Dialog Axiata appoints ex-IMF Dr. Sharmini Coorey to Board 

Dr. Sharmini Coorey

Dialog Axiata PLC, yesterday announced the appointment of Dr. Sharmini Coorey as an Independent, Non-executive Director on the Board, with effect from 15 October.

Dr. Coorey is a former senior official of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and is currently a member of the Presidential Advisory Group on Multilateral Engagement and Debt Sustainability advising the Government of Sri Lanka during the economic crisis. 

She joined the IMF through the Economist Program in 1986 and, during her 35-year career at the IMF, worked in positions of increasing seniority in its African, Asia and Pacific, European and Western Hemisphere departments, as well as its Strategy, Policy and Review Department.

Prior to her retirement in October 2021, Dr. Coorey served as the Director of the Institute for Capacity Development (ICD) for almost nine years. 

She was instrumental in establishing ICD, the IMF’s department for capacity building and was key in providing strategic direction for the governance, management, and funding of the IMF’s capacity-building activities. 

She also oversaw the IMF’s training for country officials worldwide, including establishing its online program which trained over 100,000 government officials in policy-oriented macroeconomics during her tenure.

Before heading ICD, Dr. Coorey was Deputy Director in the IMF’s African Department (AFR), where she oversaw the IMF’s work in a number of countries including South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. In addition, she led AFR’s financial sector work and research agenda. 

Dr. Coorey’s experience at the IMF also includes surveillance work in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, and Canada as well as program work in Korea, Estonia, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. 

She served on the Investment Committee of the IMF Staff Retirement Plan and on the Editorial Committee of IMF Staff Papers. She was also a visiting researcher at George Washington University’s Elliott School for International Affairs in Washington DC.

Dr. Coorey holds PhD and bachelor’s degrees in Economics from Harvard University. She has published papers on inflation and economic growth in transition and developing countries and edited a book on managing the oil wealth of the CEMAC region.