Washington, DC: Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), announced today her intention to appoint Mr. Mateusz Szczurek as Director of the European Department (EUR), effective July 27, 2026. Mr. Szczurek will succeed Alfred Kammer, who is retiring from the Fund.
Mr. Szczurek, a Polish national, will bring deep policy experience and a distinguished track record on European economic issues. He combines senior leadership in government with extensive experience in multilateral institutions and the private sector and has engaged closely with many of the key economic and policy challenges facing Europe.
In announcing the appointment Ms. Georgieva said: “Mateusz’s unique combination of executive and policy leadership and deep knowledge of the European economic landscape will be invaluable in advancing the Fund’s work with its European members.”
Mr. Szczurek served as Poland’s Minister of Finance from 2013 to 2015. In that role, he was responsible for fiscal policy, public debt management, international economic cooperation, and oversight of financial institutions. He represented Poland in major international fora and played a key role in advancing reforms to strengthen fiscal management and public administration.
Since 2024, Mateusz has served as Member of the Management Board and Chief Risk Officer at BGK, Poland’s development bank, where he oversaw risk, ESG, sectoral analysis, and financial modeling. From 2016 to 2024, he held senior roles at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, leading work on macroeconomic assessment, reform monitoring, and policy dialogue in EU countries of operation. During that period, he was also a member of the inaugural European Fiscal Board, contributing to discussions on Europe’s fiscal framework.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Szczurek was Chief Economist for Central and Eastern Europe at ING Bank and held various economist positions in the banking sector. He has also taught public finance and international economics at the University of Warsaw. Mr. Szczurek holds degrees from the University of Warsaw, Columbia University, and the University of Sussex, where he earned his PhD in Economics.
The IMF’s European Department leads the Fund’s work on economic policies and reforms across Europe, providing policy advice, financial support, and technical assistance to member countries.
