG

Ronald-Peter Stöferle, author of the benchmark “In Gold We Trust” report, a widely read and globally appreciated work published annually. Ronald is Managing Partner and Fund Manager at Incrementum AG, based in the Principality of Liechtenstein. The company focuses on asset management and wealth management. Before becoming a partner at Incrementum, he worked in the Vienna-based Erste Group research department, where he started writing about gold in 2006. He gained media attention when he forecasted that the price of gold would rise to USD 2,300/ounce when the price was only at USD 500.

Ronan Manly

Precious Metals Research Analyst | BullionStar

Ronan Manly works as a precious metals research analyst and author of blogs at BullionStar, with headquarters in Singapore and a fast-growing branch in the US. Ronan brings a wide array of knowledge about the functioning of the precious metals industry globally and is an avid follower of developments in the physical side of the precious metals business.

Ronan has an interest in financial markets and a passion for the monetary gold market, evident in his in-depth and often hard-hitting articles for BullionStar examining the contemporary gold market. He holds a Masters in Finance from London Business School.

Safeya AlSafi

Director of the Anti-Money Laundering Department
Ministry of Economy - UAE

Safeya AlSafi is the Director of the Anti-Money Laundering Department at the Ministry of Economy since 2020. She leads the supervision and oversight of Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) across the UAE. She is also a member of the experts group representing the UAE in front of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in the field of supervision and preventive measures, where she represents the United Arab Emirates as an official spokesperson in the Face to Face meetings with the assessors of the Joint Group of African and Middle East under of the FATF in addition of other international participations in Anti Money Laundering and Combating Terrorist Financing.

She has more than 10 years of experience in the banking sector and more than 3 years in the government sector. She has held many management positions. During her career, she established many departments, such as Anti-Money Laundering Department in Ministry of Economy, establishing the framework for implementing the risk-based approach and organizing beneficial ownership procedures at all licensing authorities in the country, including the mainland and commercial free zones. In addition, establishing the Private Banking Department in the Emirates Islamic Bank.

During her career she was a member of The National Anti-Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism and Financing of Illegal Organizations Committee and some of its sub-committees;such as Sub-Committee of Supervisory Authorities, Sub-Committee for Money Laundering Crimes Investigative Authorities, Sub-Committee for National Risk Assessment of Money-Laundering, Terrorism Financing and Illegal Organizations Financing Risks, and The Sub-Committee for Combatting the Financing of Terrorism and the Financing of Illegal Organizations and the Financing of Proliferation. She is also an Assistant Chairman of the Sub-Committee of Companies Registrars.

She holds a Master’s degree in Islamic economics and wealth management from Zayed University. She also obtained a professional diploma in innovation and government accelerators in the future design industry from Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University.

She holds two professional certificates from the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI), one accredited in the International Certificate in Wealth and Investment, and the other accredited in the International Introduction to Securities and Investment, since 2017. It is also a member of the International Compliance Association (ICA).

Safeya has an active voluntary life since 2006. She is a board member of Emirates Down Syndrome Associate since 2018 and selected as a Treasurer since 2021.

Sakhila Mirza

Executive Board Director and General Counsel | London Bullion Market Association

Sakhila Mirza is the General Counsel of LBMA and Executive Director of the LBMA Board. Sakhila Mirza works closely with the CEO on the strategic direction of the LBMA. Her role involves addressing all the legal and regulatory matters, the Responsible Sourcing Programme, market development initiatives, and lobbying efforts on behalf of members.

Sakhila studied law at the London School of Economics and qualified as a solicitor.

Dr Saleem Ali

Chair - Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences | University of Delaware

Professor Saleem Ali is Chair of the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences and the Blue & Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment at the University of Delaware (USA). He is also a member of the United Nations International Resource Panel. His laurels include being a National Geographic Explorer, with field experience in more than 160 countries and all continents; being selected as a “Young Global Leader” by the World Economic Forum and serving on the boards of notable non-profit charitable organisations, including RESOLVE, Adventure Scientists and Mediators Beyond Borders International.

