Anna Akhalkatsi Is World Bank’s New Country Director For The European Union

The World Bank Group has announced Anna Akhalkatsi as the institution’s new Country Director for the European Union, based in Brussels.

Ms. Akhalkatsi will lead the Bank’s dialogue with EU client countries and the EU institutions, and will oversee operational and knowledge engagement with governments, stakeholders, and partners to advance their development objectives, working closely with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) to strengthen the World Bank Group’s engagement with the private sector.

Responding to the appointment, Anna Akhalkatsi said:

“I am eager to work with the Bank’s expanding network of partners in the EU and to continue to build and share knowledge that drives impactful development outcomes and inclusive growth, in Europe and around the world.

“Collaborating on global public goods to find new, innovative ways to lift people out of poverty and advance effective responses to the climate crisis are core to the Bank’s engagement with the EU.”

Ms. Akhalkatsi recently held the position of Country Manager for Romania and Hungary in the Europe and Central Asia Vice Presidency of the World Bank.

Ms. Akhalkatsi, a Georgian, joined the World Bank in 1999 as an economist in the Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Unit at the Tbilisi, Georgia, World Bank Office. She has since stood firm on several positions, including Head of IFC office in Georgia, Program Lead for IFC’s Advisory Services, and IBRD Country Manager for Moldova.

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Ms. Akhalkatsi previously held positions in private consulting, the Georgian Parliament, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, and the World Bank Group. She was a founding member of the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA), which she served on several boards, including the EastWest Institute.