our work
The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) was established in 2001 to conduct independent and objective evaluations of Fund policies and activities. Under its Terms of Reference, it is fully independent from the Management of the IMF and operates at arm's length from the Board of Executive Directors.
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our mandate
The IEO's mission is to:
Enhance the learning culture within the Fund, strengthen the Fund's external credibility, and support Institutional governance and oversight.
Enhance the learning culture within the Fund, strengthen the Fund's external credibility, and support Institutional governance and oversight.
about us
IEO staff comprises the Director and 19 other members, including 11 professionals. A majority of the IEO staff is recruited from outside the IMF. The IEO also engages consultants with particular expertise for specific evaluation projects.
IEO Team
Charles Collyns
Director
Charles Collyns
Director
Charles Collyns
Director
Mr. Collyns joined the IEO as Director in February 2017, after working as Managing Director and Chief Economist at the Institute of International Finance for 3 1/2 years. He served as Assistant Secretary for International Finance at the US Treasury Department from February 2010 to July 2013. Prior to joining Treasury, he worked at the IMF, including as Deputy Director in the Research Department responsible for the World Economic Outlook and Deputy Director in the Western Hemisphere Department. He holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Oxford and a BA from the University of Cambridge.
Prakash Loungani
Assistant Director and Senior Personnel Manager
Prakash Loungani
Assistant Director and Senior Personnel Manager
Prakash Loungani
Assistant Director and Senior Personnel Manager
Mr. Loungani joined the IEO in June 2017 after 30 years of experience at the IMF and in the Federal Reserve System and academia. He is adjunct Professor of Management at Vanderbilt University and also teaches a popular course at the IMF on Economics for Non-Economists. He is the author of well-rated academic articles in macroeconomics and international economics. His previous jobs at the IMF include: chair of the Jobs & Growth group set up by IMF management; chief of the Development Macroeconomics division; Senior Personnel and Budget Manager for the Research Department; mission chief for Grenada; and advisor to the IMF’s Communications Director. Mr. Loungani holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Rochester.
Michael Kell
Advisor
Michael Kell
Advisor
Michael Kell
Advisor
Michael joined the IEO in January 2019, from the UK National Audit Office, where he was Chief Economist and Director of Value for Money studies on energy and environmental policies. Michael has worked in various economist and management roles in the UK government, in consulting and at research institutes. He has also previously worked at the IMF, on staff in the Fiscal Affairs Department and in the UK Executive Director’s office. He holds a Masters degree in Economics from the University of Oxford.
Jun Kim
Advisor
Jun Kim
Advisor
Jun Kim
Advisor
Mr. Kim joined the IEO in January 2018 after working at the IMF for 16 years. He served as a Deputy Governor of the Bank of Korea from March 2011 to December 2014 when he was on leave from the IMF. Prior to joining the IMF, he worked at the Korea Development Institute as a senior research fellow and chief of the Macroeconomics division, served as Senior Counsellor to the Minister of Finance of Korea, and taught at the University of California, Santa Cruz, as an assistant professor. Mr. Kim holds a Ph.D. in economics from Brown University and a BA from Seoul National University.
Cyrus Rustomjee
Advisor
Cyrus Rustomjee
Advisor
Cyrus Rustomjee
Advisor
Mr. Rustomjee joined the IEO in January 2019. He has previously held positions as Director of the Economic Affairs Division at the Commonwealth, as Chairperson of South Africa’s non-bank financial sector regulator and head of South Africa’s G20 Secretariat. Prior to this he served as IMF Executive Director for Anglophone African countries. He holds a doctorate in Economics from the University of London and degrees in Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford and Law from the University of South Africa.
Reginald Darius
Lead Evaluator
Reginald Darius
Lead Evaluator
Reginald Darius
Lead Evaluator
Mr. Darius joined the IEO in December 2017. Prior to joining the IEO he was the Director of Economic Policy at the Commonwealth Secretariat. Mr. Darius is a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance of Saint Lucia and Senior Economist at the IMF. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Warwick and a Masters in Economics from the University of Cambridge.
Louellen Stedman
Lead Evaluator
Louellen Stedman
Lead Evaluator
Louellen Stedman
Lead Evaluator
Ms. Stedman joined the IEO in November 2008. She previously worked for over seventeen years at the U.S. Treasury, including as Director of the Office of International Monetary Policy and Financial Attaché in London. She holds an MPA from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.
