Michael Anthony Tharkur is a seasoned macroeconomist with more than three decades of international experience, bringing strong technical, communication, and advisory leadership to economic policy design and public-sector management. He has worked extensively with senior officials in emerging and low-income countries, particularly in the context of IMF-supported programs, where his expertise has contributed to fiscal rules, macroeconomic stabilization, and policy implementation.
A Jamaican citizen and a U.S. citizen, Mr. Tharkur is married with two adult children. His educational background includes advanced studies at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where he completed an M.P.A. and a Certificate in Public Policy & Management, along with the Mason Fellowship program. He also holds an M.Sc. in Macroeconomics from the University of Bradford (UK) and a B.Sc. Hons. from the University of the West Indies.
Throughout his career, Mr. Tharkur has served in high-impact roles across major international financial institutions and policy environments. He was a short-term expert to the IMF and is a member of the IMF roster of short-term experts, with experience providing advisory support in areas such as public financial management and macroeconomic policy. His work includes contributing to IMF technical assistance efforts, including fiscal and macroeconomic policy guidance relevant to economic developments in petroleum and other strategic sectors.
From January to June 2023, he served as a resident World Bank economic consultant to the Government of Mauritius, supporting the Ministry of Finance to strengthen institutional systems for economic policy and planning. In this role, he produced detailed recommendations, including reforms and benchmarks to support the formulation of a long-term development strategy, strengthening coordination and capacity across economic and social planning functions.
Before that, Mr. Tharkur held senior technical leadership positions within government and policy institutions. He served as Senior Technical Advisor to the Minister at Jamaica’s Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, advising senior officials and supporting the development of policy documents, budget communications, and technical inputs related to IMF-supported arrangements. His work also included capacity-building initiatives and the development of analytical tools used for macroeconomic monitoring and policy decision-making.
Mr. Tharkur’s long tenure at the IMF—spanning May 2000 to July 2019—reflects deep expertise in program design, strategy and evaluation, and high-level technical engagement. During his service, he contributed to policy work covering growth and competitiveness, fiscal policy, monetary and financial issues, external sector analysis, and training initiatives supporting policy capacity development in member countries. He also supported program monitoring systems and contributed to the development of results-based management approaches for technical assistance and training delivery.
Beyond the IMF, his experience includes roles at the Inter-American Development Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank as a country economist responsible for macroeconomic engagement and strategic country work in the Caribbean region. His contributions supported country strategies, policy development, risk assessments for lending and development programs, and economic analysis relevant to trade, integration, and growth prospects across multiple jurisdictions.
Across his career, Mr. Tharkur has demonstrated consistent leadership in macroeconomic policymaking, institutional strengthening, and policy advisory work. His professional profile reflects a commitment to rigorous economic analysis combined with practical policy implementation—grounded in senior stakeholder engagement and focused on improving governance, stability, and development outcomes.
