Workshop 2: Best Practices in Investigations: Protecting Whistleblowers
Workshop 2 aims to explore innovative and practical strategies to protect both internal and external whistleblowers, ensuring robust confidentiality, effective antiretaliation measures, and tailored protection frameworks that address different risk profiles and legal contexts.
Ezzeddine Nciri (IsDB)
Mr. Ezzeddine Nciri is the Head of the Group Integrity and Ethics Department (GIED) at the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDBG) based in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since 2019.
Mr. Nciri is Barrister and International Expert in the fields of Integrity, Investigation, Prevention of Fraud and Corruption, and Ethics. He is also an International Expert in procurement policies and regulations. He holds two master’s in Public and Financial Law and Public Administration.
Prior to his appointment in IsDB Group, Mr. Nciri was the Chief Integrity and Investigation Officer in the Integrity and Anti-Corruption Department at the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Before starting his international career, Mr. NCIRI served as Director General at both the Higher Committee of Procurements and the Procurement Investigation committee in the Tunisian Presidency of Government.
Mr. NCIRI Leads Investigation Teams to conduct investigations into misconduct and allegations of fraud and corruption concerning wide and complex operations. He also develops preventive measures. He Taught at ENA Tunis various public and financial law topics. He is an Integrity and Ethics trainer, instructor of procurement specialists and a regular speaker and commentator at high-level seminars and conferences on Ethics, Integrity and Procurement.
Coralie Colson-Schack (WHO)
Coralie Colson-Schack is a Lead for Investigation Operations (Misconduct Against Persons Team) at the World Health Organization. Prior to joining WHO, she was the Head of Investigations at the International Telecommunications Union and a Senior Investigator for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
She has been leading investigations in the field of administrative law, human rights and international criminal law for over twenty years and has worked as an investigator and ethics officer for the private sector and the World Bank Group. She has also worked as a legal adviser and attorney for the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.
Coralie is an attorney (New York State Bar) and a CFE. She holds an LL.M from New York University and Paris II – Assas University.
Katherine Kyriakopoulos (IMF)
Katherine has over 19 years of experience investigating matters involving fraud, corruption, retaliation, and other workplace conduct issues. Serving as Senior Investigator at the International Monetary Fund’s Office of Internal Investigations (IMF OII) since 2018, Katherine is responsible for supervising and leading administrative investigations. Katherine has been leading the development of a newly revised Protection Against Retaliation Policy to strengthen existing mechanisms for addressing retaliation claims at IMF. Her previous work experience includes the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Australian Public Service, namely the New South Wales (NSW) Crime Commission, NSW Police Force, and NSW Independent Commission against Corruption. Katherine is an accredited Equal Employment Opportunity Investigator, Workplace Mediator and Trainer, Certified Fraud Examiner, and holds a BA and Master’s degree in Criminology.
Régine Zukas Vilaire (FAO)
Régine Zukas Vilaire is currently the Head of the Operations Unit within the Investigation Branch of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy. Régine is a lawyer by training. In addition to her law degree obtained from Université Quisqueya (UNIQ) in her native Haiti, Régine holds a Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies (DEA) Droit Privé Général from the University of Panthéon-Assas (Paris II) in Paris, France and an LLM from the George University Law School in Washington, D.C. USA. Prior to joining OIGI, FAO in 2021, Régine worked as an investigator in the Office of Audit and Investigations (OAI) at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for close to 15 years. Before joining the UN, Régine practiced law in Haiti for four years.
