Profile of Speakers

ERIC J. WAILES is Distinguished Professor at the Department of Agricultural

Economics & Agribusiness at the University of Arkansas. He conducts research
on agricultural policy, trade, and marketing, with an emphasis on the rice
sector. His team developed and maintains the Arkansas Global Rice Market and
Riceflow models, which have been used to provide analyses for the World
Bank, IRRI, USDA, OECD, ADB, FAO and many national governments and
research institutes. Dr. Wailes received a B.S. degree in agricultural economics
at Cornell University (with a specialization in tropical agriculture) and his Ph.D.
degree in agricultural economics at Michigan State University with an emphasis
on international policy and marketing.

RAMON CLARETE is Professor at the School of Economics of the University of

the Philippines where he has been a faculty member since 1989. Prior to this,
he was Assistant Professor at the University of Western Ontario and Research
Fellow at the East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii. His research interests are
Agricultural Economics, Development Economics, Multilateral Trade Policy,
International Economics, and Public Economics. Dr. Clarete received his B.S.
degree in economics at Xavier University and his Ph.D. degree in economics at
the University of Hawaii.

ROEHLANO BRIONES is a Senior Research Fellow at the Philippine Institute for

Development Studies, where he specializes in agricultural policy. He has
authored numerous published papers and co-edited books on the economics
of agriculture and natural resources, rural development, food security,
international trade, and the macro economy. He is the lead expert in the
drafting of the rules and procedures for the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice
Reserve (APTERR). He has served as a consultant for ADB, the World Bank,
and FAO, where he has also assisted government agencies in various Asian
countries, especially Thailand, Indonesia, and Viet Nam. Dr. Briones obtained
his Ph.D. in economics at the University of the Philippines and did postdoctoral
research at the WorldFish Center in Penang, Malaysia.

FRAMROZE POCHARA is a capital markets veteran with over 25 years of

experience in the industry. His expertise lies in the areas of setting up green
field exchanges (commodities and equities), regulatory landscape in Asia,
trading and clearing operations, risk management and product development.
Framroze was Executive Director of Singapore Mercantile Exchange (SMX) and
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SMX Clearing Corporation from 2007 to 2011.
Prior to SMX, Framroze was the CEO of Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange
(DGCX) and Vice President for Operations of the National Stock Exchange of
India. Framroze has a Master’s in Financial Management from the University of
Mumbai, India.