Kristalina Georgieva, a Bulgarian national, became Vice President and Corporate Secretary of the World Bank Group in March 2008.

In her current position, she plays a key role in facilitating and fostering cooperation and strategic dialogue between the Boards and the Bank Group Senior Management.

With the World Bank since 1993, Kristalina has held a number of technical and managerial positions in Bank operations and on issues of environment and sustainable development.

Serving as Environmental Economist from 1993-1997, she managed a large number of environment projects and was in charge of World Bank support of the Environment Action Program for Central and Eastern Europe.

During the East Asia crisis, as Director for Environment and Social Development in the East Asia and Pacific Region, Ms. Georgieva oversaw the design and implementation of key social safety net programs, and led Bank response to concerns in the region about environmental risks.

As Director for Environment from 2000-2004, she led the preparation of the first World Bank environmental strategy and oversaw a portfolio of over $11 billion in environmental lending.

From 2004 to 2007, as Country Director for the Russian Federation, she was responsible for all World Bank activities in Russia, including a $2.2 billion project portfolio in public management, health, education, municipal development and environment and a growing program of subnational lending and direct advisory services to regions of the Russian Federation. In 2007 she assumed responsibilities for strategy and operations in the World Bank Sustainable Development Network.

Prior to joining the World Bank in 1993, she held a range of academic and consulting positions in Bulgaria and the US, and has lectured on development topics in universities around the world, including, the Australian National University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chinghua University, Yale University, Harvard University, London School of Economics, the University of the South Pacific and others.

Kristalina Georgieva holds a Ph.D in Economics and a M. A. in Political Economy and Sociology from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia. She also did post-graduate research and studies in natural resource economics and environmental policy in the London School of Economics and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
 
Source: The World Bank