BIS appoints Diego Devos as General Counsel

Press release  | 
13 May 2009

The Board of Directors of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) today announced the appointment of Diego Devos as General Counsel. His appointment takes effect on 1 October 2009 following the retirement at the end of September of Daniel Lefort, who has been General Counsel since January 2006.

Mr Devos joined the BIS in 2006 as Deputy General Counsel. In his new role as head of the Legal Service, Mr Devos will serve as a member of the BIS's Executive Committee, which is responsible for implementing the Bank's strategic and policy direction as determined by the Board.

Mr Devos, 51, brings to the post 28 years of experience in providing legal advice and assistance to central banks and international financial organisations. Before coming to the BIS, he held senior positions in the legal divisions of Euroclear Bank and the National Bank of Belgium. He has a law degree from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.

BIS General Manager Jaime Caruana warmly thanked Mr Lefort for his outstanding service to the Bank and wished him well for the future. Commenting on Mr Devos's appointment, he said: "Diego Devos brings to the role a wealth of knowledge of the legal issues surrounding international financial institutions and central banks as well as a thorough understanding of BIS operations and strategy. I look forward to welcoming him to the senior management team."