OUR TEAM

Ron Staples – Director EDG rons@edgroup.com.au

With over 42 years experience in development policy, design and M&E data analysis, Ron Staples is one of Australia’s most experienced development professionals.

Since graduating with a Master of Arts (Development Economics) from the University of East Anglia in 1977, Ron has worked for a variety of donor organisations. These have included AusAID, the Asian Development Bank, The World Bank, the United Nations Office for Project Services, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the Department for International Development (UK), the International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Inter-American Development Bank.

At AusAID, Ron was instrumental in introducing structured approaches to activity design, monitoring and evaluation through the Log Frame Approach. He trained AusAID staff and consultants in the project management cycle, the logical framework approach, PERT and Critical Path Method.

Ron has also been involved in the NGO sector. In particular, he has been involved in the development of participatory methodologies for demand-led service delivery in activity design and implementation.

Throughout his career, Ron has focussed on issues of governance, capacity building and development, decentralised area administration and rural development. He is recognised internationally for his work in developing approaches to identify, design, implement, monitor and evaluate development projects, programs and facilities, and for actively involving stakeholders.

Laurent de Schoutheete – Manager laurentds@edgroup.com.au

Prior to joinging EDG, Laurent has worked for the European Commission (EC), the Belgian Embassy in Canberra and for ADE Consulting Services, a Belgium-based consultancy specialised in economic development policy advice and evaluation.

Laurent’s areas of specialisation include policy design and evaluation in the energy, environment, territorial planning, transport and rural development sectors. He has worked on several major policy evaluations, including the evaluation of EC support to partner countries in the area of energy and the evaluation of EC support in rural development and agriculture sectors. He has also contributed as a methodological expert on country program evaluations and developed evaluation guidelines for the EC.

Laurent graduated in geography and holds a Master in Environmental and Spatial Planning. He is fluent in English and French, and has a good knowledge of Portuguese and Spanish. His professional experiences have spanned five continents including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cambodia, Indonesia, Mozambique, Singapore, Syria and Uganda

Associates

Julien de Meyer

Julien is a seasoned professional. Since starting work in development aid in 1993, Julien has worked in Africa, Latin America and Asia for a variety of donors including AusAID, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, The World Bank, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, The Rockefeller Foundation as well as the private sector. Julien’s extensive field experience has given him a deep understanding of, and commitment to, development in the areas of participation, crop management, capacity building, M&E data analysis and management issues. This impressive working history – along with his ability to speak five languages – means he knows how to work effectively in international environments and teams.

Anneke Hofs

Anneke has sound knowledge and experience of participatory methods applied to the evaluation of aid interventions, including the Most Significant Change technique and the Analysis of Development Impact. Anneke Hofs joined EDG in May 2006. Prior to this she worked for GRM International as a project coordinator and as a researcher for Cordaid, a Dutch national aid organisation. Anneke is currently based in Utrecht.

Ty Morrissey
Ty is a multi-disciplinary development specialist with ten years experience in the international development sector. He specialises in poverty reduction with an emphasis on supporting solid project design and management. This includes M&E data analysis, organisational and institutional change, and promoting various community development and poverty reduction approaches. Most recently Ty was involved with the post-Tsunami work in Sri-Lanka.

David Swan
David is a development specialist who has spent 35 years working both on policy and in the field. In particular, he has worked in South East and North Asia, and for many years worked with AusAID in the Philippines. David’s extensive experience means he is a well-known and respected consultant who can integrate innovative forms of aid with the needs of a country.

Andrew Cornish
Andrew has worked in development since 1985 both as an academic and a practitioner. His experience covers the full range of the project and program cycles: from identification and design, to management and finally completion and evaluation. He has led, or taken part in, a number of evaluations and reviews. He has worked in health, rural development, governance and water and sanitation. His assignments include short-, medium- and long-term inputs and he has a sound understanding of the issues involved in translating design concepts into practical activities. His evaluation and review work has given him a strong grasp of current trends in aid effectiveness, harmonisation and evaluation.