H.E. Rania Al-Mashat

H.E. Rania Al-Mashat is the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). She previously served as Egypt’s Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, following her tenure as Minister of International Cooperation and, earlier, as Egypt’s first female Minister of Tourism.

Before joining the Egyptian Cabinet, Al-Mashat was Advisor to the Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, D.C., where she specialized in central banking and monetary policy frameworks. She also served as Sub-Governor for Monetary Policy at the Central Bank of Egypt and held positions as Senior Economist at the IMF, Deputy Project Director at the Institutional Reform and Informal Sector Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, and Adjunct Professor of Economics at the American University in Cairo (AUC).

Al-Mashat has published extensively on monetary policy, financial stability, and institutional reform in emerging and transition economies.

She represented Egypt as Governor in several international financial institutions, including the World Bank Group, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, and Arab Bank for Economic Development; and as Alternate Governor of Egypt at the African Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and Islamic Development Bank. She is also Co-Chair of the MENA Stewardship Board at the World Economic Forum (WEF); and Member of the New Economy and Society Stewardship Board at WEF. She had several board affiliations, including the Egyptian Stock Exchange, the Egyptian General Authority for Free Zones and Investment, the Arab International Bank, the Arab Investment Bank, and the Middle East Economic Association.

Minister Al-Mashat received a number of international and domestic awards; the “2019 Global Champion Award” from the World Tourism and Travel Council; the “2019 Global Leader’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Industry”. She was named among most powerful women in the Egyptian Banking Sector in 2015 and selected among the top 50 most influential women in the Egyptian economy in 2015 and 2020; the 2014 and 2015 “Choiseul Institute 100 Africa: Economic Leaders for Tomorrow”; and 2014 Young Global Leaders by WEF.

H.E. Al-Mashat received her PhD and MA in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA, and BA in Economics from AUC. She completed executive education at Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and SaÏd Business School, Oxford University.