The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has appointed Philippe Le Houérou as Vice President, Policy. Reporting directly to the President, Mr Le Houérou will also be a member of the Bank's Executive Committee. He will take up his new position on 12 January 2015, according to EBRD News Centre.
Mr Le Houérou will bring 30 years of experience in international finance, development, partnerships and policy dialogue to the EBRD. Before joining the EBRD, he was the World Bank's Regional Vice President for the South Asia Region where he focused on increasing and strengthening policy dialogue and analytical work, doubled new commitments to US$ 11 billion in 2013 and significantly improved performance of the portfolio.
Prior to that, Mr Le Houérou was the World Bank's Regional Vice President for Europe and Central Asia and led efforts to mitigate the impact of the global economic crisis. In addition, he focused on strengthening analytical work and developed reimbursable advisory services. These services provide cutting-edge knowledge on key policy challenges for the region, including for eurozone countries. Mr Le Houérou held other key leadership positions across the World Bank, including Vice President of Concessional Finance and Global Partnerships; Acting Vice President and Chief Information Officer; Director of Finance and Resource Mobilisation; Macro-Fiscal Sector Manager; and Resident Representative in Madagascar.
Mr Le Houérou's appointment followed a competitive selection process which attracted international interest. His nomination was approved by the EBRD Board of Directors following a proposal by President Sir Suma Chakrabarti, who said: "We had an extremely strong field of international candidates and Philippe will bring a great deal of policy and strategic experience to the EBRD."
The EBRD Vice President, Policy, is responsible for leading the coordination of strategies, policies and related initiatives supporting the Bank's transition mandate. The Vice President is also responsible for the mobilisation and management of donor funds and for the oversight of the Bank's engagement with key external stakeholders and organisations. Mr Le Houérou said: "I look forward to joining the EBRD and contributing to its mission to provide economic development solutions for its recipient countries. I strongly believe that policy dialogue based on sound analytics is the key to economic reform and performance. It is also essential for ensuring the maximum impact of individual investment operations."