Michalis Sarris

Michalis Sarris was born in Nicosia on April 14, 1946. He studied Economics at the London School of Economics and continued his studies in the United States at Wayne State University, where he obtained his Ph.D. in Economics, specializing in monetary and fiscal theory and policy. In 1972, he was hired by the Research Department of the Central Bank of Cyprus. His work focused on analyzing the broader economic conditions of Cyprus and aimed at guiding the management of the monetary sector. In early 1974, he was employed by the Bank of Cyprus, where he took on the responsibility of creating a mechanism and process for evaluating the economic and financial sustainability of the Bank's major lending activities. From 1975, Mr. Michalis Sarris worked at the World Bank, where he held the position of Senior Director before retiring. During his career at the World Bank, he worked in areas covering issues related to Africa, Latin America, and East Asia. His duties included overseeing the preparation of the Bank's strategies regarding its lending activities and providing strategic advice on economic and social development, designing programs and activities for structural adjustments, and conducting economic policy dialogue at the highest level with the involved countries. In addition to these structural issues, his work at the Bank included conducting analyses and providing advice on the appropriateness or correctness of monetary policy, reforming fiscal systems, and managing exchange rate regimes in various countries. He retired from the World Bank at the end of 2004. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of Laiki Bank. Besides Greek and English, he also speaks French, Spanish, and Portuguese.