PFTAC ADVISORS

Andrew Beaumont, Macroeconomic Analysis Advisor

Andrew joined PFTAC in January 2020 as the macroeconomic adviser. He has 20 years of experience in macro-fiscal and broader macroeconomic analysis and forecasting including at the Australian Treasury where he worked on monetary and fiscal policy, macroprudential regulation, and labor market analysis.  He has five years of work experience in the Pacific for the Australian Treasury as an embedded technical adviser in both Papua New Guinea (macro-fiscal) and the Solomon Islands (economic reform).

In the Australian Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet he served as the Senior Adviser G20 and International Economy, covering global debt sustainability and macroeconomic policy responses to the Global Financial Crisis. More recently, Andrew was the Executive Branch Manager responsible for economic and revenue forecasting, economic reporting, demographic projections, long term fiscal modelling and Tax Expenditure analysis for the Australian Capital Territory Treasury. He is graduate of the Australian National University.

Paul Seeds, Public Financial Management Advisor

Paul Seeds, a British national, is replacing Richard Neves as resident PFM advisor. Paul joined PFTAC October 1, 2020 from East AFRITAC, IMF’s technical assistance center for East Africa, where he has worked for the past five years. Starting his overseas career in Kiribati, he has worked extensively with many development partners covering 20 countries, in a career spanning nearly 40 years.

Iulai Lavea, Public Financial Management Advisor

Iulai joined PFTAC in August 2020. Iulai is a Samoan national and brings a wealth of Pacific and Public Financial Management experience to PFTAC. He was the Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Finance of the Government of Samoa for nine years until December 2018. Prior to that, he was the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Policy Management) for many years. He joined the World Bank Constituency Office representing the Pacific and was based in Washington DC as the Adviser to the Executive Director during 2006 to 2009. He also had a brief stint as the Planning Adviser to the Government of Nauru in 2005/06, and earlier in his career worked at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva during the period 1991 – 96.

Rajinder Kumar, Financial Sector Supervision Advisor

Rajinder is an Indian national  who joined PFTAC on August 1, 2020 as the Financial Sector Supervision (FSS) resident advisor.  Before PFTAC, Rajinder completed a multi-topic three-year assignment as an IMF advisor on banking regulation, supervision and financial stability with the Bank of Albania.  He brings with him extensive experience in financial sector regulation, banking supervision, and macro prudential policies, which he gained through his 28-year long career with Reserve Bank of India. Rajinder also worked for three years with the Bank for International Settlements at Basel where he supported Basel Committee’s Regulatory Consistency Assessment Program and a few of Basel Committee’s technical policy making groups. In Albania, Rajinder has helped Bank of Albania introduce Basel III reforms in the country and complete implementation of Pillar 2 of Basel capital adequacy framework.  Rajinder holds an MBA in Financial Management and FRM certification from GARP. 

Briar Ashlee Ferguson, Debt Management Advisor

Briar joins PFTAC from the United Kingdom where she spent five years delivering technical assistance and capacity development to Commonwealth members as a Public Debt Management Advisor at the Commonwealth Secretariat. Prior to this she spent a decade at the New Zealand Debt Management Office in market facing and risk management roles. Briar holds a Masters in Applied Finance and brings with her a breadth of experience from both practitioner and advisory perspectives.

Katrina Williams, Revenue Administration Advisor II

Katrina Williams joined PFTAC as the second resident Revenue Administration Advisor in October 2021. She has 40 years public sector experience, the last 24 years in Inland Revenue in New Zealand. She brings expertise in the design and delivery of all core revenue functions, in strategic and multi-year planning, and in compliance-related intervention design. With an extensive background in organizational reform, revenue administration modernization, and change and innovation, latterly Katrina led Inland Revenue’s organizational design and change group. Katrina feels a real affinity with the Pacific, not the least that she is of Pacific, Maori, and European background, but also building an understanding and appreciation of the Pacific as the New Zealand Inland Revenue observer at the Pacific Island Tax Administrators Association (PITAA) annual conferences for a number of years, and before joining PFTAC on a full-time basis contributed to the PFTAC revenue program as an IMF short-term expert.  

