Carlo Cottarelli has been Director of the Fiscal Affairs Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) since November 2008.

After receiving degrees in economics from the University of Siena and the London School of Economics, he joined the research department of the Bank of Italy where he worked from 1981 to 1987.

Mr. Cottarelli joined the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1988, and worked for the Fiscal Affairs Department, the European Department, the Monetary and Capital Markets Department, and the Policy Development and Review Department. He was Deputy Director both in the European Department and the Policy Development and Review Department.

Mr. Cottarelli has expertise in the areas of surveillance, IMF-supported programmes, and technical assistance, and has experience in advanced, emerging market, and low-income countries including Albania, Croatia, Hungary, Lebanon, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Italy, and the United Kingdom. He is the author of several papers on fiscal and monetary policies and institutions, and the editor of books on inflation, monetary policy, and exchange rates.