Mr. Bert van Selm, the new IMF Resident Representative in Jamaica, took up his post in Kingston at the end of July. He has been with the IMF since 2000, and has worked on country teams in Europe, Africa and Asia, as well as in the IMF’s Strategy, Policy, and Review Department in Washington, DC, USA.

Mr. van Selm, a self-confessed avid soccer player, holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and is a prolific author. His book The Economics of Soviet Break-Up is based on his PhD thesis, which was awarded the European Association for Comparative Economic Studies prize for the best thesis in the field of Comparative Economics.

Before joining the IMF Mr. van Selm was a lecturer in international economics at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands, and also worked at the Dutch Ministry of Finance.

Mr. van Selm replaces former IMF Resident Representative Gene Leon.