Dr. Olivier Mahul leads the Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Program, a joint program between the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and supported by donor partners. The Program provides advisory services on financial protection against natural disasters in more than 50 countries, mainstreaming disaster risk financing and insurance within the broader disaster risk management and climate change adaptation agenda in developing countries. The Program offers financial solutions on sovereign disaster risk financing, property catastrophe risk insurance, agricultural insurance, and disaster-linked social protection, in close collaboration with the private insurance and reinsurance industry.

Since he joined the World Bank in 2003, Olivier has been involved in developing disaster risk financing and insurance solutions in more than 40 countries including Colombia, Costa Rica, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mongolia, India, Mexico, Philippines, etc.  Olivier was closely involved in the product development of the World Bank CAT DDO, a contingent credit line that provides World Bank member countries with immediate budget support in the aftermath of natural disasters.  Since its launch, the CAT DDO has been approved for several countries such Colombia, Costa Rica and the Philippines, for a cumulative amount in excess of US$1.3 billion.  Olivier is one of the key architects of the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, which provides 16 Caribbean island states with parametric insurance against major natural disasters. He has also co-led the establishment of the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Insurance Program, which provides 6 Pacific island countries with parametric catastrophe insurance. 

Olivier holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Toulouse School of Economics and post-doctorates from Wharton Business School and University of California at Berkeley. Olivier has authored more than 40 publications in international journals and two books: “Catastrophe Risk Financing in Developing Countries: Principles for Public Intervention” (with J. David Cummins) and “Government Support to Agricultural Insurance: Challenges and Options for Developing Countries” (with Charles Stutley).