Washington, DC: Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), announced today her intention to appoint Julie Kozack as the IMF’s
Director of Strategic Communications (COM). She will succeed Gerry Rice,
whose retirement from the Fund was
announced
on July 22, 2022.
“Julie’s stellar career at the Fund over more than two decades reflects not
only her standing as a top-notch economist and institutional leader,
including as mission chief and lead negotiator on high-profile crisis
countries, but also her exceptional communication skills.” Ms. Georgieva
said. “Julie is well known for her strategic thinking and innovative ideas,
as well as her capacity for building consensus and relationships. She is
also an experienced manager who works collaboratively, and always has in
mind the institution and our member countries. I believe these skills will
benefit COM, the Fund, and more widely, our membership.
“With her many years of first-hand experience and knowledge of Fund
policies and programs—some under very challenging circumstances—Julie has
gained the highest respect of her colleagues and external interlocutors for
her solution-oriented approach and sound judgment, as well as her inclusive
people management style,” Ms. Georgieva said. “I have also had the
opportunity to work closely with Julie and have benefitted greatly from her
strategic advice and always-good counsel, including on some complex
communication issues.”
Ms. Kozack is currently a Deputy Director in the European Department (EUR),
where she oversees the IMF’s work on Ukraine. Previously, she was a Deputy
Director in the Western Hemisphere Department (WHD) and lead negotiator for
Argentina on its latest program. Ms. Kozack has also worked in the Fund’s
Research and Strategy and Policy Review Departments. She has been mission
chief for Germany, Iceland (during the crisis program period), Lithuania,
Poland, and deputy mission chief for Russia. Ms. Kozack was heavily
involved in multilateral surveillance work, particularly on G20 and G7
engagement at the time of the global financial crisis.
Ms. Kozack further leveraged her leadership and communications expertise in
her three-year role as the Director of the Singapore Regional Training
Institute. “Here, she also demonstrated her seasoned managerial and
leadership skills, running an independent institute away from headquarters
with a mix of headquarter, local, and expert staff,” Ms. Georgieva said.
“There, she oversaw the delivery of training and capacity development to
the Asia-Pacific region and worked hard to broaden the understanding of the
Fund by engaging with parliamentarians in the region through workshops and
other training forums, as well as public and press engagements.”
Ms. Kozack, a United States national, holds a PhD as well as two master’s
degrees in economics from Columbia University, New York. She earned a BA
from Rutgers University.