David Staples Managing Director, Corporate Finance Moody's Ratings

David Staples is a Managing Director at Moody’s in the EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. His responsibilities include managing the analytical teams that oversee the ratings of companies based in the Middle East, Turkey, South Africa as well as Russia and the CIS. 

David has a Masters degree from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. (1984) and a Bachelors degree from the University of Cincinnati (1982).

Marie Diron Managing Director, Sovereign Risk Moody's Ratings

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. 

Rahul Ghosh Managing Director – Global Head of Sustainable Finance Moody’s Ratings

Rahul Ghosh is Managing Director – Global Head of Sustainable Finance for Moody's Ratings.

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.

Alexander Perjéssy Vice President - Senior Credit Officer, Sovereign Risk Moody's Ratings

Alexander Perjéssy is Vice President – Senior Credit Officer at the Moody’s Sovereign Risk Group.

Based in Dubai, he has lead analyst responsibilities for a number of sovereigns in the Middle East, including most of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states and several regional multilateral institutions.

Prior to joining Moody’s in November 2017, Alex worked for two years as economist at the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Before relocating to the Middle East, Alex spent more than 12 years covering macroeconomic developments and sovereign risk assessment in the emerging markets of the EMEA region for AllianceBernstein and The Rohatyn Group, both US-based asset management firms in New York, as well as for Goldman Sachs in London.

Alex holds an MA in Economics from the University of Maryland and a BA in Economics from Middlebury College.

Ajay Kumar Jha Senior Director- Risk & Compliance APICORP

Ajay is the Senior Director of Risk and Compliance at APICORP. He has 25 years of experience in the finance and banking industry and held several senior roles in the risk management field prior to joining APICORP in 2014. He has previously worked with Al Rajhi Capital, KSA; Citibank, India and ICICI Bank, India.

Mr. Jha holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Delhi University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Institute of Management Studies, Indore, India.

Selected Credentials:

Leading Risk & Governance function at APICORP consisting of Project Finance, Private Equity & Treasury assets spread across the MENA region. Subject matter expertise in core risk management practices-Credit & Investment Risk, Liquidity Risk, Market Risk & OpR Risk.

Proficient in developing a robust Risk Appetite framework intertwined with the organization's strategy and business objectives.

Comprehensive know-how of diverse business activities i.e.  Wholesale Lending-Project & Trade Finance, Asset-based Finance, Investments- Private equity, Funds & Fixed Income, Treasury Portfolio-Liquidity & Funding profile.

• Developed ESG framework and ESG due diligence toolkit at APICORP. Led the first ESG rating exercise for APICORP and secured “A2” rating for APICORP. Led APICORP team in issuing its debut green bond (Issue size of USD 750 MM) in Sept 2021.

Marie Diron Managing Director, Sovereign Risk Moody's Ratings

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. 

Timothy Ash Senior Sovereign Strategist Bluebay Asset Management

Tim joined Bluebay in 2017 after twenty years working as a sell side sovereign analyst at various banks including RBS, ICBC Standard Bank, Nomura and Bear Stearns. Bluebay manages over $160bn, mostly fixed income assets and is part of the RBC group. Bluebay is active in investments across the GCC and Middle East region. But Tim is best known for his coverage of Emerging Europe - credits like Turkey, Ukraine and Russia. He was one of the few analysts warning of the high odds of a defining Russia-Ukraine war, as far back as 2015 and also the resulting looming risks of inflation. He also covers the GCC and gives a cross region perspective. He is a graduate in economics from Manchester University, is ex-EIU and also conducted post graduate research into the economics of transition at Exeter University and Heriot-Watt Universities in the U.K.

Khatija Haque Chief Economist and Head of Research Emirates NBD

Khatija Haque joined Emirates NBD in 2011 as one of the founding members of the research team, helping to build the bank’s macroeconomic coverage on the GCC and wider MENA region over the last decade.  She was appointed chief economist and head of research in 2020.

Khatija has more than 20 years’ experience as an emerging markets economist spanning three continents. Before moving to Dubai in 2008, Khatija was a vice president at Deutsche Bank covering several countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  She is a frequent guest on local radio and television and is often quoted in both local and international press.

