Belgrade to become EBRD regional headquarters for South-Eastern Europe – Grzegorz Zielinski new Managing Director

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has appointed Grzegorz Zielinski Managing Director for South‑Eastern Europe with effect from June 1, 2026.

Zelinski will be based in the EBRD’s regional headquarters in Belgrade and lead the bank’s operations in the six Western Balkans countries, plus Bulgaria, Romania and Greece. He will succeed Charlotte Ruhe, who is retiring at the end of June after leading the bank’s wider Central and South-Eastern Europe region, the EBRD announced.

As Managing Director, Zielinski will work closely with country teams, public authorities, private‑sector clients and a variety of partners to advance investments, policy dialogue and reform activities across South-Eastern Europe.

– Belgrade becoming the EBRD’s regional headquarters for South-Eastern Europe sends a strong message about the importance of Serbia to the Bank and the wider region. From here, we will coordinate activities in the Western Balkans, as well as in Bulgaria, Romania and Greece, strengthening partnerships and delivering concrete results where they are most needed – said Zelinski.

A Polish national, Zielinski joined the EBRD in 1998 from Ernst & Young. In nearly three decades of working at the bank, he has been in a number of leading positions in the fields of energy, investments and regional management.

He worked as a banker in the Power and Energy Utilities team, leading Bank investments in various geographies, before taking responsibility for the coordination of investment in renewables and regional energy coverage in central Europe. In 2014, Zielinski was appointed Country Director for Poland, with his responsibilities subsequently expanding to include the Baltic states and other countries in central Europe.

In 2018, he became Regional Director for Central Europe and the Baltic States, overseeing the Bank’s activities in eight countries and managing five EBRD offices across the region. In 2021, he joined the Sustainable Infrastructure Group as Director, Energy Europe, where he currently leads the bank’s Energy Europe team, promoting the EBRD’s mandate and supporting the transition to green energy through investments and policy engagement across Europe.

The EBRD estimates that his extensive knowledge of the bank’s operations and strategic priorities will be instrumental in further strengthening the EBRD’s impact across south-eastern Europe.

South‑Eastern Europe plays a strategically important role in the EBRD’s portfolio, and the bank’s work across the region focuses on advancing sustainable infrastructure, supporting the transition to green energy, strengthening energy security, enhancing private‑sector competitiveness and accelerating climate‑aligned investment.

EBRD Evropska banka za obnovu i razvoj Beograd

EBRD

Grzegorz Zielinski

Charlotte Ruhe

EBRD Managing Director for South Eastern Europe