OREANDA-NEWS. Mr. Masood Ahmed, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has notified IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde of his intention to retire from the Fund following the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in October 2016.

“Masood has been a visionary leader of the department for the past eight years. I have highly valued his wise counsel, political acumen, and great strategic sense. His departure is a loss for the Fund, and he will be deeply missed by friends and colleagues alike,” Ms. Lagarde said.

Mr. Ahmed has been in his current position since 2008, where he oversaw the IMF’s relations with the Middle East at a time of political transition and intensified turmoil in the wake of the conflict in Syria.

“Under his leadership, the IMF strengthened its role as a valued partner for governments across the region, with a wide range of countries accessing the Fund’s financial support. Masood also forged strong and effective collaborations with other organizations, including the World Bank, the Arab Monetary Fund, the Islamic Development Bank, and the United Nations,” Ms. Lagarde added.

Mr. Ahmed joined the Fund in 2000 as Deputy Director of the Strategy, Policy, and Review Department (then the Policy Development and Review Department), where he oversaw the review of the Fund’s conditionality guidelines.