Robert Z. Sonkarlay

Robert Z. Sonkarlay is a senior finance and public sector executive with more than fifteen years of experience spanning petroleum sector governance, public financial management, strategic financial planning, and institutional finance leadership across Liberia and the United States. He currently serves as Deputy Director General for Finance at the Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority (LPRA), where he contributes to strengthening fiscal governance, financial accountability, institutional reform, and strategic financial management.

Prior to joining LPRA, Mr. Sonkarlay served as Fiscal Manager at KenCrest, where he directed financial controls, compliance, and strategic resource stewardship across multi-program operations. He also served as a Strategic Finance Business Partner at Resources for Human Development, leading enterprise budgeting, forecasting, and capital planning initiatives. Previously, Mr. Sonkarlay served as Finance and Accounting Manager at National Oil Company of Liberia, where he oversaw the development of the corporation’s Financial Policies and Procedures Manual. In addition, he was the institutional focal person for the NOCAL–ExxonMobil Production Sharing Contract, coordinating engagements among sector institutions and supporting petroleum sector governance processes involving multiple government stakeholders.

Mr. Sonkarlay’s experience also includes extensive work in public financial management and fiscal reform. At Liberia’s Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, he was a member of the core technical team responsible for preparing the country’s first International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS)-compliant financial statements — a major milestone in Liberia’s public financial management reform agenda and a significant advancement in government financial reporting transparency and accountability.

Mr. Sonkarlay holds a Master of Public Administration in Economic Policy Management with a Global Energy concentration from Columbia University, an MBA in Energy Management (Oil & Gas) from Coventry University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Economics from the University of Liberia. He also holds the Certified Financial Planning & Analysis Modelling (CFPAM™) designation.

At LPRA, Mr. Sonkarlay is committed to advancing the Authority’s mandate through transparent fiscal governance, institutional accountability, and rigorous financial management — recognising that credible regulatory finance leadership is essential to strengthening investor confidence, upholding the integrity of Liberia’s petroleum sector, and ensuring the nation’s hydrocarbon resources serve the long-term interests of the Liberian State and its people.