01/06/2021 - Mathias Cormann took office today as the sixth Secretary-General of the OECD.

Ministers and senior officials of the Organisation’s 38 Member countries and outgoing Secretary-General Angel Gurría welcomed Mr Cormann in a handover ceremony at the OECD Headquarters in Paris during Part I of the two-part 2021 Meeting of the OECD Council at Ministerial Level (MCM).

“I am deeply honoured and humbled by the trust and confidence you have shown in appointing me as your OECD Secretary-General. I am ambitious for the OECD and what it can achieve with Members, for Members, and most importantly, for the people in Member countries. You can count on me to give it my absolute best as we work towards a better future, together.” Mr Cormann said.

Mr Cormann, who has been appointed by member governments to serve a five-year term, was Australia’s Finance Minister from 2013-2020 and was Leader of the Government in the Senate from 2017-2020. He also served as Minister for the Public Service in 2018-2019.

Watch a replay of the handover ceremony

The 2021 MCM, chaired by the United States with Korea and Luxembourg as Vice-Chairs, will be held in two editions.  Edition 1, from 31 May – 1 June, has gathered Leaders and Ministers from the OECD’s 38 countries virtually under the theme of “Shared Values: Building a Green and Inclusive Future”. Key areas of discussion on Day 1 included the global economic situation, lessons to date from the COVID-19 pandemic and priorities for the recovery.

The second edition of the MCM will take place in the autumn and will focus on longer-term issues including the OECD’s future priorities and transforming policy ambitions into deliverable actions that reinforce a shared goal to build a green and inclusive future.

A Ministerial statement summarizing outcomes of this week’s meeting will be issued at the close of the Ministerial, alongside a press conference at 15:30 CEST. 

Links to further information:

• Mr Cormann’s Biography and Vision Statement  
• The OECD’s 60-year History and a list of former OECD Secretaries-General
• General information About the OECD and the Secretary-General Selection Process

For further information, journalists are invited to contact the OECD Media Office (+33 1 45 24 97 00).

Working with over 100 countries, the OECD is a global policy forum that promotes policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.