Jihad Azour

Jihad Azour has served as the Director of the International Monetary Fund's Middle East and Central Asia Department (MCD) since March 2017. Prior to his current role, he was Lebanon's Finance Minister from 2005 to 2008, where he coordinated the implementation of important reform initiatives at the national level and within the Finance Ministry.

Mr. Azour extensive private sector background includes positions at McKinsey and

Booz and Co., where he held the roles of Vice President and Senior Executive Advisor from 2009 to 2013. Before joining the IMF, he worked as a Managing Partner at Inventis Partners, an advisory and investment firm.

He holds a Ph.D. in International Finance and a post-graduate degree in International Economics and Finance from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris.

As a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard, he conducted research on emerging economies and their global integration. He also holds a master’s degree in applied economics and finance from Dauphine University, Paris.

Mr. Azour is a published author, with five books and numerous articles. He has also taught extensively.