Executive Management Committee update

By Alvaro Lario

IFAD welcomes Mr Fernando F. Pons, appointed as Chief of Staff (CoS), OPV and Chief Transformation Officer (CTO), effective 7 January 2026.

To read the full communication in the four official languages of the Fund, please click the following links: [Arabic][English][French][Spanish]

In these last weeks, Ms Dina Saleh has shared with me her intention to retire at the end of the replenishment, after a distinguished career that spans to almost 30 years within the UN. 

Given her strong operational expertise and exceptional network in the Middle East region and with Gulf countries, I asked her if she would be willing to take on one final strategic assignment for IFAD that would be very valuable for IFAD at this point in time: to lead our engagement and strengthen our partnerships and cofinancing with Gulf and Middle East countries ahead of the replenishment and GC50. As many of you know, The Gulf countries, the Arab Coordination Group institutions and more generally the Middle East region have always played a pivotal role in IFAD’s history and operations. Now it is more important than ever to strengthen our existing operational and financial relationships at this point in time.

I am pleased to share that Dina has generously accepted to serve as Special Envoy for the Middle East through IFAD14 and GC50, where her leadership will be invaluable. I am also very grateful for her commitment to work with the Vice-President, colleagues in the Office of the President and Vice-President (OPV) and myself to ensure a smooth transition and handover to a new Chief of Staff by early next year. The role will be increasingly prioritizing the institution’s transformation of process, technology and instruments in the years ahead as we work towards a stronger and more effective IFAD.

Please join me in recognizing Dina’s outstanding contributions in the Office of the President and Vice-President. She has been instrumental in supporting both myself and the Vice-President in operationalizing IFAD’s corporate recalibration and leading the configuration and adoption of new systems and workflows at OPV. We are fortunate to have her continued dedication in this important final chapter of her remarkable career with IFAD.

To read the full communication in the other official languages of the Fund, please click the following links: [Arabic][French][Spanish]

New appointment announcement

To read the full communication in the four official languages of the Fund, please click the following links: [Arabic][English][French][Spanish]

New appointment announcement

by Alvaro Lario

I am pleased to announce that. after a competitive recruitment process, I have appointed Ms.Diane Menville to the position of Associate Vice-President for the Financial Operations Department (FOD).

To read the full communication and in the four official languages of the fund, please click the following links: [Arabic] [English] [French] [Spanish]