The FINANCIAL — Antonius (Tony) Verheijen assumed office on July 31 as the new Word Bank Country Manager for Tunisia.
Mr. Verheijen comes to Tunisia following four years as the World Bank Country Manager for Serbia, based in Belgrade. He takes over from Eileen Murray, who has been appointed as Advisor to the Center for Mediterranean Integration in Marseille, France.
In his new role, Mr. Verheijen will be responsible for maintaining and strengthening the World Bank’s long standing partnership with Tunisia. He will take the lead in coordinating Bank programs to support the national goal of creating an open economy driven by a dynamic private sector that provides opportunities for all Tunisians, especially women, young people and the lagging regions in the interior, according to the World Bank.
“Tunisia has made significant progress since the 2011 revolution,” said Mr. Verheijen, “and I look forward to working with government officials, the private sector and civil society to maintain that momentum and help the country realize its immense potential.”
Tony Verheijen has had a 15-year career with the World Bank that has spanned three continents and focused primarily on public sector management, civil service reform, governance and anti-corruption, and economic management issues.
Since joining the World Bank in 2002, Mr. Verheijen has worked for the Public Sector Management and Governance department in the Europe and Central Asia region, served as Sector Manager of the Public Sector and Governance department in South Asia, based in New Delhi, India, and as Lead Public Sector Management Specialist and Cluster Leader for East and Central Africa, based in Kampala, Uganda.
Mr. Verheijen brings a wealth of global experience, having worked on projects in South and East Asia, Central and East Africa, Russia and Central Asia and Central and Eastern Europe.
Prior to joining the World Bank, Mr. Verheijen worked as Chief Technical Adviser for the United Nations Development Programme Regional Office in Bratislava, Slovakia, and held positions at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and at the European Institute of Public Administration. He has also held teaching and research positions at various universities, including the College of Europe. He has contributed in particular to transformation processes in Central and Eastern European states in the context of their European Union accession, serving as adviser to European Integration offices and EU accession negotiation teams.
Mr. Verheijen graduated from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, holds an MA in International Relations from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and a PhD from Leiden University.
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