Marjan Petreski joins PEP Board of Directors as Research Fellow Member

PEP is pleased to announce that Marjan Petreski has joined the PEP Board of Directors as the inaugural Research Fellow Member, a role created as part of a recent review of PEP's governance structure. 

The governance review, designed to improve efficiency and strengthen PEP's direction, introduced a Board seat reserved for a member of the Research Fellow programme.  

The Research Fellows are experienced economists and policy researchers who live and work in developing countries, the communities whose evidence needs and policy priorities sit at the centre of PEP's mission. Ensuring that their voices inform PEP's governance and strategic direction is a direct expression of PEP's vision of a world in which every country has the local evidence and expertise to help make decisions about its own future.  

“By creating a seat for a Research Fellow on the Board of Directors, PEP is taking a meaningful step to ensure that the researchers generating the evidence and building the capacity that PEP exists to support have a direct say in how this organisation is run and where it is headed. With his deep institutional knowledge of PEP and first-hand experience of what the Research Fellow programme can achieve, Marjan's inputs will be a valuable addition to PEP’s governance,” said Prof. Rohinton Medhora, Chair of the Board. 

The Research Fellow Member serves as a full Board member with full voting rights, will attend all Board meetings, and participate in all virtual Board discussions and decisions. The position carries a three-year term, renewable once. All Research Fellows were invited to submit their candidacy. Marjan Petreski was chosen through an open vote of the Fellows. 

Marjan has been engaged with PEP since 2013 and has been a Research Fellow since 2018. He contributed actively to the programme's 2018–2023 consolidation phase and served as the networking lead under the Research Fellow implementation framework. He recently provided scientific mentorship for four country teams under the What Works for Youth Employment in Africa initiative (2022–2024) and is currently co-mentoring the Kenyan project team under the Building sustainable and synergistic EIP ecosystems in East & West Africa initiative (2024-2027). 

Commenting on his appointment, he said: 

"I am committed to representing Research Fellows with independence, strategic clarity and a strong belief that Southern researchers should not only participate in, but increasingly shape, the global development research agenda. My vision is to position the Research Fellow programme more decisively as a structured Southern research hub — strengthening research-driven fundraising, institutionalising networking through thematically focused research clusters, and reinforcing the visibility of PEP-affiliated research through strategic publication and policy engagement." 

Marjan Petreski is a Professor of Economics & Statistics at the University American College Skopje and one of the founders of Finance Think - The Economic Research & Policy Institute, an independent economic think tank based in Skopje, North Macedonia. He holds a PhD from Staffordshire University, UK, and a post-doc from Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo. His research spans labour markets, poverty and inequality, and monetary policy, with extensive experience in econometrics and impact evaluation methods.  

“We look forward to working with Marjan in this new role and are confident that having a Research Fellow at the Board table will enrich PEP's governance and help ensure that the voices and priorities of Southern researchers continue to shape the organisation's direction,” said Prof. Jane Mariara, Executive Director.  

Read more: PEP’s Research Fellows programme supports experienced researchers from the Global South to lead and collaborate on policy-relevant research. Learn about the current cohort and their work.