Press Release No. 17/300

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde Names Martin Mühleisen Director of the Strategy, Policy, and Review Department

July 26, 2017

• Mühleisen, a German national, currently serves as Chief of Staff in Christine Lagarde’s office.
• His 24-year IMF career includes key policy assignments during the financial crisis and work on a range of major advanced and emerging countries.
• The Strategy, Policy, and Review Director guides the IMF’s interactions with international bodies such as the G20 and the United Nations.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde today named Martin Mühleisen as Director of the Fund’s Strategy, Policy, and Review Department. The department plays a central role in developing the Fund’s strategic direction, and in designing, implementing, and evaluating Fund policies. It also leads the IMF’s interactions with international bodies such as the G20 and United Nations. Mr. Mühleisen will succeed Siddharth Tiwari, who announced his departure from the Fund in early June (see Press Release no. 17/200).

“Martin brings an outstanding combination of skills and experience,” Ms. Lagarde said in announcing the appointment. “He has a deep knowledge of Fund policies and operations gained over his 24-year career here; analytical rigor demonstrated time and again, particularly in his work on crisis programs and surveillance; and a stellar reputation—internally and externally—for his intellectual leadership and personal integrity.”

Mr. Mühleisen is currently Chief of Staff in the Office of the Managing Director, and will take up his new position after a replacement has been appointed. “The management team and I have had the opportunity to work closely with Martin and benefit from his wise counsel, sound judgment, and tireless efforts on behalf of the institution,” Ms. Lagarde said. “He has a deep understanding of the Fund and the needs of the membership. At the same time, he is an innovator and a team player par excellence. I have been impressed, in particular, by his ability to remain clear-headed in difficult situations and to always seek creative solutions within the boundaries of our rules.”

He has held a variety of positions across the Fund, working on a wide range of strategic, policy, country, and administrative issues. As Deputy Director and Head of the Advanced Economy Division in the Strategy, Policy, and Review Department, he was closely involved in the Fund's work on the financial crisis, and in developing the Fund’s Early-Warning Exercise and global risk assessments. In the Western Hemisphere Department, he worked on country issues on both continents of the Americas, including the United States and Canada. Mr. Mühleisen has published extensively on a range of topics, including macro-financial analysis and economic linkages.

A German national, Mr. Mühleisen joined the IMF in 1993. He holds a Masters in Economics from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. summa cum laude in Economics from the University of Munich.