Aldo Moauro
MFR’s Managing Director & Founder, Aldo is also a shareholder and board member.
Aldo leads MFR’s Management Team, providing strategic guidance and supervision of operations and representing MFR at global level. He sits in the Rating Committee Unit and systematically supervises all new issues of rating reports. Since the beginning of operations in 2000, Aldo has carried out 200+ rating and assessment missions.
Aldo has been an active member within the most relevant industry initiatives, including as a Board Member of SPTF, Board Member of African Microfinance Transparency and SMART Campaign Certification Committee member. Since 2008, Aldo is also a faculty member at the Boulder Microfinance Training Program.
Before joining MFR, Aldo worked at Banca Etica and ETIMOS, respectively a commercial bank and an international financial consortium, and was in charge of the microfinance investments portfolio.
Aldo holds an MSc in Economics. He is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Italian (native).
Aldo is fond of sports and practices running, cycling, swimming and skiing.
Giorgia Carloni
Operations Director since 2010, Giorgia is in charge of coordinating operations and teams worldwide and is based out of MFR’s HO in Milan, Italy.
She is responsible for planning, budgeting, internal processes and resource management. She also oversees commercial activities and achievement of objectives throughout the network. She is a member of the MFR Management Team, Sales Task Force and is also the BoD Secretary. She sits in the MFR Rating Committee Unit and is a BoD member of most of the locally registered regional companies.
Giorgia joined MFR in 2003 as Analyst, participating in over 100 assignments in 30+ countries worldwide, acquiring an extensive field experience as team leader and project manager. In 2006, she was appointed as Regional Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa and she was responsible for setting up MFR’s regional office in Nairobi in 2007.
Giorgia worked as Project Manager for an Italian NGO, managing economic development projects funded by the EU and the Italian bi-lateral cooperation in West Africa.
Giorgia holds an MSc in Economics and International Relations. She is fluent in English, French, Spanish and Italian (native).
Giorgia has been practicing Improv Theatre since 2008, her second love besides visiting new countries.
Ivan Sannino
Chairperson of MFR’s Financial Rating Committee Unit since 2009, Ivan also oversees the Quality Control activities on financial assignments.
Ivan chairs the Rating Committees for Financial and Credit Ratings worldwide and coordinates other senior members of the Rating and Quality Control Unit; overtime he has chaired more than 400 Committees. As chair of the Credit Rating Committees for the regulated markets of Ecuador and Bolivia, Ivan is authorized by the respective Supervisory Bodies. As one of the most senior experts in the company, Ivan leads and coordinates training and coaching of rating analysts worldwide on financial and risk topics. He is also an active member of MFR’s Technical Group and he is part of the Management Team.
Ivan joined MFR in 2004 as Analyst, participating in over 130 assignments worldwide.
Before joining MFR, Ivan worked for 5 years in Latin America in the economic development field, carrying out evaluations, technical reviews and consulting activities in microfinance, rural finance and the MSMEs sector.
Ivan holds an MSc in Economics from Bocconi University (Italy). He is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and is a native Italian speaker.
Ivan loves travelling around the world and discovering the hidden beauty of each country and culture.
Lucia Spaggiari
Business Development Director, in charge of the Innovation Committee’s effort towards new business lines, partnerships and delivery channels.
Business Development Director since 2015, Lucia contributes to the development of new services and to the upgrade of MFR’s methodologies. She is responsible for the Data Platform Project, for studies and research, and for the relationships with several investors and industry initiatives (e.g. contributing to SPTF and Smart Campaign methodologies evolutions). Lucia is a member of MFR’s Management Team, Rating Committee Unit, Technical Group and Innovation committee.
Lucia joined MFR in 2005 as analyst. Social Rating Director from 2010 to 2015, she was in charge of the issue of social ratings and client protection certifications. She acquired an extensive field experience with 90+ field assignments in 44 countries worldwide.
Lucia holds an MSc in Economics and Management of Public Administration and International Organizations from Bocconi University (Italy). She is fluent in English, French, Spanish and is an Italian native speaker.
Lucia enjoys learning about the countries she visits by reading and working with people.
Chiara Pescatori
Chiara is Inclusive Finance Director, in charge of the technical and business-related aspects of MFR’s inclusive finance and social performance services and projects.
