CV

Experience

Economic Development Expert – Saudi Arabia                     Dec 2018 – Mar 2020

Development of Industry Clusters and Diversification of the Economy

  • Feasibility study for development of KSA industrial clusters and provide linkages with local SMEs.

  • Selecting national and regional sectors with high growth and job creation potential.

  • Proposing regulatory framework for industrial clusters.
  • Regulatory policy, investment attraction and export promotion programme, coaching & training modules.

 

 Team Leader, EU – Central Asia                                             Feb 2017 – Jan 2018

Private Sector Development Study for Central Asia

  • Identifying the private sector features and using latest statistical data on the private sector (e.g. number of SMEs, size and definition of SMEs, employment by SMEs, financial situation of SMEs, trade patterns of SMEs, percentage of GDP, breakdown per sectors in connection with regional and international market, etc.) from all 5 Central Asian countries
  • Identifying national and regional sectors with high growth and job creation potential.
  • Assessing private sector development opportunities enhanced by regional cooperation settings such as the Eurasian Economic Union and facilitated by recent GSP+ status, concerning Central Asian countries’ access to EU markets.
  • Analyzing characteristics, capacity and training needs of Government ministries & agencies and Business Intermediary Organizations in all 5 Central Asian countries and logistic services.
  • Analyzing State Owned Enterprises in each of the five countries, notably regarding their share in the economy, the sectors they are represented in, and the plans of the Governments to privatize.
  • Provide recommendations to be taken on board by the national beneficiaries and EU to strengthen the business climate and facilitate private sector development.

 

UNDP, Regional Consultant for Eastern Europe and CIS    May 2016 – Jan 2017

Development Effectiveness Promotion for the Kyrgyz Republic

  • Provide strategic advice to country offices on building capacities to improve private sector development, trade, investment and productive capacity enhancement;
  • Provide strategic advice to country offices on building capacities to improve trade-related projects;
  • Propose UNDP approach to Sustainable Local Development and propose service lines for the Sustainable Development Cluster and concrete actions products, tools, platforms and instruments within the local economic development context.
  • Prepare methodology for operationalizing SDGs for ongoing and incoming UNDP programmes;
  • Develop minimum standards for microfinance loans for trade, private sector development, greening agriculture, micro-insurance, developing capacities in private sector development.
  • Develop service-lines on building productive capacities, trade and local development;
  • Mapping of potential new partners, including from the private sector for the region for Turkey

 

ADB, Team Leader, Kyrgyz Republic                                     May 2015 – Apr 2016

Development Effectiveness Promotion for the Kyrgyz Republic

  • Provide training to government and ministries on best practices of Investment Project Management
  • Produce Development Effectiveness Analysis of International Aid for the period 1992 – 2014
  • Produce Investment Management Guidelines and Manual for Public Administration
  • Produce Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) for improved government processes
  • Introduce National and Sectoral M&E Framework for Public Investment in the Kyrgyz Republic
  • Informational campaign for promoting development effectiveness

 

Investment Climate Program Manager, South Asia, IFC/World Bank              

                   Feb 2012 – Oct 2014

Program Manager, World Bank Group, Dhaka, Bangladesh

  • Managing $6,0 million program, 20 staff on time within budget and to high standards.
  • Manages complex stakeholder relationship between government officials, businesses, and international donor community and leads Bangladeshi Investment donor sub-committee.
  • Designs and secures for funds IFC/WB Investment Climate/Business Regulations work in regulatory governance, climate change, infrastructure, SME, agri-business, power, tourism, etc
  • Leads South Asia Business Regulation Practice for India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka.
  • Introducing $10 million Regulatory Enforcement & Inspections program in Bangladesh – DFID
  • Implements PSD, Regulatory Reforms, Regulatory Enforcement & Inspections, Tax Administration reforms, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA)

 

Visiting Expert to Development Economics Department, DEC, World Bank            2013 – 2014

