Castalia Staff

John Cheong-Holdaway - Senior Analyst

John is an economic and financial analyst with a specialisation in public private partnerships in infrastructure and public sector governance. John has experience in transaction advisory and has represented and advised governments, multilateral development institutions and private companies on PPP regulation, public sector infrastructure expenditure priorities, institutional development, rural development and infrastructure for the facilitation of trade integration. Prior to joining Castalia, John worked for an investment bank in Indonesia and for the World Bank in Indonesia and Timor-Leste. John holds a Bachelor of Computer Science, a Diploma of Modern Languages (Indonesian) and a Masters of Management (Economics) all from the University of Melbourne. He is a native English speaker, speaks Indonesian fluently and Tetum competently.

Ben Temple - Senior Analyst

Ben specialises in legal and regulatory analysis, public policy, and infrastructure economics.  Prior to working at Castalia, he worked for the New Zealand Government, specialising in telecommunications and radiocommunications regulation (including policy advice on the allocation and management of the radio spectrum), regulatory impact analysis, and trade rules and remedies.  Ben holds a Masters degree in Economics and Bachelors degrees in Law and Economics from the University of Otago.

Laura Berman - Senior Analyst

Laura is a policy and regulatory analyst with experience in the energy sector. She specialized for six years in energy and greenhouse gas mitigation in emerging markets. Her expertise covers a number of key areas including rehabilitating electricity distribution systems, designing policies and regulations for renewable energy and energy efficiency, expanding energy access, and greenhouse gas mitigation analysis. Prior to joining Castalia, Laura worked for the World Bank in the Energy Unit for the Latin America and the Caribbean Region and also in the Energy, Water, and Transport Department. She was a Fulbright Scholar at a prestigious Peruvian think tank, the Group for Analysis of Development, where she conducted research on rural electrification in Peru. Laura holds a Masters in International Energy Management and Policy from Columbia University.

Stanley Hsieh - Senior Analyst

Stanley is a financial transaction advisor. He specialises in business valuation, financial analysis, due diligence and pro forma financial modelling of companies and investment vehicles. Prior to working at Castalia he has managed a private property investment trust in New Zealand, and worked in various decision support roles in government departments. Stanley holds an Executive MBA from the University of Auckland. Originally from Taiwan, he is a fluent / native Chinese speaker.

Marie Marconnet - Senior Analyst

Marie Marconnet is an economic analyst specialized in the energy sector, particularly renewable energy. Since joining Castalia in 2007, she has worked on energy sector regulation and private sector participation, and advised extensively on sustainable energy policy and planning, especially in the Pacific and Caribbean regions. Marie holds a Master's degree in Economics from Victoria University of Wellington, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Canterbury University. She speaks French and English fluently.

Francisco Estrazulas - Analyst

Francisco is a public policy analyst specializing on regulation and governance of infrastructure projects. He has advised local, state and national governments, international financial institutions and the private sector on setting up successful business and government arrangements. Before joining Castalia, he worked for the World Bank, the National Government of Maldives and Pact Inc. Francisco has 7 years of professional experience working in Latin America and the Caribbean, South Asia, Africa, Western Europe and the United States. Born in Uruguay, he is a native Spanish speaker and fluent in English, French, and Portuguese. Francisco holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Swarthmore College.

Heather MacSorley - Analyst

Heather is an economic analyst with a focus on developing and implementing strategies to meet public sector goals through private sector engagement. Her experience includes infrastructure development planning, regulatory framework evaluation and facilitating public-private partnerships through institutional and procedural design. Heather previously worked in local economic development, where she facilitated area strategic planning that coordinates transportation, land use, and telecommunications infrastructure to develop communities in an economically prosperous, environmentally conscious and socially beneficial way.

Michael Tran - Analyst

Michael is an economic and finance analyst with experience in energy and water sector. He specializes in infrastructure financing and economic analysis of policy and regulatory reforms. Before joining Castalia, he worked at the International Finance Corporation and World Bank, and has also advised the water sectors in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Michael holds a Masters degree in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a Bachelors degree in Mathematics from the University of Massachusetts -Amherst.

Cristina Cano - Analyst

Cristina is an analyst with experience in business valuation and financial analysis of companies in the energy sector. Prior to joining Castalia, Cristina worked for a Colombian utility firm, analyzing the market and determining the financial viability of investments in the power sector. She performed the financial analysis for projects ranging from the acquisition of existing gas and coal-fired thermoelectric power plants to the contruction of new run-of-river hydroelectric power plants and cogeneration projects. Cristina holds a Masters in Finance from ESADE Business School in Spain and a Bachelor's Cum Laude degree in Industrial Engineering from Colombia. Born in Colombia, Cristina is a native Spanish speaker. 

Traci Kuratomi - Analyst

Traci is a public policy analyst with experience in the telecommunications and water sector. She has advised national governments, international finance institutions and private companies on structuring public private partnerships and on developing infrastructure expansion programs. Traci also has experience in benchmarking and has worked measuring business performance, the effect government programs and the impact of foreign aid. Prior to joining Castalia, she was a 2010 Fulbright Fellow in Argentina. Traci holds a Bachelors degree in Economics with a minor in Government from Smith College. 

Valeria Teran - Analyst

Valeria is an analyst specializing in urban development and environmental issues. Raised in Nicaragua, Valeria speaks fluent Spanish, as well as English and French. She holds a bachelors degree in Urban and Environmental  Planning from the University of Virginia. Prior to joining Castalia, she worked with the Urban Planning Department of the City of Managua, in Nicaragua. She also worked with a hybrid non-profit organization that provides consulting services to entrepreneurs with small to mid-sized businesses as well as venture capital financing.

Jordan Nelson - Analyst

Jordan is a financial analyst with strong interest in the intersection of the private and public sector supporting international development. Prior to joining Castalia, he worked to foster cooperation between private and public sector donor agencies to achieve development objectives. Additionally, he has worked in a microfinance institution in the Dominican Republic as well as a sustainable desert agriculture research center in Cairo, Egypt. Jordan holds a B.S. in International Relations with a focus on Trans-State Actors from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

Amber Rivera - Analyst

Amber is an analyst specializing in issues of the environment and energy in the electricity and water sectors. She has experience in economic analysis of energy technologies and in comparative analysis of power systems. Amber has evaluated regulation and public policy as they relate to innovation, competition, growth, and sustainability in emerging markets. She takes great interest in the role clean technology can play in development. Amber holds a B.S. in Science, Technology, and International Affairs from Georgetown University.

Fiona Natusch - Analyst

Fiona is an economic analyst with a strong interest in international infrastructure development and the influence of aid and trade.  Fiona has worked on projects analysing the competitive and regulatory environments in sectors including electricity, water and financial services.  Prior to joining Castalia, she worked in mobile banking in Cambodia expanding mobile payment systems.  Fiona holds a Bachelor of Commerce (1st Class Honours) in Economics, and a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies from the University of Auckland.

Jimmy Zhou - Analyst

Jimmy is a market analyst with specialist experience in the electricity sector. He is an expert on spot pricing in the New Zealand wholesale electricity market, and has provided analysis to large infrastructural projects and various government initiatives. Prior to joining Castalia, Jimmy worked for Transpower, the New Zealand national grid owner and operator.

Isabella Gawith - Analyst

Isabella is an economic analyst with a strong interest in infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa. Before joining Castalia, she worked for a micro forestry social enterprise in Kenya, specialising in operational monitoring and evaluation. Isabella holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and French from the University of Canterbury, which included an exchange semester at Sciences Po in Paris, and a Bachelor of Commerce (First Class Honours) in Economics from the University of Auckland.