Philippe Le Houérou

Born in Montpellier, France, Le Houérou grew up in North Africa and Italy and went on to attend the Institut D'etudes Politiques de Paris (France), followed by an MBA at Columbia University in New York and a Phd in International Economics from the Institut D'etudes Politiques de Paris.

Le Houérou joined the World Bank as part of its Young Professional program and has worked in the East Asia, Latin America, Africa, and Europe and Central Asia Regions.

In the mid-1990s, he served as country economist for the Russia program and advised on budget management and public expenditure issues. After Russia, Le Houérou worked on poverty and economic issues in southern Africa, including a stint as the Antananarivo-based country manager for Madagascar, where he supported the government’s reform program and opening up of its economy.

In May 2006, Le Houérou was asked to take on the task of coordinating the World Bank’s effort of working with donor countries to replenish the International Development Association (IDA) - the Bank’s concessionary loan arm that supports anti-poverty programs in the poorest developing countries with long-term, no interest loans. Through a broad engagement with OECD countries, Le Houérou twice led the team that successfully replenished IDA, which is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 79 poorest countries. While Vice-President of Concessional Finance and Global Partnerships, he also oversaw a reform of donor trust fund management and innovative finance methods for the World Bank Group. In between the two IDA efforts, Le Houérou served as acting Vice-President of the World Bank’s Information Solutions Group; which supports the Bank’s business strategy and operations through cost-effective and efficient information and technology solutions.

As Vice President for the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia Region, Le Houérou supervises 800+ staff working in headquarters and 22 country offices who serve some 30 countries.

Speeches