OECD appoints Alvaro Santos Pereira as next chief economist

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has named a former finance minister of Portugal as its next chief economist.

Alvaro Santos Pereira will take up the role on June 1, following the departure of Clare Lombardelli, who is leaving the institution to become deputy governor of the Bank of England.

Between 2011 and 2013 he served as Portugal’s Minister for Economy and Employment, and holds a Ph.D. in economics from Simon Fraser University in Canada. 

Prior to working in the Portuguese government, Santos Pereira was a professor of Economic Development and Economic Policy at Simon Fraser University, a lecturer at the University of British Columbia in Canada and a lecturer at the University of York in the United Kingdom.

He has previously held the role of acting chief economist at the OECD, and in October 2023 was appointed director of the policy studies branch of the institution’s economics department.

In the new role he will lead the provision of economic analysis and policy advice to support member countries working to optimise the strength and quality of economic growth.