Kristalina Georgieva
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- Kristalina Georgieva
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Bibliographic details
- Published: April 9, 2026
Current role and tenure
- Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund since October 1, 2019.
- Appointed for a second term by the IMF’s Executive Board in April 2024; second term started on October 1, 2024.
IMF leadership and major actions under Ms. Georgieva
- Led the IMF’s response to multiple global shocks, including the pandemic, several wars and conflicts, and the cost-of-living crisis.
- IMF provided around $1 trillion in liquidity and reserves at affordable cost to members, through balance-of-payments support to nearly 100 countries and an SDR allocation.
- Delivered debt service relief to the IMF’s poorest members.
- Engaged membership to secure IMF resourcing improvements:
- Secured Board of Governors’ approval for an equiproportional 50 percent increase in member quota shares.
- Advanced funding reforms to the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust to enable permanently higher concessional lending for the IMF’s poorest members.
- Oversaw the addition of a third Sub-Saharan African Chair to the IMF’s Executive Board in 2024.
- Strengthened resilience-building for member countries through intensified surveillance, policy advice, additional financing, and stepped-up capacity development.
- Initiatives and reforms:
- Creation of the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable and other initiatives with the World Bank to make debt restructuring processes more timely and predictable.
- Reforms to better align IMF lending instruments with member country needs and to lower lending costs.
Prior public sector and international roles
- CEO of the World Bank from January 2017 to September 2019; also served as Interim President.
- Instrumental in securing a historic $13 billion capital increase for the World Bank.
- European Union roles:
- Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response — strengthened the EU’s humanitarian response and managed one of the world’s largest humanitarian aid budgets.
- Vice President for Budget and Human Resources — oversaw the EU’s €161 billion ($175 billion) budget and 33,000 staff; played an important role in the EU response to the Euro Area debt crisis and the 2015 refugee crisis.
- World Bank career beginning in 1993, rising to Vice President and Corporate Secretary in 2008, serving as interlocutor between senior management, Board of Directors, and shareholder countries.
Academic background and publications
- Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1953.
- Holds a Ph.D in Economic Science and an M.A. in Political Economy and Sociology from the University of National and World Economy, Sofia.
- Associate Professor at the University of National and World Economy between 1977 and 1993.
- Visiting fellow at the London School of Economics and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Authored and co-authored over 100 publications on economic policy, including textbooks on macro- and microeconomics.
Awards, honors, and recognitions
- Received the Ugo La Malfa Award in 2024 for her contribution to international cooperation.
- Received the Atlantic Council’s Distinguished International Leadership Award.
- Featured on TIME’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
- Appeared on Forbes and Barron’s lists of most influential women in U.S. finance.
- Named “European of the Year” and “Commissioner of the Year” by European Voice in 2010.
Source: https://www.imf.org/en/about/senior-officials/bios/kristalina-georgieva
Content in this bundle
- md-contract-september-25-2019
References
- IMF Senior Officials
- Second Term: Terms of Appointment
- Statement by Kristalina Georgieva on her Second Term as IMF Managing Director
- IMF Executive Board Selects Kristalina Georgieva to Serve a Second Term as Managing Director
- Statement by Kristalina Georgieva on Her Selection as IMF Managing Director
- Factsheet: Selection Process for IMF Managing Director
- Frequently Asked Questions on Managing Director (MD) Selection