Press Release No. 20/266

IMF Strategy, Policy and Review Department Director Martin Mühleisen to Retire

July 21, 2020

Washington, DC: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva today announced that Martin Mühleisen, Director of the Strategy, Policy, and Review (SPR) Department, has indicated his intention to retire from the Fund in August 2021. In the interim period, Mr. Mühleisen will take on a role as a Special Advisor in the Office of the Managing Director. His current appointment as head of the SPR Department expires on September 1, 2020.

“Martin has gained a well-deserved reputation as an intellectual leader and creative thinker during his stellar 27-year career at the Fund,” Ms. Georgieva said. “The Management team has valued his strategic advice on a broad spectrum of issues, ranging from the comprehensive surveillance review, Fund governance and resources, debt, and G20 and G7 matters, to modernization initiatives and the Fund’s overall response to COVID-19,” Ms. Georgieva said.

Mr. Mühleisen joined the IMF in 1993 through the Economist Program. He has served in a broad range of roles, including in the Asia Pacific, European, Western Hemisphere, and Monetary and Capital Markets Departments. Prior to becoming Director of SPR in 2017, he served for four years as the Chief of Staff of then Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

During the Global Financial Crisis, Mr. Mühleisen coordinated the IMF’s Crisis Response Group, which provided advice and feedback to mission chiefs negotiating the first wave of crisis programs. He also headed the Fund’s Risk Working Group and was responsible for the IMF’s initial Early Warning Exercise.

“In his role as Special Advisor, Martin will leverage his extensive experience and knowledge of Fund policies and operations, engaging with official and private sector counterparts to bolster the Fund’s collaboration with outside entities in achieving stronger and more resilient growth in the aftermath of the pandemic,” Ms. Georgieva said.

The search for a new Director of the Strategy, Policy, and Review Department will begin immediately.