WASHINGTON, July 10, 2023 – The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington is pleased to announce that Tim Callen has joined the institute as a visiting fellow.

Tim Callen is a former assistant director in the Middle East and Central Asia department at the International Monetary Fund. He served as the IMF’s mission chief for Saudi Arabia and as the chief of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries’ division from 2012-21. He was responsible for the IMF’s engagement with the government of Saudi Arabia and for the institution’s research and publications on the country. He also led the IMF’s research program on the GCC region. From 2021-22, he served as special advisor to the executive director for Saudi Arabia at the IMF’s Executive Board. Callen’s research interests focus on oil exporting countries and include prospects and policies for economic diversification away from oil, frameworks and institutions to limit procyclical fiscal policy, and appropriate exchange rate policies. Callen joined the IMF in 1993 and also worked in the Asia and Pacific, Communications, and Research departments. Before joining the IMF, he worked in the Economic Departments at the Bank of England and the Reserve Bank of Australia and at Hambros Bank. He holds a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Essex and a master’s in economics from the University of Warwick.

Callen commented, “I’m very excited to be joining AGSIW, an organization I know well from my time working on Saudi Arabia and the broader Gulf region at the International Monetary Fund. I have always benefitted from my interactions with AGSIW scholars and have enjoyed participating in AGSIW events. I look forward to working closely with the AGSIW community and furthering my research on Gulf economic issues.”

AGSIW Executive Vice President William Roebuck said, “AGSIW is delighted to welcome Tim Callen as a visiting fellow. Tim’s impressive tenure at the IMF, focusing for nearly a decade on Saudi Arabia in particular, as well as covering the other GCC countries, situates him perfectly to address the broad issues of economic diversification in the Gulf and the full range of fiscal challenges these countries face. His expertise and breadth of experience position him perfectly to cover these critical economic issues for AGSIW.”

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The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW) is an independent, nonprofit institution dedicated to highlighting the importance of the relationship between the United States and the Gulf region through free and open exchange of multiple points of view on issues that concern the Gulf.

AGSIW strives to support this goal by:

• Providing expert analysis and thoughtful debate on the economic, energy, environmental, security, social, cultural, and political dimensions of the Gulf Arab states as well as their relations with the United States and other countries.
• Informing a global audience of policymakers, legislators, businesspeople, academics, media, youth, and others as the foundation for strategic decisions regarding this important region.
• Employing multiple avenues to inform public understanding of the importance of the relationship between the United States and the Gulf Arab states.
• Encouraging strong academic coverage by developing scholars who concentrate on the study of the region.