Antoinette Sayeh, a Liberian national is set to join the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as Deputy Managing Director following the proposal of the global lender’s Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva.
The appointment, which is subject to the approval of IMF’s Executive Board, will reportedly take effect on March 16, 2020.
While announcing her choice of Sayeh, Georgieva welcomed her to the IMF family while commending her for her works in the industry.
“Antoinette demonstrates a rare combination of institutional leadership, deep analytical capacity, and an unwavering commitment to fairness. I have always been impressed by her genuine care for the well-being of the people we serve and her ability to place them front and centre in our efforts.
“I personally have known and worked with her for many years in a wide range of positions that she has held. I look forward to working closely with her again as she joins the management team,” Georgieva said.
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Sayeh’s profile: As the IMF boss said, Sayeh served as Director of the African Department between 2008 and 2016 where she led a major transformation of the Fund’s relationship with African member countries.
Sayeh has been a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD) since 2016. She was also the external Co-Chair for the recently concluded 19th Replenishment of the World Bank Group’s International Development Association (IDA19).
As minister of finance in post-conflict Liberia from January 2006 through June 2008, Sayeh led the country through the clearance of its long-standing multilateral debt arrears.
Before joining President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s cabinet, she worked for the World Bank Group for 17 years, holding various senior positions. Prior to that, Sayeh worked in Liberia’s Ministries of Finance and Planning.
The soon to be DMD holds a bachelor’s degree with honours in Economics from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and a PhD in International Economic Relations from the Fletcher School at Tufts University in Massachusetts.
