Tom Byrne is Moody's spokesperson and director of analysis for the Sovereign Risk Unit in the Asia and Middle East regions. Prior to working at Moody's, he worked at the Institute of International Finance in Washington D.C., where for much of his tenure he was senior economist in the Asia-Pacific Department, after having begun his career as an economist in the Africa-Middle East Department. Byrne has an MA degree in International Relations with an emphasis on economics from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, after having served in South Korea as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer. Byrne often represents Moody's at seminars and conferences.