Visiting Expert, World Bank Group, DEC, Washington DC, USA

  • Selected as Visiting Expert as part of a program to foster knowledge sharing between researchers and operational staff, to conduct 2 months research with the Development Economics Vice Presidency (DEC), chaired by WB Chief Economist Kaushik Basu.
  • Publish a paper and help develop channels to put research findings into implementation, Regulatory governance and links with private sector investment in OECD countries, extending findings into sector regulatory frameworks/investment link in developing countries

 

Naturex Consulting, CEO, Senior Consultant, UK, Worldwide                    Feb 1997 – Dec 2012

CEO & Senior Consultant: International Economic Development, Management,

  • Designing, securing funding and implementing international economic and private sector development projects, investment generation, regulatory and institutional reforms, Business Environment, Economic Development, Investment Attraction, Green Growth, Power, Energy, Infrastructure, Transport, SME, Green Growth, Agriculture, Gas & Oil, Water, Tourism, etc

 

Executive Communication Project Director, ADB                                       Aug 2010 – Dec 2011

Project Director, Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines

  • Improved implementation of ADB communication strategy into practice in such a complex, diverse and geographically spread international organization. Communication strategy reviewed and implemented for internal and external communication.
  • Improved ability of management, senior staff, lead sector/thematic specialists to raise ADB’s profile by delivering their key messages in a clear, effective and timely manner.

 

Economic Development Advisor to UNDP in Tajikistan                              Dec 2009 – Feb 2011

Strategic Adviser to UNDP and Tajikistan Government

  • Strategically positions, designs and implements interventions in 18 million UNDP-implemented DFID financed program working with local government in mobilizing business community and citizens for inclusive private sector development, agricultural development, power, water, infrastructure, and microfinance provision at the local level;

 

Improving Business Environment for GIZ, CIM, in Kyrgyz Republic             

          Nov 2006 – Nov 2009

Strategic Adviser to IBC, prime minister and president of Kyrgyz Republic

  • Part of government & business working group that in 3 years brought Kyrgyzstan to the 2nd best reformer in the world according to World Bank DB indicators for 2010.
  • Lobbying and influencing government & parliament to adopt business-friendly laws.
  • Attracting investment in Kyrgyz Republic, promoting it abroad as potential investment location.
  • Fundraising and capacity building for business associations.

 

Economic Development Advisor to OSCE in Tajikistan                              Sep 2010 – Feb 2011

Strategic Adviser to FEZ Ishkashim and Tajikistan Government

  • Design of the administrative, HR and related financial, operational and implementation plan
  • On basis of my proposal donors and commercial sector pledged $5,5 million for development of infrastructure of Ishkashim FEZ.

 

Restructuring State-Owned Institutions for EU in Bosnia and Herzegovina  

             Apr 2005 – Apr 2010

Project Director, European Commission

  • Designing, managing and overseeing institutional reforms and advising on transformation and management change for the state owned institutions.
  • Team leader of complex international project managing complex stakeholder network.
  • Winning three consecutive 580,000 Euro projects with EU.

 

Access to Information Project in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan            

                  Mar 2004 – Apr 2005

Regional Project Director for Central Asia, Swiss Media Development Project in Central Asia

  • Managing 1,000,000 EUR Access to Information development project in Central Asia funded by Swiss Development Corporation SDC on time and within budget.
  • Mediating between media and governments on improved access to information
  • Regular reporting, contacts with donors, international & government officials etc.

 

Restructuring state-owned RTA for EU in Afghanistan                               Nov 2004 – Feb 2005

Senior Consultant Economist, restructuring of state-owned companies

  • Producing project proposal for restructuring the state-owned Radio Television Afghanistan and Bakhtar News Agency into public broadcasters.
  • Producing cost-benefit analysis of the proposed project worth 64M EUR.

