World Bank Appoints New Country Manager for Thailand

BANGKOK, July 1, 2022 - The World Bank has appointed Fabrizio Zarcone, an Italian national, as its new Country Manager for Thailand, effective July 1, 2022. He succeeds Birgit Hansl, after four years of heading the World Bank office in Bangkok.

Mr. Zarcone will oversee the implementation of the World Bank Group-Thailand Country Partnership Framework which is focused on key structural economic and social reforms to end poverty and boost prosperity. He will also lead the World Bank's policy dialogue with the government, civil society, private sector and other partners.

The World Bank Group's Country Partnership Framework for 2019-2022 supports Thailand's transformation towards greater inclusion, resilience and competitiveness. Its work focuses on promoting competition and innovation by helping Thailand improve its business environment, economic institutions and infrastructure. The Bank also addresses issues of climate change, supports quality education and targeted programs for inclusion of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, including in the fragile and conflict-affected areas of Southern Thailand.

"It is with great pleasure that I take up this new position in Thailand just as the country emerges from the economic and social challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Mr. Zarcone. "The tragedy of the pandemic must be turned into an opportunity to build back better and position the economy for sustained productivity-led growth and recovery over the medium and long term. I look forward to supporting Thailand in the achievement of these critical goals."

Prior to the appointment, he was Country Manager for Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, where he supervised a large and complex portfolio of technical assistance projects. Before Bulgaria, he was the Country Manager for Costa Rica and El Salvador, in charge of both lending and advisory services for the two middle-income countries.

With over 20 years of experience working in development at the World Bank, he worked in the Middle East as Senior Operations Officer for the West Bank and Gaza, where he managed important budget support projects for the Palestinian National Authority. He has also extensive experience working for Sub-Saharan Africa, where he had the opportunity to collaborate with the supervision of the portfolio of projects in Kenya, Rwanda and the Comoros Islands.

Mr. Zarcone holds a Ph.D. in Management Sciences from ESADE- Escuela Superior de Administración y Dirección de Empresas, as well as Masters in European Economics and Law.