IMF Managing Director Names Julie Kozack as Director of Strategic Communications

F.P. Report

Washington, DC: Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), announced today her intention to appoint Julie Kozack as the IMF’s Director of Strategic Communications (COM). She will succeed Gerry Rice, whose retirement from the Fund was announced on July 22, 2022.

“Julie’s stellar career at the Fund over more than two decades reflects not only her standing as a top-notch economist and institutional leader, including as mission chief and lead negotiator on high-profile crisis countries, but also her exceptional communication skills.” Ms. Georgieva said. “Julie is well known for her strategic thinking and innovative ideas, as well as her capacity for building consensus and relationships. She is also an experienced manager who works collaboratively, and always has in mind the institution and our member countries. I believe these skills will benefit COM, the Fund, and more widely, our membership.

“With her many years of first-hand experience and knowledge of Fund policies and programs—some under very challenging circumstances—Julie has gained the highest respect of her colleagues and external interlocutors for her solution-oriented approach and sound judgment, as well as her inclusive people management style,” Ms. Georgieva said. “I have also had the opportunity to work closely with Julie and have benefitted greatly from her strategic advice and always-good counsel, including on some complex communication issues.”

Ms. Kozack is currently a Deputy Director in the European Department (EUR), where she oversees the IMF’s work on Ukraine. Previously, she was a Deputy Director in the Western Hemisphere Department (WHD) and lead negotiator for Argentina on its latest program. Ms. Kozack has also worked in the Fund’s Research and Strategy and Policy Review Departments. She has been mission chief for Germany, Iceland (during the crisis program period), Lithuania, Poland, and deputy mission chief for Russia. Ms. Kozack was heavily involved in multilateral surveillance work, particularly on G20 and G7 engagement at the time of the global financial crisis.

Ms. Kozack further leveraged her leadership and communications expertise in her three-year role as the Director of the Singapore Regional Training Institute. “Here, she also demonstrated her seasoned managerial and leadership skills, running an independent institute away from headquarters with a mix of headquarter, local, and expert staff,” Ms. Georgieva said. “There, she oversaw the delivery of training and capacity development to the Asia-Pacific region and worked hard to broaden the understanding of the Fund by engaging with parliamentarians in the region through workshops and other training forums, as well as public and press engagements.”

Ms. Kozack, a United States national, holds a PhD as well as two master’s degrees in economics from Columbia University, New York. She earned a BA from Rutgers University.