IMF Connect

Sariha Moya
Minister of Economy and Finance, Ecuador

An economist with over 12 years of public sector experience, she has built a solid career across key institutions such as the Ministry of Finance, the National Secretariat for Planning, the Ministry of Government, and the Ministry of Interior, holding key technical positions. She has also served as a university lecturer, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in fiscal policy, public sector economics, among others. She has led social projects both within Ecuador and abroad, drawing on her expertise in public policy. Most recently, as National Secretary for Planning under the government of President Daniel Noboa, she led fundamental process to strengthen the country’s fiscal architecture, prioritize public investment, and align the national development plan with budgetary programming.

With a strong technical and strategic vision, she has promoted the articulation between national priorities, international development frameworks and multilateral commitments. Her leadership has been marked by a commitment to responsible, transparent, and sustainable fiscal management. Her work has focused on strengthening intersectoral coordination within the ministerial cabinet to implement and monitor the National Development Plan and its Annual Investment Plan.

Rodrigo Valdés
Director of the Western Hemisphere Department, IMF

Rodrigo Valdés is a Chilean economist and has been the Director of the Western Hemisphere Department at the IMF since May 2023. Prior to joining the Fund, he served as a Professor of Economics at the Catholic University of Chile and held board positions in various private sector companies. Previously, he served as Chile's Minister of Finance from 2015 to 2017. Throughout his career, Mr. Valdés has held prominent roles at the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank, including Director of Research and Chief Economist. Additionally, he has served as Deputy Director of the IMF’s Western Hemisphere Department (where he also was mission chief for the US) and European Department. Mr. Valdés has significant experience in the banking sector, having been the President of the Board and Executive Committee at Banco Estado, Chile’s sole state-owned bank. He has also worked as Director and Chief Economist for Latin America at Barclays Capital and as Chief Economist (Latin America ex-Brazil) at investment bank BTG Pactual. Mr. Valdés earned a PhD in Economics from MIT and a BA in Economics from the University of Chile. His contributions extend to publishing numerous academic and policy papers on monetary and fiscal policies, as well as on international finance.