 
 

ACTED Develpmt Agency, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan                      

                     Aug 2003 – Mar 2004

Project Coordinator, EuropeAid, TACIS, USAID, DFID, ADB projects

  • Managed 2,500,000 Euros as a team leader on EU TACIS, USAID, CIDA, SDC projects in Central Asia with over 100 employees on time and within budget.
  • Donors’ reports, budgets, developed new project proposals for 1 – 2 million projects with EuropeAid, OSCE, USAID.

 
 

American University of Central Asia, AUCA, Kyrgyz Republic                      

                                2007 – 2009

Lecturer, Professor

  • Teaching at MBA level courses of Strategic Management and Business Negotiations.
  • Overseeing Master Thesis of students, providing advice to AUCA on fundraising.

 

WM Enterprise, UK                                                                                                                       2005 – 2006

International Project Director

  • Project director for 2,700,000 EUR Vietnam Private Sector Support Programme.
  • The overall objective of the project is job creation, promotion of the private sector and SME.
  • Project director for 1,500,000 Euro Cross-border cooperation EC-funded project with implementing and backstopping.
  • Involving 10 international and local short term experts and 5 permanent project staff
  • Number of project proposals submitted including EU Framework project

 
 

Help North Korean Children, London, UK                                                                     2000 – 2003

CEO, Director

  • Managed and fundraised UK NGO for collecting aid for North Korean Children.
  • Developed network of individual and institutional donors for collection of aid.

 

 

BBC World Service,           London   UK                                                                                     1995 – 2002

Editor, Journalist  and Radio Producer

  • Producer, editor, team leader, BBC World Service flagship Newshour programme
  • Interviewed presidents, top officials: Helen Clarke, Evgeniy Primakov, Robin Cook etc.
  • Provided advice to government officials on politics economics in the Balkans.

 
 

Mavrovo Construction – Macedonia, Sochi, Russia, Germany                      

                           1989 – 1994

Project Manager and Head of Planning Department

  • Managed 50M USD projects with 250 employees on time and within budget.
  • Planned big infrastructure projects built in Germany, Russia and Middle East.
  • Acted as Certified Company Valuer of Macedonian Privatisation Agency.

Education

The academic papers published in peer-reviewed double-blind academic journals are recognized in Google scholar, Researchgate.org, Academia.edu and Ideas.org:

https://scholar.google.co.jp/citations?user=LJmuWS4AAAAJ&hl=en

https://sauvage.academia.edu/GoranSumkoski

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Goran_Sumkoski

https://authors.repec.org/profile-overview!46a13db4b1ef9db1fb7fad9c072bced1


London School of Economics, London, UK  1999 – 2001 

M.Sc. Development Management.

  • Dissertation thesis on the links between trade liberalization and economic growth analyzing 117 developing countries using SPSS and SAS statistical software.
  • Provided consulting on viability of microfinance projects in the Horn of Africa.
  • Researched various aspects of privatisation and transition in Eastern Europe

 

Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan, University of Manchester, UK 2021 (expected)

PhD Governance & Economic and International Development

  • Dissertation thesis on links between national and sector regulations, governance and economic growth in developing countries.
  • Institutional reforms, capacity building, infrastructure, energy, transport.
  • Media development, access to information, transparency and democratization

 

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA                                     1994 – 1995

Visiting Scholar in Corporate and Investment Finance,  Fulbright Fellowship

  • Wrote research paper comparing EVA – Economic Value Added – corporate performance benchmark, with traditional valuation techniques, ROI, EPS and NI.
  • Research on links between corporate value and share price on NYSE.
  • Worked on projects implementing EVA in Honeywell, Unisys, Kellogg and Cargill.
  • Awarded Fulbright Fellowship in Economics 1994.

 
 

St. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Macedonia               1992 – 1994

Master of Business Administration Programme

  • Management of production processes, productivity and efficiency.
  • Comparative analysis of different corporate organizational structures.

 

St. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Macedonia               1982 – 1989

B.Sc. Construction Engineering

  • Construction and project management.
  • Mathematical and statistical theoretical and practical analysis.