The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Xiaohong Yang as new Country Director for Pakistan. Ms. Yang, who assumed office on April 24, 2017, is the first woman to head ADB’s resident mission to the country.
“I am very pleased to announce Ms. Yang as ADB’s new Country Director for Pakistan,” said Sean O’Sullivan, Director General for Central and West Asia at ADB. “Pakistan’s recent growth and development has been impressive. With further economic and structural reforms taking place and new opportunities emerging, Ms. Yang will bring to this key position strategic leadership and considerable experience in the region to support this transformation.”
Ms. Yang will lead the implementation of ADB’s Country Partnership Strategy 2015-2019 for Pakistan, which focuses on infrastructure development and institutional reforms. ADB has lent an average of $1.5 billion per year to Pakistan over the last three years.
“It is a great honor for me to serve in Pakistan and to help advance the development of this great country,” said Ms. Yang. “ADB has a long-standing partnership with Pakistan. I will work very closely together with my colleagues, the government, development partners, private sector, civil society, and other stakeholders. I look forward to provide innovative products and services that support the country’s goal of promoting and sustaining inclusive growth that reduces poverty and creates more and better jobs, with a specific emphasis on regional cooperation.”
Ms. Yang’s experience in development work spans over three decades, during which she led numerous ADB operations across the East and Central and West Regions, most recently overseeing a portfolio of investment projects totaling $8 billion across 10 countries. She has served as chair of the ADB Transport Sector Group and promoted ADB-wide work in sustainable transport. Ms. Yang successfully led the Transport and Trade Facilitation Strategy 2020, Railway Strategy 2030, and Road Safety Strategy 2030 for the Central Asian Regional Economic Cooperation or CAREC.
Prior to joining ADB in 1999, Ms. Yang served at the World Bank from 1994 to 1998. Ms. Yang, a national of the People’s Republic of China, holds a graduate degree in Economics from Beijing University and a Bachelor’s degree in International Finance from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.
Ms. Yang replaces the outgoing Country Director Werner E. Liepach, who served in Pakistan since 2011, and who has now returned to the ADB Headquarters in the Philippines.
