Jason Allford assumed duties as the Special Representative of the World Bank Group (WBG) to the Republic of Korea in August 2021. The WBG Office in Korea includes staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Finance Corporation, and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. The WBG Korea Office partners with Korean organizations to support development outcomes in low- and middle-income countries, focusing on solutions that utilize Korean technology and innovation. The office supports Korean businesses to make impactful investments in developing economies, and it links policymakers in World Bank Group member countries with state-of-the-art solutions to development problems.
An Australian national, Mr. Allford worked with the Australian Government from 1994 to 2014, focusing on macroeconomic analysis, forecasting and fiscal policy. He worked at the World Bank Group from 2014 to 2018, representing 15 countries from Asia and the Pacific including Korea at the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors. He has also worked as an adviser on fiscal policy to governments in Africa, East Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Mr. Allford holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Tasmania.