Matthew Vogel Portfolio Manager and Head of Sovereign Research, FIM Partners FIM

Matthew Vogel, Portfolio Manager and Head of Sovereign Research at FIM Partners, is a dedicated

Emerging market specialist, with over 30 years of professional experience in a range of institutions. Prior to FIM, Matthew was Managing Director and Head of the top-ranked Emerging Europe, Middle East, and Africa Research Team at Barclays Capital. Before that, he had a similar position at Merrill Lynch, and worked for over 6 years at the World Bank in Washington. He has also served as an advisor to TCX, the supranational issuer of frontier local currency bonds.  His country knowledge extends across the global emerging and frontier markets.

Matthew is also a non-executive director and investor in a Turkish-based developer of renewable energy and sustainable agriculture projects. He lived in Turkey for several years as a project developer and holds sustainability and impact investing as a core conviction.

Matthew has a BA in Latin American Studies and Economics from the University of Texas (1988) and an MA in Economics from the Instituto Torcuato diTella (Argentina, 1989). He is an American and British national, married with three children.

Rehan Akbar Associate Managing Director, EMEA Corporate Finance Moody's Ratings

Rehan Akbar is an Associate Managing Director in Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He covers a diversified portfolio including Oil & Gas, petrochemicals, transport and mining companies situated in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2011, Rehan worked as a credit analyst at Mashreq Capital where he covered emerging market corporates. He started his career as a software engineer and technology consultant.

Rehan has a Masters degree in Management Sciences and Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from Lahore University of Management Sciences. He is a CFA charterholder.

Lahlou Meksaoui Vice President - Senior Analyst, Corporate Finance Group Moody's Investors Service

Lahlou Meksaoui is a Vice President – Senior Analyst with Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He is responsible for a diversified portfolio including real estate, metals and mining, packaged goods, retail and construction companies across the Middle East and Africa. Lahlou joined Moody’s in 2017 from HSBC Middle East where he held an Associate Director position in the Corporate Finance Advisory team. Lahlou holds a Master in Finance and Strategy from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po Paris). He is fluent in six languages (French, English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish).

Nitish Bhojnagarwala Associate Managing Director, Financial Institutions Group Moody's Ratings

Nitish Bhojnagarwala is an Associate Managing Director with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group. Based in Dubai, Nitish covers a portfolio of large conventional as well as Islamic financial institutions in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

Nitish joined Moody’s in 2011, and has led sukuk roundtables and conducted workshops on Banking and Islamic finance at various conferences in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Nitish has also authored several research pieces, with a focus on regional banking, credit issues and issuer-in-depths for conventional as well as Islamic banks.

Prior to joining Moody’s, Nitish spent five years at Tamweel in the Treasury function. He has also worked for KPMG in the UAE, where he covered financial institutions. Nitish holds an MBA from S P Jain Institute of Management & Research, with a major in Finance (Investment Banking).

Francesca Paolino Assistant Vice President - Analyst, EMEA Banking Moody's Ratings

Francesca joined the Financial Institutions Group (FIG) of Moody’s Ratings in December 2014 and has broad experience in covering a wide range of banks and other financial institutions in terms of business and ownership profile. She is currently the lead analyst for banks in United Arab Emirates, Oman and some in Turkey.

Previously she worked in a private wealth management in New York and as an intern at Monte Dei Paschi di Siena in Milan. Francesca holds an MSc in Finance from Bocconi University - Milan and Bsc in Economics and Finance from University of Bologna.

Marina Albo Managing Director, EMEA Corporate Finance Moody's Ratings

Marina Albo is the Managing Director of the Corporate Finance Group for EMEA. In this role, Marina has overall responsibility for Moody’s ratings and research for the corporate franchise in the region, managing teams in London, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Dubai and Stockholm. Prior to this role, Marina headed the Accounting Specialists and the Consumer, Pharma and Retail teams within the EMEA Corporate Finance group, based in London. Marina joined Moody’s in 2015, after 20 years of banking experience, mainly with HSBC, where she was head of the credit risk team in charge of Leveraged Finance and TMT. Marina started her career in internal audit, moving to client management and debt advisory. In her previous roles Marina has worked in London, Paris, Cairo and Madrid. Marina holds a dual degree in Business Administration awarded by Universidad Pontificia Madrid Comillas and by Reims Business School.

