Jean-Michel Severino is a GMF Senior Non-Resident Fellow based in Paris, France. He advises international development cooperation, aid effectiveness, and global political economy. Severino also currently serves as the General Inspector of Finances at the French Ministry of Finance, and Chairman of French Partnership for Water (FPW).

From 2001 to 2010, Severino was the CEO of France’s international development agency, Agence française de développement (AFD). From 1997 to 2000, he served as director for the Central Europe program and vice president for the Asia program at the World Bank. In 2000, Severino served as the General Inspector of Finance within the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and from 1994-1996 he was the director of international development at the French Ministry of Cooperation and Development. From 1990 to 1994 he served as chief of geographic coordination and macro-economy at the French Ministry of Cooperation and Development, and from 1988 – 1990 he served as a technical advisor for economic and financial affairs in the front office of the Minister of Cooperation and Development, Jacques Pelletier. In 1984, Severino was the Inspector of Finance for the French Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Jean-Michel Severino has been member of the High-Level Panel of the African Development Bank established in 2006 to advise the Bank on its strategic vision; of the Commission on the "White book" on France's foreign and European policy; of the High-Level Expert Panel on the System-Wide Coherence of the United Nations.

Severino is also member of several boards including: the European Investment Bank; “Danone.communities”, an innovative mechanism to finance projects with high social impact in poor and emerging countries; “Conservation International”, one of the largest foundations dealing with environment and development; Fondation Sanofi. He sits on Veolia’s Independent evaluation committee on sustainable development.

Severino has been associate professor at the [CERDI] – Université d’Auvergne - and is currently research director at the foundation for international economics and development (FERDI), the largest French foundation and think-tank on development. He is a member of the Academy of Technology, an academic and industrial knowledge and science society.

In October 2007, Severino launched the blog Ideas4development in which contributing authors, including Josette Sheeran, Donald Kaberuka, Kemal Dervis, Pascal Lamy, Abdou Diouf, and Supachai Panitchpakdi, share their visions, doubts, and hopes for international development.

Education
Severino earned a Master of Science in Economics at Paris IX Dauphine University, a Master of Science in Law at Paris I University, and a Master of Science in Business Administration from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris. Severino has also received education at Ecole Nationale d’Administration and Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (SciencesPo).

Honors
Jean-Michel Severino is an officier de l’ordre du mérite and chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. He has been distinguished in their national orders by several countries mostly from Asia and Africa.