FIDES aims to contribute with reliable sustainable solutions to the key issue of facilitating economic development by creating access to financial services for micro entrepreneurs who are excluded from the formal banking system.
FINANCIAL SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
AG has an international team of highly qualified staff
members. The team covers all fields of competence necessary for
greenfield creation of microfinance institutions. Backstopping is
done out of Fribourg (Switzerland). Each field staff member has
the possibility to mobilize high level support in all relevant
fields if required. Greenfield creations are generally
implemented through permanent staff located in each country,
supplemented by short-term support in specific fields like IT,
HRM and Research.
SHORT PROFILES OF FIDES STAFF MEMBERS
Markus SCHÄR is a business-economist and Co-Director of FIDES | Financial Systems Development Services AG. Markus Schär is also managing the SCBF Swiss Capacity Building Facility for Income and Employment Generation (www.scbf.ch), a private public development partnership with the objective to promote income and employment generation in partner countries of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) by scaling up financial intermediaries.
Prior to joining FIDES in January 2007, Markus Schär has been working for more than 10 years in the field of organizational development with leading financial institutions in Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in New York, USA. While at the UNDP, Markus was involved in the roll-out of change management initiatives throughout the UNDP country network, building the capacity of UNDP staff to provide human resource related change implementation support. Prior to joining the UNDP, he was a Senior Consultant and Project Manager in market strategy and development at UBS Wealth Management and Business Banking. During the two years spent at SBC Warburg Dillon Read in Singapore, he implemented and monitored graduate recruitment processes in Asia/Pacific.
A Swiss national, Markus was born in Malaysia and grew up in Cameroon and Switzerland. Markus holds a BS degree in business economics and concluded post-graduate studies in Business Process Reengineering from University of Basel. He is highly attuned to cross-cultural communication and management concerns.
Evriviadis CABIOTIS is an Economist and has already built up sustainable microfinance institutions in five countries. He is based at the headquarter in Fribourg and is in charge of the "backstopping" of several projects. Until recently, Evri was responsible for the transformation of the successful pilot program of FIDES into the fifth commercial bank of the country. He is a specialist for product development and also intensively involved in staff training.
Christian BARON, is an Economist from the University Paris I Sorbonne and the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers. He has been involved on development of rural and urban SME's in developing countries for more than 20 years. He has first worked as an expatriate adviser on the implementation of a village saving and credit bank network in Mali. Thereafter, he joined the main office of the International Centre of Research and Development (CIDR), where he was responsible for the "Financial Decentralized Systems" department for more than 10 years. Then, he joined the Groupe de Recherche et d'Echanges Technologiques (GRET) in 2003 as Program Manager in the "Microfinance and SME's" department. Besides the promotion of microfinance activities in Africa and Asia, he has developed several programmes aiming to facilitate SME access to support, advice and training services. He has also been a director and Member of the Audit Committee of Amret, a leading Cambodian MFI between 2005 and 2010. Christian has joined FIDES in November 2010 as a microfinance expert.
Philippe COUTEAU has nearly twenty years of experience in financial services, of which nine in microfinance and two in microinsurance. His first six years of professional experience in world-class financial institutions brought him solid expertise in various fields of the bank management: risk management, bank transactions organization, procedures writing, team management and audit. During his long and varied experience in Microfinance, in field positions as well as research and development positions, he has built a sound understanding of numerous areas: creation and development of new MFIs, MIS, audit and regulations, product design as well as training and development. He has a solid understanding in various methodologies such as village banking, group lending, individual credit, SME lending and improved "merry-go-rounds".
Modou DIOP has developed a sound expertise with regards to rural Senegal including of the target areas of operations for St. Louis Finances (River Area, Matam, Podor, Kaolack, etc.). Prior to joining FIDES, he held long-term responsibility for the structures supporting the development of agriculture in these areas. In this capacity he frequently had to allow access to credit for groups of producers and small businesses in the region. As such he organized numerous feasibility, organizational support and institutionalization missions for microfinance institutions. In addition, Modou Diop has a vast experience in training and human resources development.
Guillaume MICHEL is an agronomist specialized in rural development. Guillaume Michel has spent several years in Africa as a technician but also facilitator and trainer, as well as project manager. He was also responsible for research in Rwanda for the Swiss Cooperation on rural banking system and also support to local business associations.
Romain TEVELS has been working for many years in emerging countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa and has accumulated operational experience in microfinance. The constant contact with customers of local MFIs has offered him the opportunity to develop a sound understanding of their problems and to offer them a range of targeted and tailored services. Romain has developed a wide range of expertise, including strategic issues, team leadership and field management, management of human resources, MIS, accounting and operations management.
MANAGMENT TEAM IN FRIBOURG AND MONTPELLIER
Konrad ELLSÄSSER is President and Managing Director of FIDES. He is a former researcher and has worked in the creation of microfinance institutions for the last twenty years. The concepts of some of the most successful microfinance institutions in Eastern Europe and in Africa have been developed by him. He has been working long-time as an expatriate in developing countries when building microfinance institutions. He has also been intensively involved in the development of legal and regulatory frameworks for microfinance in Eastern Europe when after the fall of communism regulations for banking in market conditions had to be developed. Beside this, he has worked as a university teacher in microfinance (Development of a Master of Science in Montpellier) and as an expert for organizations like the World Bank, IFAD, CGAP, and the main European bilateral donor organizations.Markus SCHÄR is a business-economist and Co-Director of FIDES | Financial Systems Development Services AG. Markus Schär is also managing the SCBF Swiss Capacity Building Facility for Income and Employment Generation (www.scbf.ch), a private public development partnership with the objective to promote income and employment generation in partner countries of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) by scaling up financial intermediaries.
