Alexandre Kolev currently heads the Employment and Skills Development Technical Programme at the Centre.

He holds a doctorate in labour economics from the European University Institute, Florence, Italy, and a degree in Russian studies from the Institute of Oriental Studies, Paris, France.
Alexandre began his professional career as an operations officer for “Gaz de France” in Russia. He then worked as a research economist for UNICEF’s “Innocenti Research Centre”, Florence, Italy, and later joined the Young Professional Programme of the World Bank, where he graduated as an economist. At the World Bank, he held various positions in the infrastructure front office, the poverty reduction group for the Europe and Central Asia region, and the social protection group for the Middle East and North Africa region.

Before joining the Centre, Alexandre was on leave from the World Bank, working as a project manager for the education and vocational training division of the French development agency. He was also an associate professor at the University of Paris.