Alastair Swarbrick, Senior Policy Adviser at the OECD, has over 30 years of experience in public finance and audit, public governance and international development. He currently leads the Public Finance Management Team within the SIGMA programme, supporting public administration reforms in EU enlargement and neighbourhood countries. Prior to joining SIGMA, he was the Auditor General of the Cayman Islands, where he also held appointments as an Anti-Corruption Commissioner and Director of the Auditor Regulatory Authority. During his time in the Cayman Islands, he was involved in supporting a variety of capacity-building projects with supreme audit institutions across the Caribbean. Before moving to the Cayman Islands, he spent nearly 20 years working in public internal and external audit. Between 2002 and 2010, he worked at Audit Scotland, where he was responsible for leading and managing a broad range of audit engagements, including the audit of the Scottish Government, and was the Director of the Business Improvement Unit. From 1999 to 2002 he worked for the UK National Audit Office in London. Prior to this, he worked for the Scottish Government and the Accounts Commission for Scotland. He is a Chartered Public Finance Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner, and holds a Master's degree in Economics.

Nermin joined the International Budget Partnership (IBP) in 2023 and is in charge of coordinating the first IBP project in the Western Balkans. Nermin holds a Master's Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Sarajevo. His extensive knowledge in the Western Balkans region, he gained by performing positions at the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the EU Special Representative Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian National Parliament.

Ivana Maletić is an experienced economist specialised in public finance, fiscal policy, EU funds and cohesion policy. She has published numerous books and articles on public finance management, fiscal responsibility and management of EU funds. Ms Maletić is currently serving as a Member of the European Court of Auditors (Chamber IV) since 2019, where she is the reporting Member responsible for several RRF reports, including RRF’s performance monitoring framework, absorption, and ongoing audit on traceability and transparency of RRF funding. Previously, Ms Maletić was a Member of the European Parliament (2013–2019), responsible for a number of reports in the Committees on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Regional Development, as well as the Committee on Budgets. She has also held senior roles in Croatia’s Ministry of Finance, including State Secretary, National Authorising Officer, and Deputy Chief Negotiator during Croatia’s accession negotiation process. Ms Maletić holds a Master of Science degree in Accounting, Auditing and Finance. 

Bernard Brunet is an independent consultant, teacher and trainer, specialising on EU enlargement and neighbourhood policies, and EU external financial cooperation. He has a long career in the European Commission. He was Head of Unit in charge of relations with Turkey (2018-2023) and Head of Unit in charge of evaluation, relations with International Financial Institutions, economic governance, and public administration (2014-2017). He was a member of the cabinet of Commissioner Füle in charge of enlargement and neighbourhood between 2011 and 2014. He was deputy Head of the Unit in charge of relations with the Maghreb Countries between 2009-2011, and worked in DG Economic and Financial Affairs.

Sara Sirovica Kranjčec is Head of Service for Support to Audit Processes in Croatian Audit Authority (ARPA – Agency for Audit of European Union Programmes Implementation System). During her 14 years in ARPA, Sara gained experience in auditing projects financed from pre-accession funds and operational programmes in 2007-2013 and 2014-2020 programming periods. Her main tasks were audit of large scale infrastructure projects and performing designation and system audits of management and control systems. As of 2021, she is head of audit team for National Recovery and Resilience Plan, financed from Recovery and Resilience Facility - the EU’s plan to emerge stronger and more resilient from the current crisis. Sara is also a lecturer and trainer in Twinning projects in pre-accession countries and trainings organized by international institutions, as well as a speaker in national conferences.

Graduated from the Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana. Started a professional career at the Tax Administration of the Republic of Slovenia. In 1999, joined the Court of Audit, where engaged in auditing and counselling. From 2016 to 2022 served as the Attaché of the Slovenian Member of the European Court of Auditors. In November 2022, appointed Supreme State Auditor at the Court of Audi of the Republic of Slovenia.

