Ashlene van der Colff has been named as the new director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Office of Internal Audit. She is set to replace Nancy Onyango on March 4, 2024.
Managing Director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, announced in a news release on January 26: "I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ashlene van der Colff as Director of the Office of Internal Audit. I have informed the Executive Board of my intention to proceed with this appointment." Georgieva further highlighted that "Ashlene joins the Fund at a critical time when our member countries are facing ever-evolving shocks and risks. With her deep expertise in financial risk management and reputation as a strategic thinker and strong people manager, I am confident that she will provide excellent leadership to OIA and uphold its high standards." The release also stated that van der Colff is a South African national.
According to her LinkedIn profile, van der Colff brings over two decades of experience in internal and external audit, risk management, operations, human resources, and information technology. Prior to joining the IMF, she held positions at KPMG in Cape Town, South Africa; Liberty Corporate in Johannesburg; MMI Holdings; and FirstRand Group in Sandton where she served as Chief Audit Executive.
She holds multiple degrees from the University of Cape Town including a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Sociology; a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting; a Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting; and a Higher Diploma in Tax Law.
Onyango's official biography reveals that she was appointed Director of the Office of Internal Audit in February 2018. She previously served as CEO of Reliance Risk Advisory Solutions, which she founded herself. Onyango also held independent memberships on Fairtrade America and Global Give Back Circle (USA) boards. Her past affiliations include Fairtrade Africa, Fairtrade International, Kenya Commercial Bank Group, Financial Sector Deepening Africa, and Cytonn Investments Limited.