EBRD names Tomas Kairys to lead Caucasus operations

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has appointed Tomas Kairys as Director and Head of its Caucasus operations, effective September 1, 2026.

Based in Tbilisi, Kairys will oversee the Bank’s activities across the Caucasus region, strengthening EBRD engagement in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, the EBRD says.

A Lithuanian national, Kairys joined the EBRD in 2006 from the private sector as Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel in London. Between 2011 and 2015, he was based in Istanbul, where he established the Bank’s first legal presence in Türkiye, expanding its operational footprint and deepening regional engagement.

Since 2022, he has led EBRD operations in the Baltic states as Regional Head and Head of the Vilnius Resident Office, overseeing a period of strong investment performance.

Under his leadership, the region recorded four consecutive years of record investment, with €1.9 billion deployed, largely through private-sector transactions, despite heightened geopolitical uncertainty.

The Bank said Kairys brings a combination of transactional expertise, policy experience and extensive knowledge of its financial instruments, alongside a track record of leadership across diverse markets and cultural environments.

By Aghakazim Guliyev