Brigita Schmögnerová (Slovakia)

Mrs. Brigita Schmögnerová of Slovakia was appointed Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) on 28 February 2002.
Ms. Schmögnerová was born on 17 November 1947 in Bratislava, Slovakia. She completed her university studies, earning her PhD degree from the School of Economics in Bratislava. She pursued professional training at the University of Athens and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Ms. Schmögnerová worked as a researcher in the Institute of Economics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, and as a lecturer at the University of Economics, Bratislava.
Ms. Schmögnerová served as economic adviser to the President of the Slovak Republic (1993), Deputy Prime Minister (1994), and Finance Minister (1998-2002). From 1995-1998 she served as a Member of Parliament.
Ms. Schmögnerová was awarded the World Finance Minister of the Year Award (2000) by Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, which cited her courage in implementing important reforms in the banking sector, macroeconomic stabilization programmes, tax administration and fiscal management.
In her capacity as a Governor or alternate Governor, Ms. Schmögnerová worked closely with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. She also contributed to the Slovak membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2000) and acceleration of the Slovak pre-accession process to the European Union.
Ms. Schmögnerová has published numerous articles in the fields of econometrics, privatization and transition. She has also written books of poetry and essays.
Ms. Schmögnerová is married, with one son.