Jörg Frieden will begin his term of office as executive director at the World Bank Group on 15 March 2011, succeeding Michel Mordasini, who has been appointed Vice-Director of the Global Cooperation Department at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Jörg Frieden, born in 1953 in Lugano/TI, completed his studies in economics with a doctorate at the University of Freiburg. He began work for the SDC of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in 1986. Between 1989 and 1999, he worked as a coordinator in Mozambique, Advisor for the World Bank in Washington and Head of the East and Southern Africa Section in Bern. From 1999, he was employed as Vice-Director of the Federal Office for Refugees in Bern.

In 2003, he was again hired by SDC as the onsite Director of the SDC's Development Programme in Nepal. Jörg Frieden was responsible for duties within the scope of the United Nations peacekeeping missions in Maputo and Kathmandu. From 2008 to 2010 he was employed as a Vice-Director of the SDC and headed the Global Cooperation Department. He is currently President Micheline Calmy-Rey's Advisor and Representative in the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.

Switzerland has been a member of the World Bank Group since 1992. The executive board of the World Bank, comprising 25 full-time directors, determines the Bank's operational, financial and administrative policy. The directors decide on country and sector programmes and on loans for the funding of development projects and programmes.

The Swiss executive director not only represents Switzerland's interests at the World Bank, but also those of the electoral group that he leads.[1] In addition, he supports and advises Swiss private enterprises in their relations with the World Bank Group.

[1] Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Serbia, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

New Executive Director for Switzerland at the World Bank Group