Lisa Kaestner was appointed as IFC’s Regional Manager for Ukraine and Moldova in July 2022. Initially overseeing both countries, Kaestner now focuses exclusively on Ukraine. In this capacity, she is responsible for IFC’s work to mobilize investment and support the private sector in Ukraine and overseeing IFC’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the post-war recovery agenda in the region. Ms. Kaestner has taken on this role at a time when the region is deeply affected by war and economic uncertainty. Despite the challenges, the private sector can play a significant role in the recovery of the region and its economic transformation.

A US national, Kaestner joined IFC in 1999 as the resident representative in Georgia. Since then, she has fulfilled a variety of roles in both IFC and World Bank mostly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. From 2018-2022, Kaestner gained experience in Africa, where she led IFC's advisory services to governments in Eastern and Southern Africa, supporting reforms and policy implementation for private sector-led growth across a range of sectors—including agribusiness, tourism, and housing to ICT and the financial sector. Most recently, she briefly served as the County Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives until being asked to take up the role in Ukraine and Moldova, due to the unprecedented circumstances.

Before IFC, she worked with several nonprofit development organizations in the South Caucasus region. Lisa holds a master’s degree in public policy and economics from Princeton University.