PROFILE

Nicola Drago is the founder of PSD Services, a multidisciplinary expert Team focused on a Private Sector Development (PSD) consistent with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Nicola Drago is a seasoned PSD expert, team leader and business developer specializing in research, advisory, and project cycle management services. Reduction of inequality of opportunities, protection of the environment and rule of law are core values of his work.
Sector of operations is the development of SMEs, innovation, agglomeration, access to markets, investment promotion and financing, with a growing interest in the applications of artificial intelligence.

Working in 30 countries, a few as a resident, Nicola Drago has nurtured capacity to interact with national and international economic development institutions, to select and motivate multicultural and multidisciplinary teams, to create a favorable environment in complex international assignments with Client- and Stakeholder-orientation.

Accountable and focused on human capacity building, Nicola Drago combines experience in international development (19 years), industrial corporations (5 years) and academic research (2 years).

Linguistic competence encompasses English, French, Italian and a working knowledge of Spanish.

Based in Italy and available to discuss Client needs with an international reach, Nicola Drago can mobilize qualified expert teams.

Case studies

SERVICES

Policy work

Policy work services concern assessment of reform or of new policies for MSME-related public services, enterprise agglomeration up to technical assistance in law drafting. Such type of assistance has been used by Ministries of Investment, Economic Development, Planning and their research centres or specialized agencies

Studies

Studies provided substantiated decision making input for public project formulation and private investments including feasibility studies, market studies, internationalization studies, value- chain studies as well industrial research in renewables systems

Project Cycle Management

A large Project Cycle Management experience (no. 6 project designs, no. 6 design peer-reviews, no. 14 monitoring missions, no. 7 evaluations) with different financial and implementation partners facilitates a holistic comprehension of the different challenges of a public intervention, from project identification to project closure including proposal management, team selection and hiring, as well as lecturing, training and coaching

Agglomeration

Favoring private enterprise agglomeration in networks, clusters or value-chains is one of public interventions to enhance competitiveness, to capture more externalities, to facilitate regulation implementation. A broad experience, built in different regions of the world, facilitates proposing solutions and contextualising international experiences.

Innovation

It is not easy for public institutions to make innovation emerge despite innovation is a key to provide unavailable services or to enhance competitiveness. Industrial research experience as well as experience in incentives, incubation and technoparks is useful for public institutions in encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship and in ensuring efficient public spending

Access to finance

While financial institutions long for reliable investment ready proposals, entrepreneurs often focus on restless operations with little time dedicated to strategic orientation and project financing. Bankable business planning from the company side and design of on-lending / re-lending of intermediated credit lines or assessment of investment proposals from the (public) investor side help matching the both side needs

Marketing

When it comes to private sector, accessing rewarding markets is the first need. Experience in the private sector, in business development and a sensitivity to sustainability are fundamental assets that public institutions often need and externalise. Support takes the form of strategic market studies, project formulation or proposal management