Grzegorz Zieliński to lead EBRD’s operations in South‑Eastern Europe

EBRD’s new Managing Director for South‑Eastern Europe Grzegorz Zieliński is assuming the office at the beginning of next month, succeeding Charlotte Ruhe. Separately, the lender has appointed its Director and Regional Head of the Western Balkans Matteo Colangeli to the post of managing director for finance and development of small and medium-sized enterprises, effective on June 1 as well.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has a new role for its Director and Head of Energy in Europe Grzegorz Zieliński. From June 1, he will lead the operations in the Western Balkans alongside Bulgaria, Romania and Greece. New Managing Director for South‑Eastern Europe Grzegorz Zieliński is succeeding Charlotte Ruhe, who is retiring after leading the multilateral development bank’s wider Central and South-Eastern Europe region.

He will guide the EBRD’s engagement, ensuring that investments deliver tangible benefits, respond to evolving regional challenges and contribute to sustainable long‑term growth, the announcement reads. Based in Belgrade, Serbia, he has a task to work closely with country teams, public authorities, private sector clients and a variety of partners to advance investments, policy dialogue and reform activities across South-Eastern Europe, the lender added.

Zieliński has nearly three decades of experience in EBRD

A Polish national, Zieliński joined the EBRD in 1998 from Ernst and Young. He worked as a banker in the Power and Energy Utilities team, leading investments in various geographies, before taking responsibility for the coordination of investment in renewables and regional energy coverage in Central Europe. In 2014, he became country director for Poland, with his responsibilities subsequently expanding to include the Baltic states and other countries in the region.

In 2018, Zieliński became regional director for Central Europe and the Baltic states, overseeing activities in eight countries and managing five offices.

In 2021, he joined the Sustainable Infrastructure Group as director of the Energy Europe team, promoting the EBRD’s mandate and supporting the transition to green energy. The new regional chief has delivered complex investment programmes, advanced policy reform and managed large multi-country operations, the bank pointed out.

SEE has a strategic role for the EBRD

The fact that Belgrade is becoming the EBRD’s regional seat for South-Eastern Europe is a strong message about the significance of Serbia for the bank and the wider region, Zieliński stressed.

South‑Eastern Europe plays a strategically important role in the portfolio, encompassing diverse economies at different stages of transition alongside markets with continued reform needs, according to the update.

The bank said its work across the region focuses on advancing sustainable infrastructure, supporting the transition to green energy, strengthening energy security, enhancing private sector competitiveness and accelerating climate‑aligned investment, while deepening policy engagement and institutional reform to support long‑term resilience and inclusive growth.

Last week at Belgrade Energy Forum – BEF 2026, Zieliński was part of the panel titled Decarbonisation Strategies of Energy-Intensive Industries. Balkan Green Energy News held the annual conference for the fourth time in Serbia’s capital.

Matteo Colangeli leaving Belgrade for London HQ

Separately, Director and Regional Head of the Western Balkans Matteo Colangeli is switching to the position of managing director for SME finance and development, EBRD revealed. From June 1, he will be based at the London headquarters.

In more than two decades at the bank, he spent time in positions including Kyiv, Sofia, Tirana and Belgrade. Colangeli oversaw a scaleup of the operations in the Western Balkans, with annual investment volumes reaching EUR 1.6 billion in recent years, EBRD said.