According to a press release, in this new position, Ms. Leshchenko will lead the Bank's day-to-day dialogue with the Government of Liberia and key stakeholders on a broad range of issues, including the structural reform agenda and management of the portfolio.

The World Bank Manager will also lead the implementation of the country’s Partnership Strategy in close collaboration with other development partners, including bilateral donors and civil society organizations, among others.

Ms. Leshchenko, a Ukrainian national, joined the World Bank in August 1996 as an Operations Analyst in the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region and has since held various positions in the ECA and Africa regions, including Senior Economist in Ukraine, Senior Country Officer in Nigeria and Southern Africa. She recently worked as Country Manager in Azerbaijan.

Prior to joining the World Bank, she worked as a research fellow at the Institute of Cybernetics and the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.

She holds a PhD in operations research with specialization in stochastic optimization.

Ms. Leshchenko graduated with an MA equivalent in economic cybernetics from the Kiev National University in 1981 and studied at the Economic Department of the Central European University in Prague in 1992.

She also holds a Master degree in economics from New York State University and in 1994 became a research fellow at Oxford University in the UK and is the author and co-author of various Bank publications and research papers.
LINA PR/PSN/TSS/PTK