Urs has worked with iDE since 1987 when he was country director for the Embassy of Switzerland (formerly the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation or SDC) in Bangladesh and then in India. Urs received his PhD in Economics (summa cum laude) from University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Since 2003, he has been the Director for MSD Consulting GMBH and a part-time lecturer on development cooperation at the University of St. Gallen. Urs helps coordinate iDE’s Latin American programs and acts as liaison person to SDC and partners in Switzerland as well as being an invaluable resource and mentor for iDE staff worldwide on agriculture and development.