The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a private sector subsidiary of the World Bank, has appointed Katia Daude Gonçalves as Country Manager for Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei, effective immediately.

With nearly 20 years of industry experience and a history with IFC since 2009, Katia will collaborate with regional investment and advisory teams. Her focus will be on facilitating cross-border investments and capital mobilization between Singapore-based companies and financial institutions in emerging markets and developing economies globally. Additionally, she will play a pivotal role in establishing and expanding IFC's presence in Malaysia and Brunei.

Before stepping into her new role, Katia served as IFC's Resident Representative for Mozambique. Her previous roles include positions at Insitec as the Director and BIM Investimento as the Deputy Manager of Financial Services.

Kim-See Lim, IFC's Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, welcomed Katia in her leadership role, saying, “The Singapore ecosystem has been a vital enabler of IFC's investment program in Asia and the Pacific and globally, and we are incredibly excited to see what the future holds for our work in Malaysia and Brunei, which we see as vital partners in our mission to alleviate poverty and promote shared prosperity. Katia's appointment is an equally exciting step in our next chapter in Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei, as our work becomes even more critical in empowering the private sector to help us address the challenges of the hour."

Katia added, “Singapore is a critical hub and business partner for IFC, and we have big ambitions to grow our partnerships and portfolios in Malaysia, where we recently established a presence, and Brunei, which we recently welcomed as a member of IFC. A clear similarity that all three share is the strength and potential of their private sectors to help address key development challenges both at home and in emerging and developing markets abroad. We look forward to working together to address issues from poverty to climate change, ultimately for the benefit of people and the planet."