About Speaker
Mr Liam Francis Chicca, a national of Ireland and Italy, is a qualified lawyer. He worked in the private sector as insurance lawyer/loss adjuster primarily for Lloyd’s of London underwriters for a decade before joining the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) as legal counsel in late 2005. He has since worked at IFAD in different capacities, including as head of the Governing Bodies Office and of the Field Support Unit. He was also employed as legal counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London prior to being appointed as Special Adviser to two Presidents of IFAD up to September 2018. In this role he acquired a thorough understanding of development challenges and of the efforts exercised to promote inclusive and sustainable transformation of the livelihoods of poor rural communities across the globe, in close coordination with the United Nations, International Financial Institutions and other development partners. He subsequently became IFAD’s Lead Portfolio Advisor for Asia and the Pacific Region for five years up to August 2023. In this role he analysed emerging political, socio-economic and security trends providing strategic guidance to relevant teams, enhancing collaboration and promoting the efficiency of operations, while monitoring results and addressing operational, corporate and institutional issues falling under his purview. With effect from 1 September 2023, he was appointed as IFAD’s Country Director for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye, and is the Head of the IFAD Multi-Country Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia based in Istanbul.
