The Ratings & Research Group manages the analytical engagement with issuers across asset classes. Our analytical teams ensure the integrity and consistency of ratings using rigorous and transparent methodologies. We provide market participants with timely and comprehensive credit views through our ongoing monitoring and research.
As part of Moody’s Ratings policies and procedures to safeguard the independence, integrity and quality of our ratings process, commercial and analytical responsibilities within Moody’s Ratings are segregated. All analytical activities are handled by the Ratings & Research Group and we are not permitted to engage in fee or other commercial-related communications with customers.
Philipp Lotter is the Managing Director of Global Ratings and Research. Before assuming this role in November 2019, he was a Global Head and EMEA Co-Head of the Corporate Finance Group.
Philipp spent more than 5 years in Asia, where he held the dual role of Country Manager for Moody's office in Singapore and Managing Director of the Corporate Finance Group responsible for companies across Southeast Asia and India.
Before that, Philipp spent more than 3 years in Dubai, UAE, where he was responsible for setting up Moody's office in Dubai and for the ratings of Middle Eastern corporate issuers across all sectors, including Islamic finance. Having joined Moody's in London in 2003, Philipp started as an analyst covering utilities and the oil and gas industry.
Before joining Moody's, Philipp spent 3 years in rating advisory at Citigroup. His career has also included positions at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in London and Frankfurt in rating advisory, bond and credit research, and leveraged financing. Philipp holds a Diploma from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. He has also attended international semesters at the European Business School in London and University College Dublin.
Anne Van Praagh serves as Global Head of the Corporate Finance Group (CFG) for Moody's Ratings, overseeing credit ratings, research, and market engagement on corporates across the globe. She transitioned to this role from Global Head of Public, Project & Infrastructure Finance (PPIF).
Anne brings extensive leadership experience in Ratings & Research, including roles as Global Head of Sovereign Ratings (2021–2022) and Head of MIS Research (2019–2022), where she drove content and engagement strategy for 20,000 annual research publications. In 2016, she launched the Credit Strategy & Standards Group (CSS), setting Moody’s macroeconomic “house views” and coordinating the firm’s credit response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She has led global teams with a focus on analytical rigor and digital transformation through AI and advanced analytics. As Global Head of PPIF, Anne directed major rating actions on high-profile sovereigns and related ratings, ensuring robust analytics and operational excellence.
Anne also serves on the MIS Inc. Board of Directors. Previously, she spent three years as Vice President in Morgan Stanley’s public finance investment banking team, advising on $25 billion in financings.
Anne holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor’s degree from George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.
Rahul Ghosh is a Managing Director and Global Head of Sustainable Finance for Moody’s Ratings. In this role, Rahul is responsible for Moody's Ratings’ strategy to systematically and transparently incorporate material environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors – including climate considerations – into credit ratings, analytics, research and outreach. He also leads analytical teams that produce assessments on the credentials of sustainable debt instruments and financing frameworks (Second Party Opinions) and the strength of entities’ carbon transition plans (Net Zero Assessments).
Rahul regularly takes part in high-profile industry working groups, market briefings, external conferences and media engagements. He represents Moody’s as a member of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures, a market-led initiative to develop a risk management and disclosure framework for nature-related risks. He also represents Moody’s on the Principles for Responsible Investment's advisory committee on credit ratings and the International Capital Market Association’s Green and Social Bond Principles advisory council. He has presented on the impact of climate change on global credit markets at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, and on sustainable finance trends at the International Finance Corporation’s Global Debt Mobilization Conference.
Before his current position, Rahul held several roles driving thought leadership on sustainable finance and ESG-related activities across Moody's. He also previously worked in Moody’s Credit Strategy & Research team where he was responsible for global emerging market (EM) thought leadership. Prior to joining Moody’s in 2013, Rahul was the Head of Asia at BMI Research (Fitch Solutions) in Singapore, leading a team of macroeconomists and industry specialists in analyzing sovereign risk, sector performance and capital markets.
Rahul is the executive sponsor of Moody’s UK Multicultural Business Resource Group. He holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Edinburgh and a Certificate in ESG Investing from the CFA Society of the UK.
Sophia Joyce is the Managing Director of Content Strategy and Engagement and the Head of Moody's Investors Service Research. She is responsible for leading the global MIS Research team to enable our strategic priority to serve customers with thought-leading research and engagement through multiple channels. She leads the definition and delivery of MIS content vision and strategy, ensuring that published content and data evolve to meet rapidly changing customer needs, driving research quality initiatives, consistency standards, risk appetite and controls.
Prior to joining Moody's in 2022, Sophia spent her career in scholarly and scientific publishing, spanning roles in editorial, product management and strategy, most recently heading up content strategy for Wiley's $1bn scholarly and scientific journals business.