Julien Haddad Vice President - Senior Analyst, Corporate Finance, Moody’s Investors Service

Julien Haddad is a Vice President – Senior Analyst in Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He primarily covers a portfolio of telcos, healthcare and oil and gas companies located in the GCC, with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia.

Julien holds a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Lyon, France and a Master’s degree in Management, Finance and International Business from the University of Bergamo, Italy.

Alexander Perjéssy Vice President - Senior Credit Officer, Sovereign Risk Moody's Ratings

Alexander Perjéssy is Vice President – Senior Credit Officer at the Moody’s Sovereign Risk Group.

Based in Dubai, he has lead analyst responsibilities for a number of sovereigns in the Middle East, including most of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states and several regional multilateral institutions.

Prior to joining Moody’s in November 2017, Alex worked for two years as economist at the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Before relocating to the Middle East, Alex spent more than 12 years covering macroeconomic developments and sovereign risk assessment in the emerging markets of the EMEA region for AllianceBernstein and The Rohatyn Group, both US-based asset management firms in New York, as well as for Goldman Sachs in London.

Alex holds an MA in Economics from the University of Maryland and a BA in Economics from Middlebury College.

Mohammed Ali Londe Vice President - Senior Analyst, EMEA Insurance Moody's Ratings

Mohammed Ali Londe is an Vice President – Senior Analyst within Moody’s Insurance Group, based in Dubai. He is responsible for Moody’s insurance ratings in the Middle East. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2013, Mohammed worked in the Planning and Performance Management department of Zurich International Middle East. Mohammed’s past experience also includes working with Chartis Middle East (AIG) and as an auditor, within the insurance department of Deloitte Bermuda where along with performing numerous insurance and reinsurance audits, he was seconded to work with Endurance Specialty Insurance Ltd.Mohammed Ali holds a BSc from Oxford Brookes University, UK.

Badis Shubailat Assistant Vice President - Analyst, EMEA Banking Moody's Ratings

Badis Shubailat is an Analyst with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group. Based in Dubai, Badis covers a portfolio of large conventional as well as Islamic banks in the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Morocco. He is the lead analyst responsible for the Bahraini and Tunisian banking systems and also covered in the past financial institutions in Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey. Since joining Moody’s in March 2014, Badis has authored research publications focusing on GCC and North African credits as well as Islamic Banking. Badis holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from John Cabot University (Rome, Italy) and an MSc in Finance from EADA Business School (Barcelona, Spain). Badis speaks English, French, Arabic and Italian.

Nitish Bhojnagarwala Associate Managing Director, Financial Institutions Group Moody's Ratings

Nitish Bhojnagarwala is an Associate Managing Director with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group. Based in Dubai, Nitish covers a portfolio of large conventional as well as Islamic financial institutions in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

Nitish joined Moody’s in 2011, and has led sukuk roundtables and conducted workshops on Banking and Islamic finance at various conferences in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Nitish has also authored several research pieces, with a focus on regional banking, credit issues and issuer-in-depths for conventional as well as Islamic banks.

Prior to joining Moody’s, Nitish spent five years at Tamweel in the Treasury function. He has also worked for KPMG in the UAE, where he covered financial institutions. Nitish holds an MBA from S P Jain Institute of Management & Research, with a major in Finance (Investment Banking).

Rehan Akbar Associate Managing Director, EMEA Corporate Finance Moody's Ratings

Rehan Akbar is an Associate Managing Director in Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He covers a diversified portfolio including Oil & Gas, petrochemicals, transport and mining companies situated in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2011, Rehan worked as a credit analyst at Mashreq Capital where he covered emerging market corporates. He started his career as a software engineer and technology consultant.

Rehan has a Masters degree in Management Sciences and Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from Lahore University of Management Sciences. He is a CFA charterholder.

