The International Monetary Fund announced Tuesday that Silvana Tenreyro will serve as its next chief economist, stepping into the role vacated by Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, who has returned to the academic world. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva made the announcement in an official statement.
Tenreyro holds citizenship in Argentina, Italy, and Britain and has spent many years as an economics professor at the London School of Economics. She is scheduled to assume the position of economic counselor and director of the IMF’s research department beginning August 10.
Her career spans a wide range of high-level economic institutions. From 2017 to 2023, she served as an external member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee. Earlier in her professional life, she worked as an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and also held a seat on the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Mauritius. She is a widely published scholar in the field of economics.
At present, Tenreyro is a member of Georgieva’s external advisory group and provides guidance to prominent public and private institutions on economic and financial matters.
Georgieva highlighted the significance of the appointment given current global conditions, saying: “At a time of profound transformation and heightened uncertainty in the global economy, Silvana’s mix of intellectual leadership and policy experience will help ensure that the Fund’s analytical work and multilateral surveillance and policy advice will remain at the cutting edge in support of our membership.”
The IMF’s chief economist plays a central role in producing the organization’s regular economic assessments and acts as one of the fund’s leading voices on the state of the global economy. In recent years, that responsibility has grown increasingly complex due to challenges including the COVID pandemic, changes in U.S. tariff policy, and ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Tenreyro completed her Ph.D. and Master of Arts in economics at Harvard University, having previously earned an undergraduate degree in Argentina.
