Kristalina Georgieva is the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The 67-year-old was selected for the position on September 25, 2019 and has served since October 1, 2019. 

Before joining the IMF, the Bulgarian economist served as the Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank Group from January 2017 to September 2019. She also served as its interim president from February to April 2018 after the resignation of then-president Jim Yong Kim. 

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Earlier, while serving as the European Commission Vice President for Budget and Human Resources, she oversaw the EU’s €161 billion-budget response to the Euro Area debt crisis and the 2015 refugee crisis. 

She has also served as the Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, one of the world’s largest humanitarian aid budgets. 

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Born in Sofia, Bulgaria on August 13, 1953, Georgieva began her career in public service as an environmental economist at the World Bank in 1993.

After 17 years of service, she was appointed as Vice President and Corporate Secretary in 2008, serving as the interlocutor between the World Bank Group’s senior management, Board of Directors and its shareholder countries. 

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In 2010, she was named “European of the Year” and “Commissioner of the Year” by European Voice, recognising her leadership in EU’s response to the humanitarian crises. 

She holds a PhD in Economic Science and an MA in Political Economy and Sociology from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia, where she was an Associate Professor from 1977 to 1993.