Mr. Ivan Ignjatov is Deputy Audit General at the Audit Authority for audit of Instrument for pre-accession assistance (IPA). Mr. Ignjatov has 24 years of experience in Public Finance Management (17 years at management positions), with specifically 22 years of professional experience in external audit within State Audit Office and Audit Authority for IPA (financial audit, performance audit, audit of EU funds). He has PhD degree in Economics (Development of the system for audit and control of efficient use of EU funds) and certifications for Certified State Auditor (CSA), Certified Forensic in Finance(CFF), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Chartered Accountant (CCA), CIPFA Certified in Corruption Risk Management (ICCRM), CIPFA Certified Trainer in Corruption Risk Assessment (ICCRM ToT), Certified European Computer Driving License Expert (ECDL), Lead/External Auditor for Information Security Management Systems (ISO/IEC 27001), Lead/External Auditor for Anti-Bribery Management Systems (ISO 37001), Lead/External Auditor for Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001).

Albana Gjinopulli is a professional auditor with 20 years of experience in internal, and external auditing in the public sector of Albania. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance and a master’s in public administration. In 2005, Albana became Certified Internal Auditor (National Certification) and in 2007 she added another achievement to her carrier as Certified Public Accountant (CPA), an internationally recognized Certificate and Diploma issued by CIPFA. Throughout her career, Albana has worked with a diverse range of public institutions, including the Ministry of Finance, the Supreme Audit Institution of Albania, and the Audit Authority of EU Projects. She is known for her attention to detail, analytical skills, and ability to communicate complex financial information clearly and concisely. Her contribution to the field of public auditing is known in Albania and abroad, by publishing several articles in both national and international conferences and magazines, sharing insights and research on emerging trends and best practices. Since 2019, Albana holds the position of Director of Harmonization of Internal Audit in public Sector in Ministry of Finance of Albania and Cochair of Public Sector Committee of the Albanian IIA. In October 2024, Albana was elected Chair of the PEMPAL Internal Audit Community of Practise (Public Expenditure Management - Peer Assistance Learning) an internation professional network that facilitates exchange of professional experience and knowledge transfer among public finance management (PFM) practitioners across the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) countries. In addition to her auditing expertise, Albana is dedicated to the continuous learning and professional development of public auditors. As teacher and trainer, she is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and expertise with internal and external auditors in the field, supporting and assisting them enhance their skills and excel in their audit practices. Over the years Albana has been committed to upholding the highest ethical standards and delivering accurate and reliable audit services and training.’.

Gorica Nikolovska is a highly experienced auditor with 20 years of professional practice, including 19 years at the State Audit Office of the Republic of North Macedonia. She currently serves as Assistant to the Head of Sector in the department responsible for auditing beneficiaries of EU funds and other international financial institutions. She began her career as a junior auditor and has steadily advanced through roles in financial, regularity, and performance auditing. Over the past four years, Gorica has specialized in performance audits, focusing on topics of high public interest such as public debt management, capital investment implementation, the use of EU funds, and green transition policies. She has led several high-impact audits, applying advanced methodologies to assess efficiency, effectiveness, and economy of public spending—ensuring the principle of value for money. Key Performance Audits as Team Lead: Public Debt Management – Borrowing by the Republic of North Macedonia (2021); Borrowing by Public Sector Entities for public investments for infrastructure projects (2022); Use of Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) Funds (2022) – pilot audit under the EU Twinning Project; Implementation of Capital Investments Financed through the State Budget, EU, and International Funds (2023) – supported by SIGMA; Efficiency of Measures and Policies for Servicing the Public Debt (2024); Public Investment Management for Regional Development (2024) – pilot audit with World Bank support; Green Transition through Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources (2025) – performance audit aimed at evaluating the implementation of national and international commitments for increasing the share of renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions; Gorica also brings international experience from her internship at the European Court of Auditors in Luxembourg (2011), where she worked on audits related to transport, energy, public procurement, state aid, and financial engineering instruments.
She is a certified state auditor and holds an IDI INTOSAI certification in public debt auditing. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with SIGMA, the World Bank, and EU Twinning Projects, promoting transparency, accountability, and sound governance in public finance. Her work is driven by a strong commitment to achieving meaningful results through effective external audit.

