Press Release No. 18/321

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde Appoints Rhoda Weeks-Brown as General Counsel of the IMF and Director of the Legal Department

July 30, 2018

Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), today announced her intention to appoint Rhoda Weeks-Brown as the IMF’s General Counsel and Director of the Legal Department. Ms. Weeks-Brown succeeds Mr. Sean Hagan whose retirement was announced previously. She is expected to begin her work in this capacity on September 17, 2018.

“Throughout her 21-year career with the IMF, Ms. Weeks-Brown has contributed to virtually all aspects of the institution’s work. In addition to a sharp legal mind and deep legal experience, she brings a comprehensive perspective on the Fund’s role and the challenges facing our members in today’s rapidly changing economic and financial environment.,” Ms. Lagarde said.

During her career in the Fund’s Legal Department, Ms. Weeks-Brown worked on a wide range of country and policy issues. She was particularly involved in leading the work related to the revamp of the Fund’s General Resources Account (GRA) lending toolkit and the transformation of the architecture of facilities for low-income countries. She also contributed to the design of a new income model for the Fund adopted in 2008, the 2008 and 2010 quota and governance reforms, and the articulation of the Fund’s institutional view on capital flows. In her role as Deputy General Counsel, she was a key member of the Legal Department’s management team, helping to guide all aspects of the department’s work. Most recently, Ms. Weeks-Brown has served as Deputy Director of the Fund’s Communications Department, where she has played a key role in development of the Fund’s communications strategy and its positioning on key issues, and also had oversight of communications related to Europe, Africa and previously Asia.

A national of Liberia, Ms. Weeks-Brown joined the Fund’s Legal Department in 1997 and rose through the ranks to become Deputy Legal Counsel in 2010. She then joined the Fund’s Communications Department in 2012 as Deputy Director. Before joining the IMF, Ms. Weeks-Brown was in private practice in the United States. She received her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 1991, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Howard University.