Julien Haddad Vice President - Senior Analyst, Corporate Finance, Moody’s Investors Service

Julien Haddad is a Vice President – Senior Analyst in Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He primarily covers a portfolio of telcos, healthcare and oil and gas companies located in the GCC, with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia.

Julien holds a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Lyon, France and a Master’s degree in Management, Finance and International Business from the University of Bergamo, Italy.

Lahlou Meksaoui Vice President - Senior Analyst, Corporate Finance Group Moody's Investors Service

Lahlou Meksaoui is a Vice President – Senior Analyst with Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He is responsible for a diversified portfolio including real estate, metals and mining, packaged goods, retail and construction companies across the Middle East and Africa. Lahlou joined Moody’s in 2017 from HSBC Middle East where he held an Associate Director position in the Corporate Finance Advisory team. Lahlou holds a Master in Finance and Strategy from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po Paris). He is fluent in six languages (French, English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish).

Paul Feghaly Analyst, EMEA Corporate Finance Moody's Ratings

Paul Feghaly is an Analyst in Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He covers a diversified portfolio, including but not limited to regulated utilities, telecom and real estate companies situated in the Middle East.He joined Moody’s Dubai office in 2018, and previously worked as a senior associate in PwC’s Capital Markets Advisory team for two years, covering IPO and debt transactions in the MENA region. Before that, he has spent around 5 years working in different regional audit and tax functions with both Deloitte and BDO International.Paul holds an associate degree in Audit and Accounting, has passed the US certified public accountant (CPA) examination, and completed the executive CORe program at Harvard Business School Online

Ajay Kumar Jha Senior Director- Risk & Compliance APICORP

Ajay is the Senior Director of Risk and Compliance at APICORP. He has 25 years of experience in the finance and banking industry and held several senior roles in the risk management field prior to joining APICORP in 2014. He has previously worked with Al Rajhi Capital, KSA; Citibank, India and ICICI Bank, India.

Mr. Jha holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Delhi University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Institute of Management Studies, Indore, India.

Selected Credentials:

Leading Risk & Governance function at APICORP consisting of Project Finance, Private Equity & Treasury assets spread across the MENA region. Subject matter expertise in core risk management practices-Credit & Investment Risk, Liquidity Risk, Market Risk & OpR Risk.

Proficient in developing a robust Risk Appetite framework intertwined with the organization's strategy and business objectives.

Comprehensive know-how of diverse business activities i.e.  Wholesale Lending-Project & Trade Finance, Asset-based Finance, Investments- Private equity, Funds & Fixed Income, Treasury Portfolio-Liquidity & Funding profile.

• Developed ESG framework and ESG due diligence toolkit at APICORP. Led the first ESG rating exercise for APICORP and secured “A2” rating for APICORP. Led APICORP team in issuing its debut green bond (Issue size of USD 750 MM) in Sept 2021.

Paul Feghaly Analyst, EMEA Corporate Finance Moody's Ratings

Paul Feghaly is an Analyst in Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He covers a diversified portfolio, including but not limited to regulated utilities, telecom and real estate companies situated in the Middle East.He joined Moody’s Dubai office in 2018, and previously worked as a senior associate in PwC’s Capital Markets Advisory team for two years, covering IPO and debt transactions in the MENA region. Before that, he has spent around 5 years working in different regional audit and tax functions with both Deloitte and BDO International.Paul holds an associate degree in Audit and Accounting, has passed the US certified public accountant (CPA) examination, and completed the executive CORe program at Harvard Business School Online

Francesca Paolino Assistant Vice President - Analyst, EMEA Banking Moody's Ratings

Francesca joined the Financial Institutions Group (FIG) of Moody’s Ratings in December 2014 and has broad experience in covering a wide range of banks and other financial institutions in terms of business and ownership profile. She is currently the lead analyst for banks in United Arab Emirates, Oman and some in Turkey.

Previously she worked in a private wealth management in New York and as an intern at Monte Dei Paschi di Siena in Milan. Francesca holds an MSc in Finance from Bocconi University - Milan and Bsc in Economics and Finance from University of Bologna.

