Press Release No. 14/493

Press Release: IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde Names Poul Thomsen as Director of the European Department

November 3, 2014

Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), today named Mr. Poul Thomsen to the position of Director of the European Department. His appointment is effective immediately. Mr. Thomsen succeeds Mr. Reza Moghadam who resigned from the IMF in July this year.

“In his 32-year career at the Fund, Poul has made many invaluable contributions as a staff member, manager, and senior leader in the institution. He is highly respected inside and outside the Fund for his intellectual leadership, operational experience, and technical expertise. In recent times, he has played an especially pivotal role in our work in some of our most challenging programs in Europe,” Ms. Lagarde said.

“The Management team and I are confident that Mr. Thomsen is the right person for this important position at this time and we look forward to continue working with him into the future,” she added.

During the global financial crisis, Mr. Thomsen was mission chief for Iceland, the first advanced country to suffer the consequences of the crisis. He then led the IMF’s programs for Greece and Portugal. He was appointed Acting Director of the European Department on July 30, and has retained oversight of the IMF’s relations with Greece and its European partners, as well as other IMF programs in Europe—including Romania and Ukraine.

Mr. Thomsen, a Danish national who holds a Master’s degree from the University of Copenhagen, began his career at the IMF in 1982. During the 1990s and early 2000s, he gained extensive knowledge of the economic and social problems facing the countries in Central and Eastern Europe through multiple assignments in the region. This included serving as the IMF’s Senior Resident Representative and Head of the Moscow Office during the period 2001-04. He was appointed Deputy Director of the European Department in 2008, a position he held until his appointment as Acting Director.