Who is Silvana Tenreyro? The IMF appointed a former Bank of England politician as chief economist | Today’s news
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has appointed Silvana Tenreyro as its new Economic Adviser and Director of Research, replacing Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, who has returned to academia, CNBC-TV18 reported. He will take office on August 10.
Announcing the appointment, IMF Executive Director Kristalina Georgieva described Tenreyro as a “world-renowned economist” with an exceptional combination of academic excellence, policy-making experience and involvement in international institutions.
“Silvana is a globally recognized economist who combines outstanding academic achievements with extensive policy-making experience and close involvement in leading international institutions,” Georgieva said, according to CNBC-TV18. She added that Tenreyro’s expertise will help keep the IMF’s analytical work, multilateral oversight and policy advice “on the cutting edge” amid heightened global uncertainty and structural changes in the world economy.
A career spanning academia and central banking
According to Bloomberg, Tenreyro takes over as the IMF’s chief economist at a time when the global economy is grappling with renewed inflationary pressures linked to the conflict in the Middle East, while businesses are accelerating investments in artificial intelligence.
Bloomberg also noted that Tenreyro joined Anthropic’s economic advisory board last year, advising AI companies on the economic and labor implications of artificial intelligence.
Tenreyro is currently the James E Meade Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics, where she has taught since 2004, CNBC-TV18 reported. Her research has appeared in leading academic journals and has received several international awards, including the Yrjö Jahnsson Award, the Bernhard Harms Prize and the Birgit Grodal Award.
She previously served as an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England from 2017 to 2023. Earlier in her career, she worked as an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and served on the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of Mauritius. Bloomberg also noted that she served as president of the European Economic Association.
Tenreyro, a citizen of Argentina, Britain and Italy, has a doctorate and master’s degree in economics from Harvard University, along with a degree in economics from the National University of Tucumán in Argentina, CNBC-TV18 reports. She is also a member of the IMF Managing Director’s External Advisory Group and advises public and private institutions on economic and financial issues.
Bloomberg noted that Tenreyro becomes only the second woman to serve as the IMF’s chief economist, after Gita Gopinath. Previous holders of the post have typically served between three and seven years, including Olivier Blanchard, who held the role from 2008 to 2015.
