Nemat (Minouche) Shafik is appointed as DFID’s new Permanent Secretary

Sir Gus O’Donnell has announced that Nemat Shafik, known as Minouche, is to be appointed as DFID’s new Permanent Secretary. Minouche will take up the post on Monday 3 March 2008.

Biography

Minouche Shafik joined DFID in November 2004, as Director General Country Programmes, with responsibility for all of DFID’s country programmes in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. This included an annual programme of £2.7 bn and over 1800 staff in over 50 countries.

Previously, she served as Vice President, Private Sector and Infrastructure at the World Bank and was part of the senior management group of the International Finance Corporation (IFC). She also chaired several international consultative groups that support microfinance, energy, water and sanitation for the poor, urban development and slum upgrading, information technologies for development, and private participation in infrastructure.

At the World Bank she worked in a variety of areas – the Middle East, Eastern Europe, the environment, and on international economic issues. She has also taught at the Wharton Business School and at Georgetown University.

Minouche received her B.A. in Economics and Politics from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and her M.Sc. in Economics from the London School of Economics. She also holds a D.Phil. in Economics from St. Antony’s College, Oxford University.

She is married and has two children and three stepchildren.