Press Release No. 11/468

Press Release: IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde Names Directors of the External Relations and Human Resources Departments, and of the IMF Institute

December 14, 2011

Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), announced today her intention to name Mr. Gerry Rice as Director of the External Relations Department (EXR) of the Fund, Mr. Mark Plant as Director of the Human Resources Department, and Ms. Sharmini Coorey as Director of the IMF Institute.

Mr. Rice, a UK national, is currently Deputy Director of EXR. He will succeed Ms. Caroline Atkinson (Press Release No. 11/294). Mr. Plant, a U.S. national, is Deputy Director of the African Department (AFR) and succeeds Ms. Shirley Siegel, who left the Fund in October. Ms. Coorey, a Sri Lankan national, is also a Deputy Director of AFR. She succeeds Mr. Leslie Lipschitz, who has retired. Mr. Rice, Mr. Plant, and Ms. Coorey are expected to take up their posts in the next few weeks.

Ms. Lagarde said, “Gerry Rice has been a lynchpin of EXR as its Deputy Director for the last five years. Gerry is a consummate team player and, with his broad professional expertise and fine strategic sense, he is exactly the right person to lead our communications in this difficult period, and beyond.

“Mark Plant has wide experience both in and outside the Fund. He has served with distinction as one of our Senior Personnel Managers. He has a deep understanding of how the organization works and an abiding interest in its staff. I look forward to Mark’s leadership as we move forward on a number of challenging HR initiatives.

“Sharmini Coorey brings a deep understanding of both the Fund’s strategic priorities and our members’ needs. Sharmini's great analytical and managerial strengths make her ideal to build on the Institute’s crucial role as a training center for officials from our member countries, and to deepen its involvement in the Fund's technical assistance and core operational work.”

Gerry Rice holds a PhD in modern history from Glasgow University and was a Kennedy Scholar at Harvard University. He was the World Bank’s Communications Director before joining the Fund in 2006.

Mark Plant, who holds a PhD in economics from Princeton University, held positions in academia, the private sector, and government, before joining the Fund in 1992. He has worked in the African, and the Strategy, Policy and Review departments.

Sharmini Coorey, who holds a PhD in economics from Harvard University, joined the Fund’s Economist Program in 1986 and has worked in positions of increasing seniority in the African, Asia and Pacific, European and Western Hemisphere departments, as well as its Strategy, Policy and Review Department.