Dr. Nicolas Pondard
PCRIC Strategic Advisor, Catastrophe Risk Modelling
Dr Nicolas Pondard has worked on disaster risk financing issues for twenty years, gaining direct experience with international institutions (The World Bank), academia (e.g. GNS Science, New Zealand), government (Bank of England), and the reinsurance industry (Willis Re, UK).
Currently, Nicolas leads the development of financial protection solutions in the Pacific at PCRIC. In addition, he helps low and middle income countries designing risk reduction and risk transfer strategies at the World Bank, primarily in Asia (e.g. investment in resilient infrastructure, building financial protection programs).
Previously, Nicolas was the lead catastrophe risk specialist at the Bank of England, evaluating the resilience of the insurance industry to natural hazards, and worked also as a principal risk analyst in Asia Pacific and Middle East for the global (re)insurance broker Willis Re.
As a research scientist, he assessed earthquake hazard and risk in New Zealand, following the 2010-2011 Christchurch seismic sequence. From 2002 to 2006, he contributed to the largest international programme assessing seismic hazard in the region of Istanbul (Turkey).
His ambition is to bridge the gap between science and risk management. He published 9 peer-reviewed research papers, and more than 100 consultancy reports. In 2006, he received his PhD in Geophysics from the Paris Earth Sciences Institute (IPGP, France).