Timothy Ash Senior Sovereign Strategist Bluebay Asset Management

Tim joined Bluebay in 2017 after twenty years working as a sell side sovereign analyst at various banks including RBS, ICBC Standard Bank, Nomura and Bear Stearns. Bluebay manages over $160bn, mostly fixed income assets and is part of the RBC group. Bluebay is active in investments across the GCC and Middle East region. But Tim is best known for his coverage of Emerging Europe - credits like Turkey, Ukraine and Russia. He was one of the few analysts warning of the high odds of a defining Russia-Ukraine war, as far back as 2015 and also the resulting looming risks of inflation. He also covers the GCC and gives a cross region perspective. He is a graduate in economics from Manchester University, is ex-EIU and also conducted post graduate research into the economics of transition at Exeter University and Heriot-Watt Universities in the U.K.

Badis Shubailat Assistant Vice President - Analyst, EMEA Banking Moody's Ratings

Badis Shubailat is an Analyst with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group. Based in Dubai, Badis covers a portfolio of large conventional as well as Islamic banks in the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Morocco. He is the lead analyst responsible for the Bahraini and Tunisian banking systems and also covered in the past financial institutions in Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey. Since joining Moody’s in March 2014, Badis has authored research publications focusing on GCC and North African credits as well as Islamic Banking. Badis holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from John Cabot University (Rome, Italy) and an MSc in Finance from EADA Business School (Barcelona, Spain). Badis speaks English, French, Arabic and Italian.

Khatija Haque Chief Economist and Head of Research Emirates NBD

Khatija Haque joined Emirates NBD in 2011 as one of the founding members of the research team, helping to build the bank’s macroeconomic coverage on the GCC and wider MENA region over the last decade.  She was appointed chief economist and head of research in 2020.

Khatija has more than 20 years’ experience as an emerging markets economist spanning three continents. Before moving to Dubai in 2008, Khatija was a vice president at Deutsche Bank covering several countries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.  She is a frequent guest on local radio and television and is often quoted in both local and international press.

Rahul Ghosh Managing Director – Global Head of Sustainable Finance Moody’s Ratings

Rahul Ghosh is Managing Director – Global Head of Sustainable Finance for Moody's Ratings.

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.

David Staples Managing Director, Corporate Finance Moody's Ratings

David Staples is a Managing Director at Moody’s in the EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. His responsibilities include managing the analytical teams that oversee the ratings of companies based in the Middle East, Turkey, South Africa as well as Russia and the CIS. 

David has a Masters degree from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. (1984) and a Bachelors degree from the University of Cincinnati (1982).

Marie Diron Managing Director, Sovereign Risk Moody's Ratings

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. 

Marina Albo Managing Director, EMEA Corporate Finance Moody's Ratings

Marina Albo is the Managing Director of the Corporate Finance Group for EMEA. In this role, Marina has overall responsibility for Moody’s ratings and research for the corporate franchise in the region, managing teams in London, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Dubai and Stockholm. Prior to this role, Marina headed the Accounting Specialists and the Consumer, Pharma and Retail teams within the EMEA Corporate Finance group, based in London. Marina joined Moody’s in 2015, after 20 years of banking experience, mainly with HSBC, where she was head of the credit risk team in charge of Leveraged Finance and TMT. Marina started her career in internal audit, moving to client management and debt advisory. In her previous roles Marina has worked in London, Paris, Cairo and Madrid. Marina holds a dual degree in Business Administration awarded by Universidad Pontificia Madrid Comillas and by Reims Business School.

Lahlou Meksaoui Vice President - Senior Analyst, Corporate Finance Group Moody's Investors Service

Lahlou Meksaoui is a Vice President – Senior Analyst with Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He is responsible for a diversified portfolio including real estate, metals and mining, packaged goods, retail and construction companies across the Middle East and Africa. Lahlou joined Moody’s in 2017 from HSBC Middle East where he held an Associate Director position in the Corporate Finance Advisory team. Lahlou holds a Master in Finance and Strategy from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po Paris). He is fluent in six languages (French, English, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish).

