The International Monetary Fund announced that Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas will leave his role as Economic Counsellor and Director of the Research Department and return to academia at the University of California, Berkeley, effective July 1, 2026. Gourinchas joined the Fund in 2022. In announcing the departure, Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva highlighted his role in leading the IMF’s analytical work through the aftermath of the pandemic, the surge in global inflation, heightened geopolitical tensions and growing fragmentation. The release pointed to the Research Department’s production of the World Economic Outlook and the External Sector Report during his tenure, and cited work on geo-economic fragmentation, the drivers of global inflation and global imbalances, alongside initiatives including the AI Preparedness Index, the Structural Reforms Impact Tool, RES DataHub and the next generation of macroeconomic models. It also noted his contribution to surveillance and program work, including recent alternative scenarios on the economic impact of the war in the Middle East.
International Monetary Fund 2026-05-01
International Monetary Fund announces Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas will step down as Economic Counsellor and Research Department Director on July 1 2026
The International Monetary Fund announced that Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas will step down as Economic Counsellor and Director of the Research Department and return to the University of California, Berkeley, effective 1 July 2026. Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva highlighted his leadership of the Fund’s analytical work during the post-pandemic period, including on global inflation, geo-economic fragmentation, global imbalances and tools such as the AI Preparedness Index, Structural Reforms Impact Tool, RES DataHub and next-generation macroeconomic models.