After graduating from Solvay Business School, University of Brussels, Francisco de Paula Coelho, held successively the following positions: financial analyst with Unido, assistant lecturer in Economics at the University of Lisbon and consultant in investment promotion for Emerging Countries in New York, before joining the World Bank, in Washington.
He started his career at the EIB, in 1987, as a loan officer for the ACP countries. In 1989, he was transferred to the Treasury Dept. as Manager of the EIB's bond portfolio, after which, he became Head of the Loans Back Office. In 2000, he was promoted Director of the Dept. for Planning and Settlement of Operations.
Since April 2004, Francisco de Paula Coelho is Director of the Department for Operations in Asia and Latin America.
