IFC has appointed Ivana Fernandes Duarte as its new Regional Manager for the South Caucasus. Based in Tbilisi, she will be overseeing operations in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
Ivana Fernandes Duarte succeeds Jan van Bilsen, who was appointed as the IFC Country Manager in Western Europe, and Jesper Kjaer, IFC’s Head of Operations, Europe and Central Asia, who has been the Acting Regional Manager for the past few months.
Fernandes Duarte, a Slovak Republic national, is joining IFC with over 20 years of experience in international finance. She has served in various positions at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Citigroup. In those roles, she particularly focused on private infrastructure development and financing as well as across the sectors country management. Prior to development finance, she worked in investment banking with expertise in project finance and emerging markets.
Wiebke Schloemer, IFC Director, Europe and Central Asia, said: “The role of IFC’s new Regional Manager in the South Caucasus will be vital as the countries tackle the unprecedented challenges triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. With Ivana’s wealth of experience, especially in the region, we anticipate building on our past achievements in each of the countries to leverage the power of the private sector.”
Fernandes Duarte started her career in the Office of the Prime Minister of Slovakia. She holds an MBA from the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain, and a Master’s in Economics from the University of Economics in Slovakia.
Fernandes Duarte, IFC’s new Regional Manager for the South Caucasus, said: “While the pandemic has set back growth prospects, the role of the private sector in the recovery phase will be critical. In the current situation, IFC’s priority in the South Caucasus will be to help with green, sustainable recovery, with an emphasis on addressing climate change, digitalization, and capital markets development. We also plan to get involved early on in the project-development cycle to support reform efforts aimed at creating markets and investment opportunities.”
