Field Leadership
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems’ leadership in the field gathers professionals with firsthand experience administering elections in every region of the world. Our country directors have worked across the public and private sectors; have authored texts on political finance, election technology and election management; and have been a part of such historic moments as South Sudan’s independence and the Arab Spring.
Africa
- Rakeb Abate, Country Director, Ethiopia
- Paul Anderson, Country Director, Tanzania
- Theophilus Dowetin, Election Systems Adviser, Niger
- Rudi Elbling, Election Management Program Adviser, Malawi
- Oita Etyang, Senior Elections Specialist, Zambia
- Seray Jah, Country Director, Nigeria
- Sophie Lagueny, Country Director, Kenya
- C.A. Lamin Lighe, Election Management Adviser, Gambia
- Nicholas Matatu, Country Director, Burkina Faso
- Adele Ravidà, Country Director, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Americas
- Pablo Galarce, Country Director, Northern Triangle
- Demetrio Lazagna, Country Director, Ecuador
Asia-Pacific
- Shabir Ahmed, Country Director, Pakistan
- Meredith Applegate, Program Adviser, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
- Oliver Green, Senior Electoral Management Adviser, Papua New Guinea
- Robert David Irish, Deputy Country Director, Papua New Guinea and Pacific Islands
- Pascaline Krone, Country Director, Nepal
- Lasanthi Daskon, Deputy Country Director, Sri Lanka
- Silja Paasilinna, Country Director, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
- Radhika Regmi Pokharel, Deputy Country Director, Nepal
- W. Paul Rowland, Country Director, Papua New Guinea and Pacific Islands
- Admira Salim, Country Director, Indonesia
- Fauzia Tariq, Senior Gender Adviser, Pakistan
Europe and Eurasia
- Ioana Cosma, Country Director, North Macedonia
- Peter Erben, Principal Advisor, IFES, and Senior Country Director, Ukraine
- Harald Hartvig Jepsen, International Senior Adviser, Ukraine
- George (Gio) Kobakhidze, Deputy Country Director, Ukraine
- Denys Kovryzhenko, Senior Legal Adviser, Ukraine
- Renata Levovski, Country Director, Kyrgyzstan
- Jérôme Leyraud, Country Director, Armenia
- Keti Maisuradze, Country Director, Georgia
- Dr. Magnus Ohman, Director, Regional Europe Office and Senior Political Finance Adviser
Middle East and North Africa
- Hayya Ahmed, Deputy Country Director, Sudan
- Nicolas Kaczorowski, Country Director, Tunisia
- Shalva Kipshidze, Country Director, Sudan
- Vladimir Pran, Senior Technical Adviser, Syria
- Ian Smith, Country Director, Libya
- Anna Wiktorowska, Country Director, Iraq
- Michael Yard, Senior Technical Adviser, Libya