Nicoletta Batini
Senior Economist
Nicoletta Batini
Senior Economist
Nicoletta Batini
Senior Economist
Nicoletta Batini is an Italian economist, notable as a scholar of innovative monetary and fiscal policy practices. She pioneered work on the dangers of fiscal austerity and on how to curb debt successfully during financial deleveraging. Prior to the IMF, she was Advisor of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, Professor of Economics at the University of Surrey, and Director of the International Economics and Policy Office of the Treasury in Italy. She has handled extensive consultancy roles internationally. She holds a Ph.D. in international finance (Scuola Superiore S. Anna) and a Ph.D. in monetary economics (University of Oxford).
Miguel de Las Casas
Senior Economist
Miguel de Las Casas
Senior Economist
Miguel de Las Casas
Senior Economist
Mr. de Las Casas joined the IEO in April 2013. Between 2009 and 2012 he was Advisor to Executive Director at the IMF Executive Board. He previously worked for ten years at the International Affairs Department of the Banco de España. He holds a Masters in International Relations from IE Business School.
Jung Kim
Senior Economist
Jung Kim
Senior Economist
Jung Kim
Senior Economist
Ms. Kim joined the IEO in 2017 from the IMF’s Strategy, Policy and Review Department where she was a senior economist focusing on low income country issues and the IMF’s surveillance policies. She also worked as an economist in the Bank of Korea and as a consultant at the World Bank. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from University of Warwick, U.K.
Tamar Gutner
Fellow
Tamar Gutner
Fellow
Tamar Gutner
Fellow
Ms. Gutner is a Council on Foreign Relations Fellow at the IEO in 2019. She is Associate Professor of International Affairs at American University’s School of International Service. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from MIT, and a Master of Arts in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Alisa Abrams
Economist
Alisa Abrams
Economist
Alisa Abrams
Economist
Ms. Abrams joined IEO in January 2008, after various assignments in the World Bank and the Independent Evaluation Group. She holds a Masters’ in International Development, is a certified facilitator in participatory appraisal, and is accredited by the International Program on Development Evaluation Training.
Joshua Wojnilower
Economist
Joshua Wojnilower
Economist
Joshua Wojnilower
Economist
Mr. Wojnilower joined the IEO in 2016. He previously worked at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Mr. Wojnilower holds a Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University and a Master’s in Public Administration from George Washington University.
Sriram Balasubramanian
Senior Research Officer
Sriram Balasubramanian
Senior Research Officer
Sriram Balasubramanian
Senior Research Officer
Sriram Balasubramanian joined the IEO as a Senior Research Officer in July 2019. He is an economist who is an alumnus of both Columbia University and the University of Southern California. Besides prior experience in the private sector and the WBG, his keen interests include macroeconomic policy research, new growth models and capital flows management among others.
Arun Bhatnagar
Senior Admin Assistant
Arun Bhatnagar
Senior Admin Assistant
Arun Bhatnagar
Senior Admin Assistant
Arun joined the IEO in August 2001. Prior to joining the IEO, he worked in the Government of India, mainly in the Ministry of Finance. He holds a B.Com degree from the University of Delhi.
Annette Canizares
Office Manager
Annette Canizares
Office Manager
Annette Canizares
Office Manager
Annette is one of the first to join the IEO in 2001. Prior to joining the IEO, she worked for AFR and APD. She holds a BSC degree, major in Management from the College of the Holy Spirit, Manila.
Yishu Chen
Research Assistant
Yishu Chen
Research Assistant
Yishu Chen
Research Assistant
Ms. Chen joined the IEO in March 2018 after graduating from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) with a Master’s in International Economics and Strategic Studies. She is originally from Tianjin, China. She also holds a B.A. in Governance and International Studies from Hong Kong Baptist University.
Kwang Lee
Research Officer
Kwang Lee
Research Officer
Kwang Lee
Research Officer
Mr. Lee joined the IEO in May 2019 from the IMF’s Strategy, Policy, and Review Department where he focused on supporting the IMF History Project. He previously worked in economic consulting as a senior consultant. Mr. Lee holds a Master’s in International Economics and International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Roxana Pedraglio
Senior Research Officer
Roxana Pedraglio
Senior Research Officer
Roxana Pedraglio
Senior Research Officer
Andrea Nicole Tumbaco
Staff Assistant
Andrea Nicole Tumbaco
Staff Assistant
Andrea Nicole Tumbaco
Staff Assistant
be a part
The IEO is based at the IMF headquarters in Washington, DC, USA. In addition to the regular staff positions at the IEO (recruited from the outside and seconded from the IMF staff) there are a variety of options to work for the IEO as a consultant. Long-term consultants are hired for the duration of an entire project or more. Short-term consultants cover particular aspects of a project. Some of the short-term consultants stay based in their home country while working for the IEO.
