Mahmoud Mohieldin

Mahmoud Mohieldin is an economist with over 30 years of experience in international finance and development. He serves as the United Nations Special Envoy on Financing the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and he is a professor of economics and finance at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at the Cairo University, and as a visiting professor at several renowned universities in Egypt, Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Mohieldin is a Global Ambassador to the Race to Zero and Race to Resilience campaigns for the High-Level Climate Champions and was the U.N. Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP27.

In November 2020, he was appointed the executive director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and held the position for four consecutive years. His constituency included Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Maldives, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. He was responsible for conducting the day-to-day business of the IMF and exercising the powers delegated to him by the Board of Governors, as well as those powers conferred by the Articles of Agreement.

From 2010 to 2020, Mohieldin’s held several pivotal roles at the World Bank Group (WBG), including senior vice president for the 2030 Development Agenda, United Nations Relations, and Partnerships. Moreover, he served as managing director, overseeing Human Development, Sustainable Development, Poverty Reduction, Economic Management, Finance and Private Sector Development, and the World Bank Institute. Additionally, he was the World Bank president’s special envoy on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and financing for development, as well as corporate secretary and executive secretary to the Development Committee of the WBG’s Board of Governors.

Prior to joining the WBG, Mohieldin served as the minister of investment of Egypt from 2004 to 2010. During his tenure, he led significant policies and measures that enhanced Egypt’s business environment, reformed the financial services industry, and restructured the state-owned enterprises. Under his leadership, Egypt witnessed a substantial increase in the role of the private sector and foreign direct investments, contributing to the country’s economic growth.

Furthermore, Mohieldin is the chairman of Africa’s Network Advisory Board of Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), the chairman of the advisory board for the Regional Center for Sustainable Finance (RCSF) established by the Egyptian Financial Regulatory Authority, and the chairman of the advisory board for Africa Capital Hub (ACH). He also served on several boards of directors in the corporate and financial sectors, as well as the Central Bank of Egypt. In 2005, he was a member of the Commission on Growth and Development and selected as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.

Mohieldin has been elected as the chair of the board of directors of the Arab Society for Economic Research (ASFER) since October 2022. In January 2023, he was elected as the president of the Middle East Economic Association (MEEA). He served on the international advisory board of Durham University Business School, and currently serves on the boards of New Giza University and Benha National University. Additionally, he is the chairman of the board of trustees and the international advisory board of Nile University, and the chairman of the advisory board of Uppingham Cairo School. The World Academy of Arts and Science (WAAS) elected him a fellow in 2024.

He holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Warwick, Master of Science in economics and social policy analysis from the University of York, a diploma in quantitative development economics from the University of Warwick, and a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Cairo University. He also participated in executive programs at the Wharton Business School, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Georgetown University. In recognition of his contributions, the American University in Cairo conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters in 2018. In 2023, Mohieldin was one of five personalities in the history of Ain Shams University to receive an honorary doctorate degree. In July 2024, he received an honorary Doctor of Science from his alma mater the University of Warwick, for his role in leading reforms in Egypt and addressing climate change challenges.

Mohieldin has authored several books, papers, and reports; some of his recent work includes “Business, Government and the SDGs: The Role of Public-Private Engagement in Building a Sustainable Future” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022) and “The Political Economy of Crisis Management and Reform in Egypt” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024), in addition to publishing numerous articles in leading journals in the fields of economics, finance, debt, investment, climate change, and development.