Press Release No. 06/143

Press Release No. 06/143

Mr. Rodrigo de Rato, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has named Mr. Frank Harnischfeger as Director of the Technology and General Services Department (TGS).

Mr. Harnischfeger (42) is a German national who currently holds the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer of T-Systems, the Business Customer Division of Deutsche Telekom Group. He has previously held managerial positions at A.T. Kearney in both Germany and the United States, and at Plenum AG and the ABB Group. The appointment becomes effective in September.

Announcing the appointment, Mr. de Rato said: "Frank Harnischfeger has a professional background that is impressively varied, and he has held significant managerial positions at a number of international companies. After an extensive search, Mr. Harnischfeger emerged as a candidate who clearly possesses the full range of knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to successfully lead TGS."

TGS manages and delivers services essential for the IMF's operation. These include information services (information technology, library services, multimedia services, records and archives management, and telecommunications); facilities services (building projects and facilities management); general administrative services (travel management, conference and food services, and procurement services); language services (translation, interpretation, and production of publications in languages other than English); and a broad range of security and business continuity services.

Mr. Harnischfeger succeeds Brian Stuart, who retired from the IMF as head of TGS in November 2005.