Augusto De la Torre

Economist who has combined research, writing, policy advice and public policy formulation throughout his career, with special focus on Latin America.

Currently, De la Torre works internationally as a senior consultant in public policy, teaches at the School of Public and International Affairs at Columbia University, and directs the Center for Economic Research at the University of the Americas (UDLA) in Quito, Ecuador.

He left the World Bank in late 2016, after 20 years of service in various high-level positions, including the past 10 years as Chief Economist for Latin America and, before that, as Head of the Department of Global Financial Systems. Before his career at the World Bank, he served as Governor of the Central Bank of Ecuador (1993-1996) and as an economist for the International Monetary Fund (1986-1992).

De la Torre has published extensively on a wide range of topics in financial, macroeconomic and economic development. He is an active participant in policy forums and academic efforts related to Latin America. He was chosen by Euromoney journal as the "Best Latin Central Banker" for 1996.

He obtained his master's and doctorate and holds a BA in Economics from the University of Notre Dame and a BA in Philosophy from the Catholic University of Ecuador.