This page provides information on the key staff of LFS and AccessHolding .
 

LFS MANAGEMENT TEAM

Dan Balke has been with LFS since its foundation in 1997. Mr. Balke is Managing Director and co-owner of LFS, as well as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of AccessBank Tanzania. Mr. Balke has extensive professional experience in senior management positions in financial sector institution building projects in the fields of MSME finance, housing finance and municipal finance. He holds an MBA in Finance from Manchester Business School and an M.Sc. in Economics from Freie Universität Berlin. Mr. Balke speaks German, English, Spanish, Russian and Serbo-Croat.

Thomas Engelhardt has been with LFS since its foundation in 1997. Mr. Engelhardt is Managing Director and co-owner of LFS, as well as Director on the Supervisory Boards of AccessBank in Azerbaijan and AccessBank Liberia. He is currently seconded to AccessHolding, where he serves as the Chairman of the Management Board. Mr. Engelhardt has extensive professional experience in senior management positions in MSME finance projects. He holds an M.Sc in Economics, and speaks German, English, Russian and Serbo-Croat.

Dr. Bernd Zattler founded LFS in 1997, and has since then been Managing Director and majority owner of the firm. He is Chairman of the Supervisory Boards of AccèsBanque Madagascar and AB Microfinance Bank Nigeria, and Director on the Supervisory Boards of AccessHolding. Before the foundation of LFS, Mr. Zattler worked for a multinational firm and in institutions engaged in development finance. Dr. Zattler holds a Ph.D. in Economics, and speaks German, English, French and Spanish.

LFS SENIOR STAFF

Michael Barleon has been working for LFS since 2004. Mr. Barleon is Senior Consultant, and currently Team Leader of the project team that prepares the establishment of AccessBank Zambia. Before he was 1.5 years General Manager of AB Microfinance Bank Nigeria and 1 year Credit Manager / Deputy General Manager of AccèsBanque Madagascar. Before joining LFS, Mr. Barleon was 3 years Credit Manager and Branch Manager in small business banks in Albania, Romania and Haiti. Mr. Barleon holds an M.A. in International Commerce and Development, and speaks German, English and French.

Gastón Barazorda has been working for LFS since 1997. Mr. Barazorda is Senior Consultant, and since December 2008 Project Manager of a project supporting the transformation of a large Colombian microfinance institution into a fully fledged commercial bank. Before Mr. Barazorda worked in Team Leader positions in LFS projects in Mozambique and Peru, and for Peruvian banks in senior management positions with responsibility for MSME finance. Prior to joining LFS, he had worked 19 years with the Peruvian Banking Supervisory Unit. Mr. Barazorda is an Economist, and speaks Spanish, English and Portuguese.

Sandra Blackaby joined LFS at the beginning of 2008 with responsibility for establishing the Human Resources function. She is responsible for HR management and learning & development in the LFS Competency Centre. Ms. Blackaby has over 20 years’ experience in HR Management and HR Development gained in Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. She has a BA in Humanities and an MSc in People and Organisational Development.

Christoph Diehl has been working for LFS since 2000. Mr. Diehl is responsible for LFS projects in Africa and a member of the Management Board of AccessHolding, as well as Director on the Supervisory Board of AccessBank Tanzania. He has 3 years professional experience as General Manager of Socremo Banco de Microfinanças in Mozambique, and 7 years experience in senior management positions in MSME and housing finance institution building projects in various countries. Mr. Diehl has an M.Sc. in Economics, and speaks German and English.

Ralf Draeger has been working for LFS since 2002. Mr. Draeger is Head of LFS’s Commercial Division. Before joining LFS he worked 16 years as controller in an international agrochemical firm, including management accounting functions and affiliate controlling, and about one year as a bank controller. Mr. Draeger holds an M.Sc. in Business Administration, and speaks German and English.

Marcus Hannappel has been working for LFS since 2007. Mr. Hannappel is Senior Consultant, and since April 2010 Banking Consultant at LFS Head Office. Before he was 1 year Credit Manager / Deputy General Manager of AB Microfinance Bank Nigeria and 2.5 years Credit Advisor and Branch Manager with AB Microfinance Bank Nigeria and AccèsBanque Madagascar. Mr. Hannappel has a M.Sc. in Economics, and speaks German, English, French and Spanish.

Elza Herman has been working for LFS since 2008, and from 2002 to 2005. Ms. Herman is Senior Consultant, and since February 2009 Credit Manager / Deputy General Manager of AccèsBanque Madagascar. Previous assignments for LFS include MSME downscaling programmes in Serbia and Uzbekistan, and short-term assignments in various Access Banks. Ms. Herman has an M.A. in Southeast Asian Studies, Sociology and Political Science. She speaks German, Serbian, English, French, Russian and Thai.

Gulnoz Makhmudova has been working for LFS since 2001. Ms. Makhmudova is Senior Consultant, and since April 2010 Member of the Management Team of AccessBank Tajikistan. Before she worked as 2 years as Senior Retail Banking Consultant with AccessBank in Azerbaijan and 5 years as Local Consultant and Internal Auditor in an MSE downscaling programme in Uzbekistan. Ms. Makhmudova is a Certified Auditor, and has a diploma in International Economics. She speaks Uzbek, Russian and English.

