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The principal consultants of echange have diverse backgrounds in strategic thinking, analysis, project design, development, implementation, and management, with more than four decades of combined experience working with donor agencies such as: Asian Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, CGAP (the Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest), USAID, Australian AID, and KfW (German Development Bank); international and national network organizations such as: Freedom from Hunger, Opportunity International, ACCION International, Catholic Relief Services, ProDesarrollo and COPEME; microfinance institutions such as: Nirdhan Uttan Bank in Nepal, CMAC Maynas in Peru, Compartamos in Mexico, Uganda Microfinance Limited, and private sector companies such as Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Paynet. Our diverse experience speaks to the companys unique ability to provide technical expertise, while coordinating and overseeing teams, timelines and budgets to accomplish results.
Laura Frederick, President, Founder
 Laura Frederick works with organizations to design business strategy, leverage information technology, and lead change initiatives in order to achieve business goals. Organizations seeking business solutions to scale and expand operations benefit from her participatory and creative approach to managing a change process. Laura leads diverse technology, research, and training initiatives in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and North America.
Her recent work has focused on developing the Agent model of delivery of financial services and developing further a shared e-payment infrastructure model to ensure the development of inclusive financial systems for all people. She advises both microfinance institutions, technology service providers and telecommunication companies on strategy and implementation of these models. She conducts sector analysis and research for donors and investors on the applicability of information technology to overcome industry challenges. In addition, she provides business management services to various types of social enterprises. Laura is also a founding member of Women Advancing Microfinance (WAM), a womens association in the microfinance industry.
In her career, Laura has authored several articles and papers on the application of information technology to microfinance operations featured in CGAPs Innovation Series, a Microfinance Center newsletter, KfW Topic Paper, and a World Bank sector study.
She has also spoken on information technology topics at industry conferences such as the KfW Symposium on New Partnerships for Innovation in Microfinance 2005, McKinsey Alumni in Development Global Summit 2006, Banking the Underbanked South Africa Conference 2007, and AITEC African Banking Technology Conference 2007 and 2008.
In addition to 18 years of experience and leadership in information technology and development, Ms. Frederick holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics with a minor in computer science from the University of San Diego, and a Master of Arts degree in international and intercultural management from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont.
Raul Tapia, Associate
 Raul Tapia is an expert in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). He has more than 24 years of experience designing and programming information systems, managing IT departments, in several industries, such as public administration (government), financial administration, human resources administration and national tax services. He has worked for private financial enterprises, financial market supervisory entities and government administration entities. He has worked in Latin America: Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Dominican Republic; Africa: Benin and Uganda; and Asia: Philippines. During the last 10 years he has participated in ICT projects for microfinance institutions sponsored by organizations such as USAID, IDB, World Bank, UNDP and CGAP; responsible for the successful implementation of ICT objectives. Raul has participated as a member of high-level multidisciplinary teams formed by international consultancy firms like Development Alternatives Inc, Chemonics International, and International Consulting Consortium Inc.
Rauls experience managing large- scale ICT projects; analyzing, designing, developing and implementing information systems proves his knowledge of several technology solutions for finance and microfinance. He also has a profound knowledge of modern ICT products such as: Oracle, SQL Server and Access data bases, Visual.NET and Macromedia Suite development tools and many network products. Raul is fluent in Spanish and English and has basic conversational skills in French.
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