Matthew Powell, Real Sector Statistics Advisor

Matthew Joined PFTAC in March 2022. Matthew is a United Kingdom national. Prior to coming to PFTAC he spent 12 years as a consultant in Economics and Statistics, mainly in Africa and South and South-East Asia, ten years with the UK Office for National Statistics, and ten years as a resident adviser in Economic Statistics in Africa and the South Pacific. Matthew has an undergraduate degree in Economics and a post graduate degree in Mathematical Economics and Econometrics.

John McAlister, Revenue Administration Advisor

 John  has come directly to PFTAC from Thimphu Bhutan where he was Resident Advisor. Over 35 years John has led large and complex change programs that have changed the way that people deal with Tax authorities, how businesses deal with government and with each other. This includes working in Whole-of Government programs, the Australian Taxation Office, private sector business change and digital enablement and with IMF. Most recently John supported Bhutan with preparation for Goods and Services Tax, along with the new Bhutan Integrated Taxation (Administration) System (BITS). John is passionate about innovation, business process reengineering and the transformational benefits of ‘digital’ in addressing disadvantage, creating transparency, delivering better business outcomes and improved user experience. He understands that data is the ‘new’ lifeblood of administration and has never been more in focus than in the modern digital economy. Yet this can only be meaningful in the unique context and culture of the people and country.

Eduard Moskalenko, Government Finance Statistics Advisor

Following the re-establishment of the Government Finance Statistics (GFS) advisor position, Eduard Moskalenko joined the PFTAC team remotely in October as the new GFS and Public Sector Debt Statistics (PSDS) advisor. Eduard is an Estonian national and will join the team in Suva during mid-November. Eduard has 3 extensive experience in the areas of the GFS and PSDS, as well as national accounts, which he accumulated at the UK’s Office of National Statistics over the last nine years. Prior to joining the IMF, he worked as the Head of Branch, leading the team responsible for methodological advice, innovation and compliance with the international framework in the GFS area. In this role, he led the UK’s work on data and methodology related to the government interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition to new data collection approach for public corporations and contributed to the development of European statistical guidance in areas of high importance to the UK, such as income-contingent loans. Eduard holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics (first Class) from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom, and a Master of Social Science in Economics from the University of Uppsala in Sweden

Maria Nina Samuela, Office Manager

Nina joined the Centre in 1993. Prior to this she worked in Tapa Tours Ltd as a travel consultant and American Express Supervisor and 3 years with USAID.

Nina leads a team of 4 local staff who provide support to the 6 PFTAC programs, Financial Sector Supervision, Government Finance Statistics, Macro-Economics, Public Financial Management, Real Sector Statistics and Revenue Administration.  She provides support to the Center Coordinator, is responsible for office management and accounting and assists the Debt Management and Macro-Economics programs. 

Elenoa Bogiwalu, Senior Administrative Assistant (Information/Operations)

Elenoa is responsible for the general administration of the Centre, including mission documentation, IT systems, external communications and publications. She worked previously at the RBF and the ILO. She provides support to the 2 PFM Advisors and Financial Sector Supervision TA Sectors.

Shane Prasad, Analyst

Ms. Shane Prasad joined the PFTAC team in August 2018 and supports the program analysis, reporting and outreach activities. Shane is a graduate of the University of the South Pacific (USP) with a Masters of Commerce. Previously, she worked at the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service.

Kalara Raidruta, Administrative Assistant

Kalara is Administrative Assistant and Receptionist joined the PFTAC team in June 2019. In addition to general administrative responsibilities of the Centre, including the first face and voice of PFTAC for visitors and callers, Kalara provides support to the Real Sector and Government Finance Sectors programs.  Kalara previously worked at the Australian High Commission in Suva. 

Pretti Lata, Administrative Assistant

Pretti joined the PFTAC team in February 2020 and provides support to the Revenue program and advisor. Pretti has a BA and Master of Commerce from the University of the South Pacific. She comes with 18 years of insurance sector experience in claims, underwriting, compliance, administration and human resources at Fiji Care Insurance Limited.