Claudia Müller has been working for LFS since 2005. She is Senior Retail Banking Consultant at LFS Head Office and responsible for retail banking and non-credit products in the LFS Competency Centre. From 2005 to 2007 Ms. Müller was Operations Manager of the Micro Finance Bank of Azerbaijan. Before joining LFS, she was for 2 years Head of Retail Operations with a small business bank in Ukraine. Ms. Müller has an M.Sc. in Business Administration and Intercultural Management, and speaks German, English and Russian.

Nodirbek Numanov has been working for LFS since 2002. Mr. Numanov is Senior Consultant, and since April 2010 Member of the Management Team of AccessBank Tajikistan. Mr. Numanov started his career with LFS as Local Consultant in an MSE downscaling programme in Uzbekistan. Then he worked from 2006 to 2008 as Branch Manager with AccessBank in Azerbaijan. Mr. Numanov has a B.Sc. in Management. He speaks Uzbek, Russian and English.

Mary Clare Odong has been working for LFS since 2007. She is a Senior Consultant, and since November 2008 General Manager of AccessBank Liberia. Prior to joining LFS, Ms. Odong worked as the Managing Director of a microfinance banking institution in Ghana and prior to that as Deputy Managing Director of that same institution. Before that, she was Branch Manager with a microfinance bank in Albania . Ms. Odong holds a Masters degree in International and Development Economics with a special focus on Finance. She speaks English, German, French, Spanish, Acholi, Swahili, and Luganda.

Dr. Andrew Pospielovsky joined LFS in 2006. Dr. Pospielovsky is Senior Consultant, and since June 2006 General Manager of AccessBank in Azerbaijan. Previously, he worked for 6 years in senior management positions in MSME finance institution building projects in Bulgaria, Lithuania, Russia, Macedonia, Nepal, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. Dr. Pospielovsky holds a Ph.D. in Modern History and an M.A. (Distinction) in Area Studies (Eastern Europe and Russia) from the London School for Slavonic and Eastern European Studies. He speaks English and Russian.

Jürgen Rausch joined LFS in 2007. Mr. Rausch is Head of our IT Department. Prior to joining LFS, he worked 17 years as IT Expert in several firms of the DaimlerChrysler Group, last as Senior Manager within the IT department of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services AG. Mr. Rausch has a Degree in Business Information Technology, and speaks German and English.

Martin Rohler has been working for LFS since 2000. Mr. Rohler is Senior Consultant, Project Manager and Manager Advisory Services at LFS Head Office. From October 2004 to November 2006 he was Credit Manager and Deputy General Manager of Socremo Bank in Mozambique. Previously, he worked as Senior Consultant at the Head Office, and in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Mozambique and Tajikistan. Ms. Rohler holds an M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics, and speaks German, English, Portuguese and Spanish.

Katharina Schachtner has been working for LFS since 2003. Ms. Schachtner is Senior Consultant, and since August 2008 Investment and Controlling Officer of AccessHolding, based in the Head Office. She is also Director on the Supervisory Boards of AccessBank Liberia and AB Microfinance Bank Nigeria. Before, Ms. Schachtner was 2.5 years Project Manager of an MSE downscaling project in Tajikistan, and 2.5 years Regional Manager and Deputy Project Manager in an MSE downscaling project in Uzbekistan. Prior to joining LFS, Ms. Schachtner worked for 10 years in two German commercial banks and in the advertising industry. Ms. Schachtner holds an M.Sc. in Business Administration, and speaks German, English and Russian.

Patrick Schöneborn has been working for LFS since 2004. Mr. Schöneborn is Senior Consultant, and since April 2010 General Manager of AccessBank Tanzania. Before, he was 1.5 years Credit Manager / Deputy General Manager of AccessBank Tanzania, and 2 years Investment and Controlling Officer of AccessHolding , based in the Head Office. Previously, he worked as Regional Supervisor in Socremo in Mozambique. Mr. Schöneborn holds an M.Sc. in Industrial Strategy, and speaks German, English, Spanish, Portuguese and French.

Martin Spahr has been working for LFS since its foundation in 1997. Mr. Spahr is Senior Consultant, and since December 2006 General Manager of AccèsBanque Madagascar. Prior to that he worked for 2 years at Head Office and for 5 years as Long-Term Adviser with SOCREMO in Mozambique. Mr. Spahr has an M.Sc. in Economics, and speaks German, Spanish, English, French and Portuguese.

Christoph Ziegler has been working for LFS since 2001. Mr. Ziegler is Senior Consultant, and since April 2010 General Manager of AccessBank Tajikistan. Before, he worked at LFS Head Office, and as Credit Manager of AccessBank in Azerbaijan, Project Manager of an MSE downscaling project in Tajikistan, and Deputy Project Manager of an MSE downscaling project in Uzbekistan. Mr. Ziegler holds an M.A. in Economics and Eastern European Studies, and speaks German, English, Russian and Polish.