Karlis Smits is the Lead Economist and Program Leader for Economic Policy for Eastern Europe, and is based in Kyiv, Ukraine. In this role, he coordinates the World Bank’s program in economic policy (macrostructural issues, finance, governance, trade, and investment) in these three countries, and leads a key sectoral dialogue with government counterparts.

Mr. Smits has worked at the World Bank since 2006. He has held assignments focusing on issues of economic growth, structural reforms, and fiscal policy in a diverse set of countries, including China and Turkey. More recently, Karlis Smits has worked on World Bank’s corporate assignments to support the implementation of key initiatives related to debt transparency and debt restructuring. Before joining the World Bank, Mr. Smits worked as a deputy director of the economic policy department at the Ministry of Economy in Latvia.

Mr. Smits holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Queen's University in Canada.