Lisa Jaeger Vice President - Senior Analyst Moody's Ratings

Lisa Jaeger is a Vice President – Senior Analyst in Moody’s Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. She is responsible for a diversified portfolio of issuers across the Middle East, Turkey and South Africa, including Investment Holding Companies and Conglomerates, Telecoms and Diversified Industrials. Lisa joined Moody’s in 2020 after spending 5 years at Goldman Sachs in London, where she was an Executive Director and senior credit risk manager, covering leveraged lending to corporates as well as real estate and structured finance lending and investing transactions. Prior to that, Lisa spent 6 years at J.P. Morgan in London, where she started her career with the bank’s credit risk graduate program in 2009, covering a wide range of different clients and products, including financial institutions, private equity sponsors and diversified investment grade and non-investment grade corporates. During her time at J.P. Morgan, she also spent one year in the leveraged finance origination team. Lisa holds a Master’s degree in Finance and Strategy from Sciences Po Paris. She speaks fluent English, German and French and is learning Arabic.

Mohammed Ali Londe Vice President - Senior Analyst, EMEA Insurance Moody's Ratings

Mohammed Ali Londe is an Vice President – Senior Analyst within Moody’s Insurance Group, based in Dubai. He is responsible for Moody’s insurance ratings in the Middle East. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2013, Mohammed worked in the Planning and Performance Management department of Zurich International Middle East. Mohammed’s past experience also includes working with Chartis Middle East (AIG) and as an auditor, within the insurance department of Deloitte Bermuda where along with performing numerous insurance and reinsurance audits, he was seconded to work with Endurance Specialty Insurance Ltd.Mohammed Ali holds a BSc from Oxford Brookes University, UK.

Nitish Bhojnagarwala Associate Managing Director, Financial Institutions Group Moody's Ratings

Nitish Bhojnagarwala is an Associate Managing Director with Moody’s Financial Institutions Group. Based in Dubai, Nitish covers a portfolio of large conventional as well as Islamic financial institutions in the Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

Nitish joined Moody’s in 2011, and has led sukuk roundtables and conducted workshops on Banking and Islamic finance at various conferences in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Nitish has also authored several research pieces, with a focus on regional banking, credit issues and issuer-in-depths for conventional as well as Islamic banks.

Prior to joining Moody’s, Nitish spent five years at Tamweel in the Treasury function. He has also worked for KPMG in the UAE, where he covered financial institutions. Nitish holds an MBA from S P Jain Institute of Management & Research, with a major in Finance (Investment Banking).

Alexander Perjéssy Vice President - Senior Credit Officer, Sovereign Risk Moody's Ratings

Alexander Perjéssy is Vice President – Senior Credit Officer at the Moody’s Sovereign Risk Group.

Based in Dubai, he has lead analyst responsibilities for a number of sovereigns in the Middle East, including most of the Gulf Cooperation Council member states and several regional multilateral institutions.

Prior to joining Moody’s in November 2017, Alex worked for two years as economist at the Islamic Development Bank in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Before relocating to the Middle East, Alex spent more than 12 years covering macroeconomic developments and sovereign risk assessment in the emerging markets of the EMEA region for AllianceBernstein and The Rohatyn Group, both US-based asset management firms in New York, as well as for Goldman Sachs in London.

Alex holds an MA in Economics from the University of Maryland and a BA in Economics from Middlebury College.

Rehan Akbar Associate Managing Director, EMEA Corporate Finance Moody's Ratings

Rehan Akbar is an Associate Managing Director in Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He covers a diversified portfolio including Oil & Gas, petrochemicals, transport and mining companies situated in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2011, Rehan worked as a credit analyst at Mashreq Capital where he covered emerging market corporates. He started his career as a software engineer and technology consultant.

Rehan has a Masters degree in Management Sciences and Engineering from Stanford University and a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from Lahore University of Management Sciences. He is a CFA charterholder.

Julien Haddad Vice President - Senior Analyst, Corporate Finance, Moody’s Investors Service

Julien Haddad is a Vice President – Senior Analyst in Moody’s EMEA Corporate Finance Group based in Dubai. He primarily covers a portfolio of telcos, healthcare and oil and gas companies located in the GCC, with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia.

Julien holds a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Lyon, France and a Master’s degree in Management, Finance and International Business from the University of Bergamo, Italy.