The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva announced on Wednesday her intention to appoint Ms. Shirin Hamid as Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Director of the Information Technology Department (ITD). Ms. Hamid’s selection was the outcome of an internationally competitive process.
Ms. Hamid, a Singaporean national, is expected to assume her new role on January 4, 2022, and will succeed Ed Anderson, who separated from the Fund in June 2021.
“Shirin brings to the Fund a wealth of IT leadership experience, having held key positions in both national and global institutions,” Ms. Georgieva said. “She is an innovator, with a proven record of spearheading IT modernization campaigns at large international organizations. Her strong strategic vision is focused on using technology to enable organizations to succeed in their work—an invaluable strength that will help the Fund take advantage of the latest technological advancements to support its work in the service of its membership.”
Most recently, Ms. Hamid was the Director General and CIO of the Information Technology Department at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) since 2016, where she led a team of over 600 IT personnel. In that role, Ms. Hamid revolutionized the Bank’s IT ecosystem, modernized policies, revamped existing operations, strengthened IT and data governance, and fostered innovation on big data, cybersecurity, and digital platforms. Under her leadership, ADB-ITD has won several recognitions, including the CIO 100 and IDC awards.
Prior to the ADB, Ms. Hamid spent 11 years at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) as Chief Technology Officer and Director, where she oversaw IT functions and operations on a global stage, covering 170 countries and territories. Under her leadership, the UNDP’s IT team transformed the organization’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) program and enabled more productive inter-agency collaboration.
“Shirin will be joining the Fund at this critical time when it is seeking to modernize the digital workplace, along with other capital improvements” Ms. Georgieva said. “Her diverse experience, strategic vision, and considerable talent for leading large, culturally diverse teams are assets that will help the Fund achieve its modernization goals.”
Ms. Hamid has held many private sector leadership roles including as Acting General Manager for IT at Singapore’s Keppel Group and Keppel Offshore & Marine; Senior Consultant at Deloitte (at the firm’s Boston and Singapore offices); and as a Consultant at Andersen Consulting/Accenture.
Ms. Hamid holds a Master’s degree in Business Systems Analysis and Design from City University of London, and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from England’s Coventry University.