Jianhai Lin

Former Secretary of IMF

Mr. Jianhai Lin served as Secretary of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as well as Secretary of the IMF Board of Governors and the International Monetary and Financial Committee, from 2012 to 2020. He joined the IMF in 1989 and held a wide range of positions across the institution over more than three decades.

As Secretary, Mr. Lin oversaw the Secretary’s Department, which is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the IMF Executive Board. He also acted as the IMF’s official liaison with member countries on matters related to global economic governance and policy. Throughout his tenure, he was deeply engaged in a broad spectrum of country-specific and global policy issues, and played a key role in deliberations on financial crises and IMF governance reforms.

Mr. Lin was also responsible for organizing the IMF’s Spring and Annual Meetings—premier platforms for global economic and financial policy dialogue that bring together policymakers, private sector leaders, academics, civil society representatives, and the media.

He currently serves as an honorary and visiting professor at several universities, is a frequent speaker at international conferences, and contributes to publications on global economic issues. Mr. Lin studied at the University of International Business and Economics and the University of California, Berkeley, and earned his doctorate from the George Washington University.