IMF | CARTAC

MR. MATTHEW BYRNE

Position: Director

Matthew Byrne, a national of Australia, commenced his appointment as Director of the Caribbean Regional Technical Assistance Center in Barbados in mid-August 2024. Matthew joined the IMF in 2006 and served 16 years in the Legal Department as Senior Counsel and Deputy Division Chief where he delivered and managed CD to over 100 countries, leading high-level delegations to member countries, chairing steering committees and managing large CD work programs. In addition to committee work on diversity, security, legal representation and IT security, he also recently spent two years at the IMFs Institute for Capacity Development where he worked on CD governance issues including Results Based Management, the Medium Term Budget and Work Plan, as well as managing CD information and planning sites in addition to staff and Board engagements surrounding CD priorities and strategy. Prior to joining the Fund, Matthew was an attorney for 20 years specializing in criminal, investigative and international law in Australia, England and Hong Kong including special commissions of inquiry into public sector corruption and organized crime. He holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Masters of International Law both from the University of Sydney, Australia. Matthew has spoken on capacity development, anti-money laundering and anti-corruption at numerous conferences and fora around the world and was a guest lecturer in law at Georgetown University Law School in Washington DC. He is married with three sons.

MS. CONSUELO SOTO-CROVETTO

Position: External Sector Statistics Advisor

Consuelo Soto-Crovetto, a national of Peru, assumed duties as CARTAC’s external sector statistics advisor in February 2021. Consuelo has more than twenty years of relevant experience leading the Balance of Payments Statistics Department at the Central Reserve Bank of Peru. For three years (2012-2015) she was appointed as the External Sector Statistics Resident Expert at the Central America, Panama and Dominican Republic Regional Technical Assistance Center (CAPTAC-DR) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She was member of the International Monetary Fund Committee on Balance of Payments Statistics from 2016 to 2019 and currently member of the Current Account Task Team established by the Committee to contribute to revising the IMF Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual, sixth edition (BPM6).

MR. RODGER SCEVIOUR

Position: Real Sector Statistics Advisor

Rodger Sceviour, a Canadian national, joined CARTAC as the Real Sector Statistics (RSS) Advisor on June 1, 2024. Before joining CARTAC, he was the RSS Advisor at the IMF Technical Assistance Center for South Asia, India, (SARTTAC). Rodger worked as a National Accountant at Statistics Canada for nearly 25 years. His areas of specialization are rebasing of National Accounts, development of Quarterly GDP and expenditure-based GDP. He has also provided capacity development in relatively more technical subjects such as seasonal adjustment, compilation of Input-Output Tables and Monthly Indices of Economic Activity. He graduated with a Masters’ degree in Economics and Statistics at McMaster University, in Ontario, Canada.

MS. LESLEY FISHER

Position: Public Finance Management Advisor

Lesley Fisher is a Public Financial Management (PFM) Resident Advisor with extensive experience in fiscal policy and governance. Before joining CARTAC, she served as a senior economist in the PFM Division of the Fiscal Affairs Department at the IMF, providing technical assistance to countries across Asia, the Caribbean, and Latin America—including small island states.

Lesley previously worked as a PFM resident advisor at SARTTAC in New Delhi, where she supported PFM reforms in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India (federal and state level), Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka. With over 30 years of experience in PFM, including subnational finance, she has played a key role in major reform initiatives. Her expertise spans both national and local government levels, having worked for a South African municipality as well as the federal Ministry of Finance during the country’s implementation of significant PFM reforms.

MR. D. COLIN OWEN

Position: Public Finance Management Advisor

Colin joined us in September 2020 and brings over 25 years of public sector experience working  in the United Kingdom and across two Overseas Territories.  Colin worked in external audit for the first 18 years of his career, working for the Audit Commission and PKF as an Audit Manager; and then as Auditor General for St Helena. For the past 8 years he is has worked as a Financial Secretary, firstly on St Helena and for the past four years on Montserrat and is well known across the region. He delivered extensive PFM reform programmes during those years managing a wide portfolio of technical experts across Government.

Colin holds a BA in Business Studies from Birmingham City University and is qualified accountant with CIPFA and ACCA, being a Fellow of both.

MR. FRODE LINDSETH

Position: Tax Administration Advisor

Frode Lindseth, a Norwegian national, joined CARTAC in February 2021 as a Tax Administration Advisor. Before joining CARTAC, Frode was a Senior Tax Advisor in the Norwegian Tax Administration’s Capacity Building Unit organizing and delivering technical assistance to support domestic revenue mobilization in developing countries.

Frode joined the Norwegian Tax Administration back in 2001 and from 2014 to 2016 he worked as a Technical Assistance Advisor in the IMF developing the Tax Administration Diagnostic Assessment Tool (TADAT) and has since then delivered technical assistance, including diagnostics of systems of tax administrations as a short-term expert for the Fund and the World Bank.

Frode holds a Master’s degree in Economics and a Bachelor in Public Administration.

MR. SELVIN LEMUS

Position: Customs Administration Advisor

Selvin Lemus Martinez, a national of Guatemala, joined CARTAC as Customs Administration resident advisor on May 1, 2024. Before joining CARTAC, he was the Customs Administration resident advisor at the IMF Technical Assistance Center for Central America, Panama, and Dominican Republic (CAPTAC-DR) for 10 years. He also worked at the Guatemalan Customs Administration for 13 years, and at the World Customs Organization (WCO) in Brussels, Belgium in the Capacity Building Directorate for the Americas, and the Caribbean region for two years. During 2013-14 he was Guatemala's delegate to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland, in charge of the negotiation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement reached in Bali in December 2013. He graduated as a mechanical and industrial engineer with a specialization in finance, business processes, project management, and leadership.