His books include:

Sunil Kashyap

Founder and Director | FINMET

Sunil Kashyap has been involved with the precious metals industry in Southeast Asia since 1995. He has been instrumental in the growth of the bullion business in several Asian countries and has been closely involved with the liberalisation process of the Indian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern bullion markets.

He has overseen a precious metals business that operates within a strong regulatory and governance framework in compliance with the Dodd-Frank Act, Conflict-Free Mineral legislation, NSFR rules, OFAC Sanction lists, Reach legislation, Volcker rule, and Transaction Reporting.

He is a member of the International Advisor’s Committee of the Shanghai Gold Exchange and former Chairman of the Bullion Singapore Market Association. He is a former member of the Membership Committee of the London Bullion Market Association.

Thierry Dongala

Managing Director | Accountable Africa

Mr Thierry Dongala founded and tailored Accountable Africa to address global concerns around the provenance of artisanal gold. Specialised in conducting due diligence and anti-money laundering compliance for institutional investors and central banks in Africa, Accountable Africa regularly conducts investigations of gold supply chains for global regulators and mining sector participants. Mr Dongala’s advisory work serves governments and central banks in the African gold trade.

Mr Dongala is a former Senior Advisor for Africa at the United States (US) House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organisations. During his tenure in the US Congress, he led congressional investigative teams on US sanctions compliance and anti-circumvention efforts.

Before founding Accountable Africa and working in US Congress, Mr Dongala Co-Chaired forums on accountability with The Honorable David M. Walker, former US Comptroller General and former US Government Accountability Office CEO. Mr Dongala is a former organiser of institutional investor conferences for Euromoney Institutional Investor. Before Euromoney, Mr Dongala worked in the US Senate for US Senator Bob Casey.

Mr Dongala brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field and deeply understands the challenges and best practices associated with these areas. His expertise is invaluable in identifying opportunities for optimisation, enhancing operational efficiency, and ensuring international regulatory compliance within central bank gold supply chains. In his role, Mr Dongala works closely with the relevant teams at central banks to analyse existing processes and identify areas of improvement. By leveraging institutional buyers’ technological capabilities and industry insights, he provides tailored recommendations and actionable strategies to enhance the efficiency of central bank gold supply chain operations. This may include optimising inventory management, improving logistics, implementing advanced tracking systems, and streamlining supplier relationships.

Accountable Africa has done work in Congo, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Ghana and Peru.

Thomas Hart

Senior Director - Precious Metals Products | CME Group

Thomas Hart serves as Senior Director, Metals BLM for CME Group. He has product line responsibility for the company’s metals products, focusing on precious metals. Before joining CME Group in 2017, Hart was a metals trader at Prudential and Jefferies Bache, managing risk in futures, OTC, and investment-grade precious metals markets. He holds a BA from Cornell University.

Vikram Mehrotra

Head of Sales, Precious Metals - Asia | ANZ Bank

Vikram Mehrotra heads ANZ Bank’s Asian precious metals sales and manages the Global Physical Bullion Book for the Bank. He has extensive experience in physical commodities markets across the APAC region. Vikram has been placing much effort in connecting the bullion flows from Australasia to major consumer markets in Asia.

Zobel Behalal

Finance/Natural resources Expert
United Nations

Zobel Behalal is currently the Finance/Natural Resources Expert of the Group of Experts on the DRC, focusing on the trafficking of gold and tin, tantalum and tungsten (3Ts) from eastern DRC; gold and illicit financial flows in DRC and its neighbouring countries; the involvement of armed groups and criminal networks in mineral exploitation and trade; and the monitoring of the implementation of the Group’s due diligence guidelines and the ICGLR Regional Certification mechanism. He held the same position from 2014 to 2019 on the Group of Experts on the DRC and from 2020 to 2021 on the Panel of Experts on the CAR. He also coordinated the Group of Experts on the DRC from 2017 to 2019 and from 2019 to 2020, a study for UNODC on mineral trafficking as a source of financing for terrorist groups and criminal networks in some areas in Central Africa.

From 2007 to 2014 he worked as a Peace and Conflicts Advisory Officer for the Paris-based Catholic Committee against Hunger and Development (CCFD)-Terre Solidaire, where he conducted field research and collected evidence on the nexus between the exploitation of natural resources and conflict in the Great Lakes region.