Japan’s ex-Vice Minister of Finance new ADB President

Takehiko Nakao has been unanimously elected President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) by its Board of Governors.

Nakao, 57, Japan’s former Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs, assumed office as ADB’s ninth President on 28 April. He succeeds Haruhiko Kuroda, who resigned in March. Nakao will finish the unexpired term of his predecessor, which ends 23 November 2016.

“The ADB Board of Governors looks forward to working with Takehiko Nakao and his strong leadership of the institution,” said P. Chidambaram, Chair of the ADB Board of Governors and Finance Minister of India.

“His extensive experience in international finance and development and broad and deep knowledge of the Asian region will serve ADB well in pursuing its vision of an Asia-Pacific region free of poverty.”

In a career spanning more than three decades, Nakao has held senior positions in the Ministry of Finance of Japan, with extensive experience in international finance and development.

Nakao also served as Visiting Professor at the University of Tokyo in 2010 and 2011, teaching international finance.

Born in 1956, Nakao holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Tokyo and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley.