Michel Camdessus

Former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund

Michel Camdessus is Honorary Governor of Banque de France. He is the Chairman of the French Financing Corporation (Société de Financement de l’Economie Française - SFEF)and a member of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation.

Michel Camdessus was elected as Managing Director and Chairman of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on January 16, 1987. In 1996, the Executive Board of the IMF unanimously selected him to serve a third five-year term as Managing Director. He retired from the IMF on February 14, 2000. Mr. Camdessus was the Chairman of the World Panel on Financing Water Infrastructure (report: "Financing Water for All" - Kyoto-March 2003).

He is also a member of the Pontifical Commission "Justice and Peace" in the Vatican. He was appointed as the Chairman of the French Government working group in charge of preparing the economic, social and structural policies reform, which produced a key report "le Sursaut - Vers une Nouvelle Croissance pour la France" (La Documentation France, Paris - 2004).

Following his appointment as Administrateur Civil in the French Civil Service, Mr. Camdessus joined the Treasury in the Ministry of Finance in 1960. After serving as Financial Attaché to the French delegation at the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1966 to 1968, he returned to the Treasury and went on to become Deputy Director in 1974, and Director in February 1982. During the period 1978-84, Mr. Camdessus also served as Chairman of the Paris Club, and was Chairman of the Monetary Committee of the European Economic Community from December 1982 to December 1984. Mr. Camdessus was appointed Governor of the Bank of France in November 1984. He served in this capacity until his election as Managing Director of the IMF.