Press Release No. 09/435

Press Release: IMF Executive Board Selects Moises Schwartz as Director of Independent Evaluation Office

November 30, 2009

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered Mr. Moises Schwartz of Mexico the position of Director of the IMF's Independent Evaluation Office, and he has accepted the Board's offer. He succeeds Mr. Thomas Bernes of Canada.

Mr. Schwartz has been President of the National Commission for Retirement Savings in Mexico since December 2006. Between 2004 and 2006 he served as an Executive Director of the IMF, representing Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain and Venezuela. Prior to that, Mr. Schwartz held several senior positions in Mexico’s public administration, including as the Finance Minister’s Chief of Staff and Director General of International Financial Affairs within the Ministry of Finance. He has also served as Director of Macroeconomic Analysis and Director of Economic Studies in Mexico’s Central Bank.

Mr. Schwartz earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Tecnológico Autonómo de México and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles.

The Independent Evaluation Office was established by the Executive Board of the IMF in April 2000 (see Press Release No. 00/27). It is independent from IMF Management and Staff, and reports regularly to the Executive Board on its findings.

Further information on the objectives and activities of the Independent Evaluation Office may be found at http://www.imf.org/external/np/ieo/index.htm.