James Watson

Mr. James Watson, CFA, is a Managing Director at Fitch Ratings CIS Ltd.
He joined Fitch Ratings in September 2004.
He is responsible for the ratings of banks in the Commonwealth of Independent States, this includes ratings of banks in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, and Uzbekistan.
Prior to joining Fitch, Mr. Watson was head of investor relations at MDM Bank, Moscow for three and a half years, where he played a key role in the bank’s debut on the international debt capital markets.
Before that, he was General Manager of the European Business Club, an association uniting EU companies operating in Russia, and also worked as an Economist in the Delegation of the European Commission in Moscow.
He has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from University College, Oxford, and a Master of Arts in Russian Studies from Princeton University.