Senior Management Committee

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

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

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

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

MICHAEL CLARKE
Director, Information and Communication Technologies for Development

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

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

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

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

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

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

NASER FARUQUI
Director, Innovation, Policy and Sciences

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

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

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

CONNIE FREEMAN
Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa (ESARO)

Education/profession – PhD (1976) and MA (1971), Economic Development, School of International Studies, University of Denver and BA, International Relations, School of International Service, American University, Washington, D.C.

Connie Freeman joined the Centre as Regional Director in August 2001.

Other positions – Professor of Economics and Senior Advisor, African Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS), Washington, D.C. (1999-2001); Director, African Studies Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C. (1996-1999); and Director, Economic Policy Staff, Africa Bureau, United States Department of State, Washington, D.C. (1995-1996).

Education/profession – MA, Sociology, Memorial University of Newfoundland; and BA, Sociology, St. John’s University, Minnesota

Richard Fuchs joined the Centre in January 2001. He was appointed Regional Director for the Southeast and East Asia Office, Singapore in October 2006.

Other positions – President, Futureworks Inc. (since 1996); Founder, Chair and CEO, Enterprise Network Inc. (1988-96); Commissioner, Economic Recovery Commission (1995); and Vice-President, Rural Development, Newfoundland and Labrador Development Corporation (1991-95).

Education/profession – PhD Political Science, Carleton University, Ottawa (1998)

Brent joined the Centre in 1987 as a Program Officer. He later became Team Leader of the Centre's Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprises Innovation and Technology (SMMEIT) program initiative, and most recently as coordinator of the Research on Knowledge Systems (ROKS) Initiative. He was appointed Director, Social and Economic Equity (SEE) in February 2002.

Other positions – Brent has written widely on issues of innovation policy, enterprise development and industrial environmental management. Prior to joining IDRC, he worked as a researcher at the North South Institute (1984-1987), where he was co-author of a major study of the activities of Canadian international development NGOs.

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

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

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

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

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

STEPHEN MCGURK
Regional Director
Office for Southeast and East Asia (ASRO)
Singapore

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

Stephen McGurk joined the Centre in February 2000 as Regional Director of the Office for Southeast and East Asia in Singapore.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other positions – Prior to joining IDRC, Lauchlan was Chief of Strategic Planning with UNICEF (2000-2003). He also worked for UNICEF in DR Congo (Senior Emergency Officer, 1997-98), Zimbabwe (Programme Officer, 1992-97), and Uganda (Assistant Programme Officer, 1989-91). From 1985 to 1987 he was Lecturer in Economics at Sherubtse College, Bhutan.

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

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

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

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

Eglal Rached joined the Centre in 1986 as Program Officer, Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Sciences Division. In 1989, she became Senior Program Officer, Environment and Natural Resources Division, Middle East and North Africa and South Asia; Senior Program Specialist, Environment and Natural Resources Division (1993-97), during which time she successively led the “Dryland Water Management” and the “People, Land and Water” program initiatives. Chief Scientist for Food Security (March and December 1997). She was appointed Regional Director in January 1998.

Profession/Education – Chantal J. Schryer is the Director of Communications and Government Relations at Canada’s International Development Research Centre. A professional communicator with over 20 years of experience, Chantal leads a dynamic team of communication professionals in providing all aspects of external and internal communications. Bringing experience as a specialist in strategic communications with industry, government organizations, and the public.

Chantal joined IDRC in January 1998 from Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.

Other positions – Chantal has managed and implemented national and international communication and outreach strategies as well as media campaigns around innovative program, projects,and policy initiatives.

Education/profession – PhD thesis in education in progress, University of Montréal, Québec, Canada (2006-2010); BA, Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations, BA, French, and BA in Humanities, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA (1986); Certificate in African History, University of Cocody, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire (1986); studies toward BA at University of Grenoble, Grenoble, France (1983-84).

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

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

Education/profession – Certified Human Resources Professional (1975) and BSc, University of Manitoba, and Le Collège de Saint-Boniface.

Denys Vermette joined IDRC in 2003 as the Vice-President, Resources and Chief Financial Officer.

Other positions – Vice-President, Corporate Services (2000); Director, Human Resources for the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) (1996). Denys has occupied executive level positions for the past 15 years, leading teams in human resources, finance, information technology, communications and strategic planning.