Created in 2018, this position is taking over and extending the scope of our Social Rating Department, which Chiara successfully led since 2015. As Inclusive Finance Director, Chiara is responsible for the coordination and quality control of related operations at global level and she contributes to their business development. Chiara chairs the Social Rating Committee, the Smart Campaign Certification Committee and coordinates the activities of the European Code of Good Conduct within MFR. Since late 2017, she is the Assessor Manager for MFR within the GSMA Mobile Money Certification Scheme. Chiara is a member of MFR’s Technical Group and Management Team.
Chiara has worked in the microfinance sector for over 10 years. She joined MFR in 2009 as analyst in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Since then she has conducted more than 70+ field assignments, mainly in Europe, Asia and Africa.
Before joining MFR, Chiara worked a few years as CFO at a rural-based MFI in Zambia.
Chiara holds an MSc in Economics and International Finance from Università del Sacro Cuore (Italy). She is fluent in English and is a native Italian speaker.
Chiara loves cooking and trying out recipes from all over the world for treating family and friends.
Renata Serra
Finance and Administration Manager since 2015, Renata is responsible for the general administration for MFR Italy and for the Holding.
She is in charge of administration, budgeting, contracts and financial reporting for the Head Office. She also functionally supervises the administration officers throughout the network. She is responsible for the consolidated financial reporting of the Group.
Prior to joining MFR in 2015, Renata has worked as Finance and Project Manager in several SMEs and Corporations in Italy for more than 20 years, acquiring a vast experience in administration and finance.
Renata holds a Diploma in accounting and attended several courses on business administration, financial management and accounting.
Latin America
Head of Operations for Latin America since 2014, Evrim is in charge of the operations in the region and based out of Quito, Ecuador.
While in charge of the regional financial, administrative and operational management, he is General Manager of Microriesg (MFR’s company incorporated in Ecuador), and authorized by the local regulator. Evrim is a member of MFR’s Technical Group, as well as of MFR Bolivia’s Board and Risk Committee. He is a lecturer at the Boulder Institute’s Microfinance Training Programs in Europe and Latin America.
Evrim joined MFR in 2009 as analyst and carried out over 100 assignments mainly in Latin America, acquiring extensive field experience as team leader and project manager.
He also worked as an independent consultant specialized in risk and social performance management. Before joining MFR, Evrim worked as Treasurer and Account Manager at BNP Paribas in Brussels.
He holds a BSc in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Nottingham and an MSc in Financial Management from Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School. He is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Turkish.
Evrim enjoys family, music and football in his free time.
Latin America
Head of Business Development for Latin America, Michela is based out of Mexico City.
Michela is in charge of relationship management with clients and stakeholders in the LAC region, including institutional relations with networks, investors and regulators, while also in charge of the operations in MEXCA region. Michela is a member of MFR’s Social Rating Committee and SMART Technical Committee.
In charge of MEXCA since 2014, she also supervised MFR’s operations in Peru between 2016 and 2018. Michela joined MFR in 2009 as analyst and carried out over 100 assignments, mainly in Latin America, acquiring extensive field experience as team leader and project manager.
Before joining MFR, Michela worked in the Emerging Markets Equity investment team at Pioneer Investments Management Ltd. in Dublin.
She holds a BSc in International Relations from the University of Bologna and an MSc in Development Economics from the University School for Advanced Studies of Pavia. She has an Italian mother tongue, is fluent in Spanish and English and speaks some Portuguese.
Michela enjoys travelling, trekking and tasting in her free time.
Latin America
Country Director for Bolivia since 2012, Erlan is in charge of client portfolio and relationship management with main stakeholders in the country, including the regulatory authority, as well as overseeing the operations of the country office. Erlan is a Senior Analyst and gained experience in credit and social ratings and client protection certifications, primarily in Bolivia and Latin America.
Before joining MFR in 2012, Erlan was Investment Officer at the Local Currency Fund for Latin America and Caribbean (LOCFUND). Previously, he also worked as Chief of Monitoring and Control Department at the Financial System Development and Support to the Productive Sector Fund (FONDESIF) and as audit team member at Price Waterhouse Coopers.
Erlan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Bolivian Catholic University and a Master in Microfinance from Bergamo University (Italy). He is fluent in English and Spanish (native).
Africa
Ben is Regional Manager for Anglophone Africa since 2019, he is based out of the Nairobi office and is part of the Quality Control Unit.
