A Chartered Accountant (UK) and Engineer (Mechanical and Electrical), Edwin is full member of the UK Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, www.icaew.co.uk, and an Engineer (MechLec[1]). He has his own independent practicing certificate[2] authorising him to sign off audit reports. He has in depth knowledge of all accounting standards[3]. He has over 40 years professional experience.

Edwin’s experience encompasses: Industrial corporations large & SMEs, most sectors of the financial industry, including banking (Investment, Street and Central, Taxation (including Carbon Tax protocols), Accounting Standards; Audit & Control, Forensic/investigative audits, mid-term reviews, Performance audits and evaluations, Money laundering investigations, Change Management, Business Process mapping and re-engineering, Start-up financing, Insurance and Reinsurance; Risk Management and Mitigation, Asset and Liability Management (ALM). Experience as an engineer includes: manufacturing processes across several industrial sectors (pharmaceuticals, shoe/leather/rubber/plastics, food processing, agriculture, aquaculture, waste management and automotive, new product development, Patent drafting and design, Logistics and Supply Chain management, Product development.

During his career he has occupied senior positions such as: Supreme Auditor (Auditor General) Switzerland; Chief Financial Officer for a Geneva based Private Bank, Partner in a Swiss Legal Tax Practice responsible for bank Mergers and Acquisitions, Insurance and Reinsurance mandates; UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), where he met, worked with and became close friends with the late Kofi Annan, late UN Secretary General. With UNCHR he combined several key positions: Special investigator, Secretary for the Audit Committee; member ALCO (Asset and Liability Management Committee) and Alternate Treasurer[4], where he honed his skills on Treasury, Treasury Single Account (TSA)/Concentrated Cash Management. On leaving UNHCR he was appointed CFO for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature[5] (IUCN), also supporting WWF CFO designing and installing a successful IFMIS[6] for both organisations. Later he became CFO of a Geneva private bank, then Director of a private investment trust working primarily in China, as well as partner in professional firms in Geneva and London.

Edwin is internationally recognised as an IFMIS expert for government entities. His paper (USAID financed): “IFMIS - A practical Guide” is a reference document[7]. His IT background started in the 1980’s when he started designing and installing successfully IFMISs[8] for manufacturing companies, banks, international organisations (UNCHR, UNICEF, WWF, IUCN), governments (Slovakia, Kosovo, Vietnam, Uganda, Lesotho…). His IT knowledge includes latest technologies including digital financial systems and currencies, Cloud Computing, Deep Learning, Deep Data and Artificial Intelligence.

He has in depth knowledge of Public Finance (PF), PFM reform, IFMIS, Budget and Finance systems, Governance. As CFO for IUCN/WWF he is  sound understanding of Climate Change; Environmental impact assessment.

[1] Mechanical and Electrical Engineer

[2] This a condition to be a senior partner any of the big four accounting firms: PWC, KPMG, E&Y or Deloitte’s.

[3] IFRS, IPSAS, IAS, GAPP, GAAP.

[4] Set up UNHCR’s TSA with complete “Zero Banking” worldwide coverage.

[5] WWF IFMIS was created through IUCN support

[6] IFMISs installed Based on SAP, Oracle, Free Balance, Epicor, Serenic and others