Rishi Maharaj

Transparency /Accountability Advocate, Political Analyst, Data Privacy Champion. Raising my voice for the many who can't

I am the holder of a BSc. and MSc. in Government from the University of the West Indies.

I am the Chief Executive Officer Disclosure Today. Disclosure Today (DT) – Transparency on Demand. Disclosure Today, is an award winning social governance initiative with registered Head Offices in the United Kingdom and local offices in Portugal and Trinidad and Tobago. As a registered non – profit our mission is to advance transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption, promote, facilitate and empower responsible and collaborative citizen engagement in public sector decision-making and utilize technology to improve governance.

My Research paper for my MSc. focused on Curbing Corruption: A comparative examination ofanticorruptionagencies in Trinidad and Tobago; Hong Kong and Australia.

I have over ten (10) years of experience working in the public sector of Trinidad and Tobago and has been involved in the administration of the Freedom of Information Act for over seven years.

During the period 2009 to 2012 I was the Senior Officer in charge of the Freedom of Information Unit. Throughout that time I led the Unit in the training of Public Officers and Senior Public Servants in the operations of the Act as well as advised members of the public on how to fully utilise the Act. I also provided technical advice in the passage of the Data Protection Act in 2011 and participated in the drafting of model legislation on Freedom of Information and Data Protection through the International Telecommunications Union HIPCAR Project.

Core Competencies

Strategic Planning; Policy Development; Project Coordination; Communication; Monitoring and Evaluation; Research; Microsoft Office Suite; Training and Development; Conducting Focus Groups; Survey Design; Corporate Responsibility.