IMF names Silvana Tenreyro as new chief economist

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Tuesday appointed Silvana Tenreyro as Economic Counsellor and Director of the Research Department.imf+1
Tenreyro, a British-Argentine economist at the London School of Economics, served on the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee from 2017 to 2023.bankofengland+1
She replaces Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, who stepped down July 1 to return to the University of California, Berkeley, after four years.news.bloomberglaw+1

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday named Silvana Tenreyro as its next chief economist and head of its research department, tapping a former Bank of England policymaker to guide the institution's economic thinking during a period of global uncertainty.imf+2

A New Voice at the Fund

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva announced the appointment in a statement, with Tenreyro set to assume the role of Economic Counsellor and Director of the Research Department on August 10, 2026. She replaces Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, who stepped down effective July 1 to return to academia at the University of California, Berkeley, after four years in the position.economictimes+3

Tenreyro, a British-Argentine economist, is a professor of economics at the London School of Economics and served as an external member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee from 2017 to 2023. She earned her PhD and Master of Arts in economics from Harvard University after completing her undergraduate degree in Argentina.bankofengland+2

Research Credentials

Her research interests span macroeconomics, monetary policy, macro-development, and international trade and finance. She has served as president of the European Economic Association and held roles as co-director and board member of the Review of Economic Studies. She is also a founding member of CIPPEC, an Argentine independent think-tank.economicsobservatory+2

Transition at the IMF

Gourinchas, a French economist who took the role in 2022, oversaw the IMF's economic forecasting through a turbulent period marked by post-pandemic inflation and trade disruptions. Bloomberg Law first reported his planned departure in late April, with the IMF confirming on May 1 that he would return to Berkeley. The fund did not immediately name a successor at that time, leaving the position open for more than two months before selecting Tenreyro.news.bloomberglaw+1

The appointment continues a tradition of drawing the IMF's chief economist from the ranks of elite academic institutions with deep central banking experience.

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