Hana Zoričić has been working at the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Croatia for more than 15 years. She started working at the Ministry immediately after graduating from the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb. She continued her education by working at the Ministry and completed the International MBA program. During these years, she worked at the State Treasury in various departments and implemented various projects related to the development and reform of public financial management. She was part of the team that worked on the introduction of the euro as the official currency in the Republic of Croatia, development of a strategic planning system at the national level, and is now part of the team that is implementing the project of modernizing accounting processes and the state budget execution process in Croatia in cooperation with the IMF. Additionally she is a team leader for the introduction of green budgeting into the budget process of the Republic of Croatia. In addition to her daily work, Ms. Zoričić lectures by invitation in the areas of strategic planning, fiscal responsibility and the accounting system of the state budget, and is a co-author and author of various articles related to the budget system in a broader sense. Currently, Ms. Zoričić is the Deputy Chief State Treasurer and, among other things, is responsible for coordinating tasks within the scope of budget preparation, budget execution, and the development of the accounting system and financial reporting in the budget system.

Adam works at the Ministry of Finance, leading a team evaluating social spending. He has been working at the ministry for five years, focusing mostly on health budgeting and spending reviews. Adam has also worked in senior roles in health insurance.

Imelin Imširović is an Advisor for Certification, Education, and Information at the Federal Ministry of Finance of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has over two decades of professional experience supporting public sector reform through EU and USAID-funded projects, with a strong background in digitalization of internal financial control systems and public finance reform. Imelin played a key role in the development and implementation of the PIFC application in Bosnia and Herzegovina, supporting transparency, efficiency, and value for money in public sector governance. He worked on numerous projects as an ICT and legal expert, and has led and delivered numerous trainings and seminars across the region. He is a certified lecturer in Public Internal Financial Control, fluent in English and German, and holds a BA in Law.

Mihaela Bronić, PhD, is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Finance, Croatia, and has been serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Public Sector Economics journal since 2021. She completed her PhD at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, and has furthered her education at prestigious institutions, including the University of Cambridge, London School of Economics and Political Science, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Mihaela Bronić has been actively involved in numerous national and international research projects, and her academic and professional interests focus on local government unit financing, budget transparency, citizen participation in the budget process, and the tax system. She is the author of numerous scientific and professional papers published in both national and international journals.

A public sector accountability specialist, passionate about strengthening the institutions and relationships that make up accountability ecosystems. Dana's more than 15-year career has included working with CSOs, supreme audit institutions, parliaments and international organisations around the globe to combat corruption and increase public trust in government. She has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives, presented to members of the UK Parliament, and been interviewed by media outlets including the BBC World Service and Financial Times. Dana currently runs her own consulting firm, working with clients across continents to solve problems that matter, leveraging AI-powered tools and human-centred design techniques.

Nieves is a governance and anti-corruption specialist with more than 15 years of experience in qualitative research, policy analysis and training for civil society, international organisations, donor organisations and academic institutions. She has extensive experience designing research methodologies to support policy-making and monitoring and evaluation efforts. She received her MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of Essex in the UK, and she has a BA in Journalism by the University of Navarra in Spain. Currently, she works as an independent research consultant focused on anti-corruption and integrity for organisations such as CIPFA, the Council of Europe, the World Bank and Transparency International, among others.

Jelena Misita has served as Chair of the IFAC PAO Development & Advisory Group since January 2021. She is also a Board Member of the Union of Accountants, Auditors and Financial Workers of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (UAAFWFBH), an IFAC and Accountancy Europe member organization. In this capacity, and through her involvement in other global, regional, and national boards and organizations, she actively supports the advancement of the accountancy profession because of its vital role in building trust, fostering transparency, and creating opportunity in society. With over 15 years of experience in developing Professional Accountancy Organizations (PAOs), Ms. Misita has led several initiatives to strengthen the profession in emerging economies where both strategic direction and practical support are essential for achieving high standards of professionalism and quality. She has contributed to numerous donor-funded reform programs and projects that aim to adopt best practices and serve the public interest. Additionally, for more than two decades, Ms. Misita has served as the CEO at Revicon, a business advisory company focused on improving organizational performance and delivering strategic support to both public institutions and private enterprises.