Prior to joining FIDES in January 2007, Markus Schär has been working for more than 10 years in the field of organizational development with leading financial institutions in Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in New York, USA. While at the UNDP, Markus was involved in the roll-out of change management initiatives throughout the UNDP country network, building the capacity of UNDP staff to provide human resource related change implementation support. Prior to joining the UNDP, he was a Senior Consultant and Project Manager in market strategy and development at UBS Wealth Management and Business Banking. During the two years spent at SBC Warburg Dillon Read in Singapore, he implemented and monitored graduate recruitment processes in Asia/Pacific.
A Swiss national, Markus was born in Malaysia and grew up in Cameroon and Switzerland. Markus holds a BS degree in business economics and concluded post-graduate studies in Business Process Reengineering from University of Basel. He is highly attuned to cross-cultural communication and management concerns.
Evriviadis CABIOTIS is an Economist and has already built up sustainable microfinance institutions in five countries. He is based at the headquarter in Fribourg and is in charge of the "backstopping" of several projects. Until recently, Evri was responsible for the transformation of the successful pilot program of FIDES into the fifth commercial bank of the country. He is a specialist for product development and also intensively involved in staff training.
Christian BARON, is an Economist from the University Paris I Sorbonne and the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers. He has been involved on development of rural and urban SME's in developing countries for more than 20 years. He has first worked as an expatriate adviser on the implementation of a village saving and credit bank network in Mali. Thereafter, he joined the main office of the International Centre of Research and Development (CIDR), where he was responsible for the "Financial Decentralized Systems" department for more than 10 years. Then, he joined the Groupe de Recherche et d'Echanges Technologiques (GRET) in 2003 as Program Manager in the "Microfinance and SME's" department. Besides the promotion of microfinance activities in Africa and Asia, he has developed several programmes aiming to facilitate SME access to support, advice and training services. He has also been a director and Member of the Audit Committee of Amret, a leading Cambodian MFI between 2005 and 2010. Christian has joined FIDES in November 2010 as a microfinance expert.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Aissata BARRY has a master of science in development studies with a specialization in microfinance. She also holds a degree in sociology. Aissata Barry has worked in microfinance on the ground in West Africa for about ten years. After extensive field research activities, she built up and headed FIDES Mali, a microfinance institution based in Mopti that is now covering a large region and targeting rural women for savings and credit services. FIDES Mali has been designed as an investment since its start and has never benefited from substantial donor support. Aissata Barry is now working out of the FIDES head office in research and development activities. She is one of the founders of FIDES.INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS IN THE FIELD
Michel ARNOULT is an Agro-economist and specialized in creating step by step tailor made institutions adapted to the local conditions and thus with a strong growth potential. Beside conceptual tasks his main challenge is capacity building. Michel Arnoult has been working in several African countries and in Eastern Europe. He has been leading the greenfield creation of an institution for FIDES in Moldova that has now become the biggest microfinance institution in Eastern Europe with more than 100 000 clients. Michel is currently the General Manager of FIDES Bank Namibia.Philippe COUTEAU has nearly twenty years of experience in financial services, of which nine in microfinance and two in microinsurance. His first six years of professional experience in world-class financial institutions brought him solid expertise in various fields of the bank management: risk management, bank transactions organization, procedures writing, team management and audit. During his long and varied experience in Microfinance, in field positions as well as research and development positions, he has built a sound understanding of numerous areas: creation and development of new MFIs, MIS, audit and regulations, product design as well as training and development. He has a solid understanding in various methodologies such as village banking, group lending, individual credit, SME lending and improved "merry-go-rounds".
Modou DIOP has developed a sound expertise with regards to rural Senegal including of the target areas of operations for St. Louis Finances (River Area, Matam, Podor, Kaolack, etc.). Prior to joining FIDES, he held long-term responsibility for the structures supporting the development of agriculture in these areas. In this capacity he frequently had to allow access to credit for groups of producers and small businesses in the region. As such he organized numerous feasibility, organizational support and institutionalization missions for microfinance institutions. In addition, Modou Diop has a vast experience in training and human resources development.
Guillaume MICHEL is an agronomist specialized in rural development. Guillaume Michel has spent several years in Africa as a technician but also facilitator and trainer, as well as project manager. He was also responsible for research in Rwanda for the Swiss Cooperation on rural banking system and also support to local business associations.
Romain TEVELS has been working for many years in emerging countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa and has accumulated operational experience in microfinance. The constant contact with customers of local MFIs has offered him the opportunity to develop a sound understanding of their problems and to offer them a range of targeted and tailored services. Romain has developed a wide range of expertise, including strategic issues, team leadership and field management, management of human resources, MIS, accounting and operations management.
© 2007 FIDES | FINANCIAL SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AG