Ben has conducted 50+ assignments in 20+ countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and worldwide (MENA, South Asia and Eastern Europe), acquiring field experience as a team leader. He conducts financial ratings, social performance ratings, client protection certifications, mobile money certifications, trainings on technical topics (e.g. pricing, transparency), and due diligence services for investors. He has also performed assessments of digital financial service providers.
Prior to joining MFR in 2015, Ben has worked with rating agencies specialized in inclusive finance since 2012, first Planet Rating and now MFR. Ben, an American national, has been based in Kenya since 2011. Prior to joining the rating industry, he worked as a Project Manager for a Kenyan microfinance institution and a pricing data analyst (consultant) with US-based NGO MicroFinance Transparency.
Ben holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Ohio Wesleyan University in the United States, and is a native English speaker.
MENA
Joris is Regional Manager for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) since 2012, he is in charge of Pakistan since 2016 and of Francophone Africa since 2019, and he is based out of the Head Office in Milan, Italy.
As Regional Manager, Joris is in charge of the portfolio of clients and the relationship management with all stakeholders in the region. He is a Senior Analyst, member of the Quality Control Unit and involved in training and coaching of other analysts.
Joris joined MFR in 2010 as Analyst and carried out +70 ratings, assessments and client protection certification, mainly in Africa, MENA and ECA regions, acquiring an extensive field experience as analyst and team leader.
Before joining MFR, Joris was involved in different projects in the field of environmental impact assessments and social programs. Joris also worked with CMA Cambodia within the framework of a research study.
Joris holds a Master degree in Sustainable Development from Paris-Dauphine University and an MA in European Microfinance from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management. He is an Italian and French native speaker and is fluent in English.
Joris loves travelling, reading and practices Kong-Fu since he was 15 years old.
Europe
Ayako is Regional Manager for Europe since October 2018, and she is part of the Quality Control Team, as well as in charge of the internal Country Context Analysis Unit.
Ayako joined MFR in 2015 as a rating analyst and has since conducted over 30 assignments in more than 20 countries, mainly in Africa, Europe and South Asia. Ayako has been conducting rating and certification services for FSPs, as well as country studies and advisory services for investors.
Prior to MFR, Ayako worked for over nine years as a development consultant for international development organisations both in Europe and in Latin America, including the World Bank and a think-tank founded by the Deutsche Bank and the London School of Economics (LSE).
Ayako holds an MSc in Local Economic Development and a BSc in Sociology, both from LSE in London, UK. She is fluent in English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese.
Outside of work, she is an active volunteer at a local refugee centre.
South and South East Asia
Elisabetta is MFR’s Regional Manager for South and South East Asia and is a Senior Analyst.
Elisabetta is in charge of relationship management with clients and all main stakeholders in the region and carries out financial and social ratings and assessments as well as client protection and GSMA certifications. At Head Office level, she is a member of the Sales Task Force, Tender Unit and Quality Control Unit.
Since 2010 when she joined MFR’s Regional Office in the Philippines as a Junior Analyst, Elisabetta has carried out 60+ assignments acquiring an extensive field experience mostly in South Asia and South-East Asia.
Before joining MFR, Elisabetta worked for several years in the international development field (monitoring, evaluation and project management) for both International Organizations and NGOs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, Italy and the Philippines.
Elisabetta holds a Master’s Degree in International Development and Cooperation and is a Certified Expert in Microfinance from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. She is fluent in English and Italian (native).
Central Asia
Farida Abdulhafizova serves as the Regional Manager for Central Asia, the Caucasus and Russia since Oct-2017, based out of Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.
She is in charge of client portfolio and relationship management with the main stakeholders in the region, as well as overseeing the operations of the Kyrgyz office. Farida is a Senior Analyst and has conducted over 30 assessments of microfinance institutions and small and medium-sized banks mainly in ECA region. Assessments include financial and social ratings, client protection certifications, due diligence services for investors including offsite reviews, country studies and market reviews. Farida is also involved in global projects, supporting the Technical Group and the Business Development Unit.
Before joining MFR in 2015 as Analyst, Farida worked for a large MFI in the Kyrgyz Republic. Her other experience includes software development, start-up management and client relationships.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Finance from Illinois Institute of Technology and a Bachelor’s of Science in Software Engineering from the American University in Central Asia. She speaks fluent Russian, English and Kyrgyz.
Farida loves meeting and talking to people of various backgrounds and dancing.