Jean-Paul Lacoste has worked in the field of microfinance since 1997 as manager and researcher. He is currently Program Officer for Development Finance and Economic Security at the Ford Foundation, Office for the Andean Region and the Southern Cone. His portfolio of grants and loans supports directly and indirectly more than fifty organizations involved in microfinance in Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina, as well as regionally, including MFIs, networks, research centers and support organizations. The focus of his work has been microfinance for the poor and rural finance. Prior to joining the Foundation, he was project coordinator for Louvain-Development, a Belgian NGO, in Zimbabwe (1997-2002) and Ecuador (1990-1993). He also served as a consultant for the Centre for Socio-economic Development (Geneva), the FAO and Care Internationnal in themes related to microfinance, economic security and governance. He holds a BA in Business Administration from the Catholic University of Louvain, and a Ph.D in Development Studies from IDS, University of Geneva.
