Kristalina Georgieva
Kristalina Georgieva is the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, where she leads the institution’s global efforts to promote financial stability, economic growth, and international cooperation. In this role, she has overseen the IMF’s unprecedented response to multiple global crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, supply-chain disruptions, and the global cost-of-living crisis. Georgieva is widely recognized as a humanitarian leader, a champion of gender equality, and a prominent advocate for climate-focused economic policy. Prior to joining the IMF, Georgieva served as Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank, where she played a central role in securing a historic $13 billion capital increase. Earlier in her career, she held several senior leadership roles at the European Commission, shaping European Union policy since 2010. As Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid, and Crisis Response, she managed one of the world’s largest humanitarian aid budgets and emerged as a global leader on resilience and crisis preparedness. Georgieva later served as Vice President for Budget and Human Resources at the European Commission, overseeing the EU’s €161 billion budget and a workforce of more than 33,000 staff, while playing a key role in managing the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis and the 2015 refugee crisis. In addition to her public service, she is a prolific author, having written and co-authored more than 100 publications on environmental and economic policy, including widely used textbooks on macroeconomics and microeconomics.
Kristalina Georgieva Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Managing Director
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Chief Executive Officer
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European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Health Aid and Crisis Responding
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Vice President and Corporate Secretary
Academic History
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Ph.D., Economic Sciences
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M.A., Political Economy and Sociology
WORLD BANK LEADERSHIP
As Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank, Kristalina Georgieva oversaw the institution’s two primary lending arms—the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA)—which provide financing and development support to middle-income and low-income countries worldwide.
Over a 17-year career at the World Bank, she held numerous senior leadership roles, including Director for Sustainable Development, Director for the Russian Federation (based in Moscow), Director for Environment, Director for Environment and Social Development for the East Asia and Pacific Region, and Vice President and Corporate Secretary.
In these positions, she served as a key liaison between World Bank Group senior management, its Board of Directors, and shareholder governments, playing a central role in shaping global development policy and institutional strategy.
HONORS & RECOGNITIONS
Kristalina Georgieva has received numerous international honors recognizing her leadership in global economic policy and public service.
In 2024, she was awarded the Ugo La Malfa Award for her contributions to international cooperation, and she has also received the Atlantic Council’s Distinguished International Leadership Award for exceptional career achievements.
She has been named to TIME magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, featured on Forbes and Barron’s rankings of the most influential women in U.S. finance, and was recognized as “European of the Year” and “Commissioner of the Year” by European Voice in 2010.