Humberto López

Humberto Lopez is the World Bank Director of Strategy and Operations for the Latin America and the Caribbean Region. In this position, he oversees the day-to-day operations of the institution in the region and contributes to the definition and successful implementation of the strategic vision for Latin America. Previously, he was the World Bank Country Director for Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama). In that position, he managed the support and technical cooperation programs, financing operations and the studies of these six nations. Before that, he was Director of Economic Policy and Poverty Reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank. In addition, Lopez has an extensive publication record in areas such as fiscal policy, exchange rates, armed conflict and growth. He has also been editor of three books on FTAs, remittances and development, and investment climate in Latin America, and was the principal author of the flagship report of the World Bank's Latin America 2006 on growth and poverty reduction. Before joining the World Bank, Lopez was professor of economics at the University of Salamanca (Spain) and visiting professor at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge (USA). Lopez received a BA from the University of the Basque Country, where he studied economics. He then studied at the University of Warwick (UK), where he earned his master's (1991) before attending the University Institute.