Catriona Purfield

Catriona Purfield was appointed Director of the Institute for Capacity Development at the International Monetary Fund, effective September 1, 2025.

Prior to this appointment, she was Director of the Human Resources Department, and prior to that, she was Deputy Director in the IMF's Africa Department where she oversaw the production of the Regional Economic Update for Sub Saharan Africa as well as the Fund's program and surveillance engagements in Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso, and Togo.

Ms. Purfield was Assistant Director in the IMF's Middle East and Central Asia Department between 2016 and 2019, where she led the department's policy and analytical work on inclusive growth and the IMF's surveillance missions to Iran.

Between 2013 and 2016, Ms. Purfield worked at the World Bank, based in South Africa, where she was Program Lead on Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions for Southern Africa.

Since she joined the IMF in 1998, Ms. Purfield has also worked in the European, Asia Pacific and Fiscal Affairs Departments. Her research interests and publications cover the fields of macroeconomics, economic growth, inequality, fiscal policy, natural resource management, competition policy, unemployment and labor market issues.

A national of Ireland, Ms. Purfield received her B.A. (Hons) in Economics and Geography and her PhD in Economics from Trinity College Dublin. She is also a graduate of the Kiel Institute of World Economics Graduate Program on International Macroeconomics.

Last updated: September 16, 2025