Michael Nest, PhD., has expertise in institutional reform, capacity building, governance and anti-corruption work in the mining, community and public sectors.  Previous clients include Transparency International, U4 Anti-Corruption Research Centre, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Sydney, Australia), and the Timor-Leste Anti-Corruption Commission, as well as consultancies for the EU, GIZ, OECD, USAID, and Australian Aid. 

He is the author of Coltan (Polity Press, 2011) about the changing global supply chain for the mineral ‘coltan’ (or tantalum).  In 2012 and 2014, Michael advised Central African governments on the new certification mechanism for tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold being established to prevent conflict minerals from entering the supply chain. His first book The Democratic Republic of Congo: Economic Dimensions of War and Peace (Lynne Rienner, 2006) won a ‘Best Academic Title Award, 2006’ from the American Library Association.  With Mbuti (Pygmy) activist Isaac Bacirongo, Michael co-authored Still a Pygmy Finch Publishing, 2015), the first memoir by a Pygmy author ever published.  His latest book Cold Case North: the search for James Brady and Absolom Halkett (University of Regina Press, forthcoming 2020) focuses on the disappearance of two Indigenous activists in Canada in 1967 and the bungled government response.

Michael is an experienced speaker, and has given presentations at the World Bank, Australia Minerals Institute, mining and development events, and professional conferences.

Location: Montréal, Canada

Email Address: info@michaelnest.com

Website Address: www.michaelnest.com