`Ana Ilić has been Good Governance Director in NALED since 2018, in charge of building capacities for economic development, regional cooperation and advancing the EU agenda, in particular on a local level. She has been active in development cooperation since 2001, serving as Deputy Director- Coordinator for EU Funds in the European Integration Office of the Government of Serbia in the period 2014- 2017. She was in charge of programming the EU’s Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), coordinated Serbia's participation in regional, cross-border and transnational EU programs and other bilateral and multilateral assistance. She was Head of the Working Group on EU accession regarding Chapter 22- Regional Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments, member of Serbia’s Negotiation Team for accession to the EU, responsible for Chapter 22, National Coordinator for the Danube Region, member of program committees of the Regional School of Public Administration and Regional Cooperation Council.

Marko Sošić is a policy analyst at Institut Alternativa, a think tank based in Podgorica, Montenegro. His work focuses on public finance management, with a particular emphasis on oversight, accountability, and transparency. He has extensive experience in areas such as parliamentary oversight, budget transparency, state audit, local government finances, and state-owned enterprises. His research and advocacy also cover public administration reform and optimisation processes, including the introduction of performance-based budgeting.

Ms. Vlora Spanca was appointed Auditor General by the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo in August 2021. She has been a dedicated member of the National Audit Office of the Republic of Kosovo since 2007, where she has held various key roles. She served as Assistant Auditor General from 2017 to 2021, and prior to this, led the Regularity Audit Department between 2009 - 2016. During her tenure, Ms. Spanca has played a pivotal role in auditing donor-funded projects, strengthening public sector governance, and improving auditing practices. She served as the Resident Twinning Advisor for the EU-funded project “Strengthening the National Audit Impact” and coordinated the World Bank-funded initiative “Developing Audit Capacities in Public Procurement.” Prior to gaining her expertise in public sector auditing, Ms. Spanca has also worked with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, making significant strides and further showcasing her expertise in international cooperation.

Jasmina is a member of the CEF program team and leads the thematic priority of public financial management – accounting.She came to CEF in 2014, taking on the roles of coordinator and project manager of public sector certification projects in internal auditing and accounting, and a designer and facilitator of learning initiatives in the thematic area of accounting. She was also part of the EU-funded project Fiscal Implications of Structural Reforms. Jasmina designs program activities and facilitates their delivery.Before joining the CEF, she was a consultant at the Pension and Invalidity Insurance Institute of Slovenia. She also worked as a project manager for technical assistance of EU programs in the Slovenian branch office of a German company, and as a consultant at the Accounting and International Department of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia.

Kristina joined the CEF at the beginning of 2011 and is a member of CEF’s Event Management Team. Her main duties and accountabilities are the organization of learning and other events; coordination of activities among participants, lecturers, CEF program staff, donors and other stakeholders; budget preparation and events cost management; the processing of questionnaires. She is responsible for support to the Program Team in the implementation of programs, projects, and other activities.

Želimir
is a member of CEF’s Learning Program Team and is responsible for designing and delivering of learning activities under the thematic area of PFM – Accounting and Public Sector Assets management.

Urška joined the CEF at the beginning of 2019. She is responsible for managing partnership relations with the CEF stakeholders. Her responsibilities also include the implementation of the CEF communication strategy, including social media and communication analytics. In her previous career, she held various positions in marketing and partnership management. She is experienced in marketing and partnership management, project management, and campaign marketing management.

Callahan is primarily responsible for growing CIPFA’s global policy voice. Cal works with CIPFA’s partners and stakeholders and leads on the Institute’s international thought leadership, including CIPFA’s international conferences and global research program, among other projects. Before joining the international team, he managed CIPFA’s external communications. Originally from the United States, Cal has previous experience in foreign affairs and financial services. He has degrees in economics and political science.

Reanne is a member of the CIPFA International team, serving as an International Project Coordinator since 2023. With an academic and professional background in international development, Reanne brings a wealth of expertise to her role. Her work focuses on managing global projects that support public financial management improvements across various regions, including the Corruption Prevention Program in Mauritius. Reanne's keen understanding of international policy and development strategies allows her to effectively lead initiatives that contribute to financial sustainability and good governance in public sectors worldwide. Her dedication to building sustainable partnerships and fostering collaboration is at the heart of her work at CIPFA.