MR. CHRISTIAN JOHNSON

Position: MacroEconomics Advisor

Christian Johnson, a national of Chile, joined CARTAC in August 2023 as Macroeconomics Advisor. Prior to his current role, he served also as a Macroeconomic Advisor at the IMF South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC), India, and, before, he held the position of Senior Economist at the IMF headquarters in the Western Hemisphere Division of the Institute for Capacity Development, where he led technical assistance missions related to macroeconomic frameworks, forecasting, debt dynamic tools, and macroeconomic and financial training courses. His earlier roles at the IMF included work in the Western Hemisphere Department (2011-2014) and at the Joint Vienna Institute from 2009 to 2011. Before his time at the IMF, Christian was the Director and full-time Professor for graduate programs at Adolfo Ibanez University in Chile from 2002 to 2009. He also served as a Senior Economist in the Research Department of the Central Bank of Chile from 2000 to 2002 and as the Head of the International Money Desk from 1995 to 2000. Mr. Johnson's academic credentials include an M.A. in Economics from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University.

MR. ÁLVARO RAMIREZ CARCELES

Position: Financial Sector Supervision Advisor

Álvaro joined CARTAC in October 2023 as the Financial Sector Supervision Advisor with over 10 years of experience in financial supervision. Before joining the Fund, he held different positions at the European Central Bank and Banco de España, leading on-site examinations on business model, product pricing and climate and environmental risks. In addition to his field work, he conducted off-site supervision for Global-Systemic Important Banks, supervisory stress testing and contributed to policy matters regarding Capital, Fit Assessment Proper, licensing, passporting, non-performing loans and Covid monitoring & supervisory response. He specializes in capital management, business model assessment & financial analyses, governance, credit & counterparty risks, and liquidity management.

Álvaro is a Spanish National, graduated in Law by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder and holds two master’s degrees in Supervision of Credit Institution’s (Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, Madrid) & in Stock Exchange and Financial Markets (Instituto de Estudios Bursátiles, Madrid).

MR. PETR JAKUBIK

Position: Financial Stability Advisor

Petr Jakubik joined CARTAC in August 2022 as the Financial Stability Advisor with over 20 years of experience from financial sectors. Before joining the Fund, he led the Financial Stability Team at the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) responsible for financial stability analyses and assessments including financial stability reports, insurance and pension stress tests and research. Previously, he was working as an economist at the European Central Bank, Technical Advisor at the Bank for International Settlements, financial stability consultant at the Oesterreichische National Bank and Central Bank of Malta, chief economist at the Czech National Bank, visiting researcher at the Bank of Finland and credit risk analyst in the private banking sector. He received the Financial Stability Institute Award 2008 and Irving Fisher Committee Award 2010 of the Bank for International Settlements. In 2012-2013, he was the President of the Czech Economic Society.

He holds two doctorate degrees in finance and economics, three master degrees in economics, statistics & insurance mathematics, and mathematics & computer sciences. In 2015, he was habilitated as an associate professor in economic theories by the Charles University.

MS. NADIA HENRY

Position: Debt Management and Climate Finance Advisor

Nadia Henry is national of Antigua and Barbuda.  She has over 20 years’ experience in fiscal and debt management. Prior to joining the Fund, she worked in the areas of public debt management, revenue mobilization, public finance management and climate finance at the Ministry of Finance, Antigua and Barbuda, the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, the CARICOM Secretariat, the Alliance of Small Island Developing States and the Green Climate Fund. Nadia is a graduate of the University of the West Indies (B.Sc. Political Science with Public Sector Management). She also holds an M.A. in Public Sector Management from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica Madre Y Maestra in the Dominican Republic and a Post Graduate Diploma in Public Management from the University of Chile. She is a doctoral candidate with the University of the West Indies.

MR. IAN CARRINGTON

Position: AML/CFT Advisor

Ian Carrington is the Legal Department’s AML/CFT regional advisor for the Western Hemisphere and is based at CARTAC’s office.  Mr. Carrington joined the IMF in 2002 as a senior financial sector expert with a focus on Anti-money Laundering Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT). In this capacity he has undertaken several AML/CFT assessments, designed and delivered capacity development programs for countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific and Eastern Europe and has provided AML/CFT-related input to the IMF’s main workstreams. During the period 2008 to 2012 Mr. Carrington was the financial sector supervision advisor at the IMF’s East Africa Technical Assistance Centre, based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Before joining the IMF, Mr. Carrington served as a financial sector expert at the United Nations Global Program against Money Laundering in Vienna, Austria. Prior to his international career Mr. Carrington worked for 17 years at the Central Bank of Barbados, eventually becoming the Director of Bank Supervision. He  holds a BSc in Public Administration from the University of the West Indies, an MBA in Banking Management from the University of Exeter and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the UK. He is married and has two daughters.  

MS. LISA BRATHWAITE-PHILLIPS

Position: Economist

Lisa Brathwaite Phillips, a Barbadian national, joined CARTAC as Economist in June 2024. Prior to joining CARTAC, she served 16 years at the Central Bank of Barbados, where she worked extensively on monetary and financial stability analysis, including assessments for the financial stability reports and payments systems monitoring.

Lisa holds degrees of BSc. in Economics and Mathematics and MSc. in Business and Financial Economics from the University of the West Indies.