She brings first-hand knowledge of content strategy, business transformation, agile product development, operational implementation and is a certified lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Sophia holds a BA in Classics from Oxford University.
Sean Marion is the Managing Director of Global Ratings & Research Support. In this role, Sean oversees the delivery of high-quality analytic support and the recruitment, professional development, and early career journeys of Moody's junior analytic talent.
Sean joined Moody’s in 2003 and, since then, has held various roles of increasing responsibility in our offices in Toronto, Mexico City, and London. Before assuming this role in March 2025, Sean headed Moody’s EMEA Structured Finance Group, based in London. He was responsible for overseeing both primary issuance and surveillance functions for Consumer Assets, Corporate Assets, and Covered Bonds, with teams based in London, Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid, and Milan.
Sean holds graduate degrees in Economics from the Université Paris 1 (Sorbonne) and the London School of Economics. He also holds an undergraduate degree from Bishop’s University, Canada.
Marc Pinto is the Global Head of Private Credit. In this role, he coordinates across the financial institutions, corporate, structured, and public finance rating groups to provide thought leadership, and oversee the assignment and monitoring of ratings in growth areas of the private credit market, including fund finance, private asset-backed securities (ABS), and privately placed investment-grade corporate assets, among others. For over a decade, Marc has held a series of leadership roles of increasing scope and responsibility at Moody’s, including Global Co-Head of Insurance and Global Head of Funds & Asset Management.
Marc is deeply committed to educational and empowerment initiatives, acting as an Executive Sponsor for Moody's CFA and Global Administrative Professionals Networks, a Mentor Advisor in the Women’s Business Resource Group, and a frequent participant in career development seminars.
Marc’s extensive career in the fixed income credit markets, in New York and London, has included leadership roles at sell-side and buy-side firms including Merrill Lynch, Keefe Bruyette & Woods, and Susquehanna International. At Merrill Lynch, Marc was also a top-ranked financial institutions analyst.
Marc is a Chartered Financial Analyst and an alumnus of Columbia Business School and Trinity College (Connecticut).
First time Annabel joined Moody's Structured Finance team in 2001 and re-joined in 2010 after 4 years at a global investment bank. In 2001, she started to lead teams assigning primary ratings to Residential Mortgage-Backed securities, and Consumer Asset Backed securities in EMEA. She became a Managing Director in 2014, first heading up EMEA RMBS Primary and then EMEA Consumer Surveillance. From 2018 to 2022, Annabel was a Managing Director and a Global Head of Methodology Development, covering all fundamental and structured finance sectors.
Annabel is an experienced senior leader who brings over twenty years of credit experience in structured finance with a focus on consumer asset classes, credit analysis, and managing credit professionals. Annabel holds an undergraduate degree in Economics focused on finance and accountancy from Manchester University.
Navneet Agarwal has held leadership roles across asset classes and functions, including new ratings, surveillance, methodology, and technology development. He has also served on the Board of Directors of ICRA Ltd and completed a secondment with Moody’s regional management team in 2019.
Navneet brings over two decades of capital markets experience spanning structured and corporate finance, product innovation, and strategic leadership. Prior to Moody’s, he led debt syndication and proprietary trading at a boutique investment bank in India and held roles in leveraged finance at Bank of America Securities in Charlotte and in absolute return investing as a fund manager at Unit Trust of India.
He is an executive sponsor of the U.S. Multicultural Business Resource Group (MBRG) and an active mentor in three internal mentorship programs. He also recently became an enthusiastic— if somewhat elusive—member of the newly formed Ping Pong league.
Navneet holds an MBA with Honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a master’s degree from the University of Mumbai, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delhi. Navneet, a CFA charterholder, also has a diploma in computer programming and system design.
Janice Hofferber is Global Head of the Public, Project & Infrastructure Finance Group at Moody’s Ratings, where she oversees credit ratings and research for public sector entities worldwide.
Janice previously served as Managing Director in Moody’s North America Corporate Finance Group, where she led analytical teams covering a broad range of consumer-related industries and real estate sectors.
She played a key role in company-wide initiatives, driving globally consistent market and customer engagement strategies, supporting recruitment and training for Moody’s credit professionals, and championing inclusion efforts. As co-chair of the Veteran’s BRG Policy and Recruiting Committee, she implemented significant improvements to Moody’s leave policies.
Prior to joining Moody's, Janice held senior positions at Fulcrum Global Partners, Van der Mooles and JP Morgan Chase in areas spanning mergers and acquisitions, equity research, and fixed income analytics.
Janice holds a LEAD Certificate from Standford Graduate School of Business, an MBA in Finance from NYU, a BA in Psychology from Rutgers University, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
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