Seminar faculty
Duncan Last, Senior Economist, International Monetary Fund
Duncan Last is a Senior Economist with FAD’s PFM 1 division. He joined headquarters in 2006 after 20 years in public finance, including: regional IMF advisor in AFRITAC East and Slovenia, budget advisor and budget IT systems designer in Mali and Papua New Guinea, debt management advisor in Papua New Guinea, and debt management software designer at the Commonwealth Secretariat in UK. He also had three other careers before public finance: teacher of physics, manufacturing engineer, and software designer. In Slovenia, he was one of the prime movers behind the Center of Excellence in Finance. Duncan grew up in Ethiopia, where he attended the French Lycée.
Brian Olden, Regional Public Financial Management Advisor, International Monetary Fund
Brian Olden was a Senior Economist in the Public Financial Management Division of the Fiscal Affairs Department in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for five years prior to being the IMF’s Regional Public Financial Management Advisor for South East Europe. While based in Washington, he specialized in delivering technical assistance in public financial management to a wide range of countries. As an IMF staff member, Mr. Olden has led or participated in many technical assistance missions to, among others, Croatia, Macedonia, Indonesia, Latvia, Romania, The Philippines, Lithuania, Malawi, Liberia, Turkey, Albania and Serbia. Prior to his joining the IMF, Mr. Olden was Director of Consultancy Services for FTI, a specialist treasury company in Ireland, and held a variety of senior posts at the Irish National Treasury Management Agency and Department of Finance.
Sami Yläoutinen, Director, Economics Department, Ministry of Finance, Finland
Sami Yläoutinen is a Director at the Economics Department of the Ministry of Finance, Finland. His tasks are closely related to the annual budget process in Finland including forecasts, policy-scenarios and sustainability calculations of Finnish public finances. He is also involved in various aspects of economic policy co-ordination at the EU level. Previously employed by the Bank of Finland, he holds a Doctoral degree in economics. His dissertation focused on fiscal frameworks in Central and Eastern European countries.
