Ajay Banga. Photo courtesy World Bank.
Washington: Ajay Banga is today selected by the World Bank’s Executive Directors with “resounding approval” as President of the World Bank (WB) for a five-year term beginning June 2, 2023. He becomes the 14th President of the World Bank.
The Executive Directors followed the selection process agreed upon by shareholders in 2011. The process included an open, merit-based, and transparent nomination where any national of the Bank’s membership could be proposed by any Executive Director or Governor through an Executive Director. This was then followed by thorough due diligence and a comprehensive interview of Banga by the Executive Directors.
Reacting to Ajay’s selection, the White House said that the President of the United States, Joe Biden and his administration were looking forward to working with him in this new role. Ajay was Biden’s choice for the coveted post. “Ajay will play a key role steering the World Bank to address global challenges we face, like climate change and pandemics and fragility and conflict, while ushering in the fundamental changes in development finance that this moment requires,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, said. She added that Ajay had the “right leadership and management skills experience in emerging markets and financial expertise to lead the World Bank at a critical moment in its history”.
Ajay Banga most recently served as Vice Chairman at General Atlantic. Previously, he was President and CEO of Mastercard, a global organization with nearly 24,000 employees. Under his leadership, MasterCard launched the Center for Inclusive Growth, which advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. He was the Honorary Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, serving as Chairman from 2020-2022. He became an advisor to General Atlantic’s climate-focused fund, BeyondNetZero, at its inception in 2021. Banga served as Co-Chair of the Partnership for Central America, a coalition of private organizations that works to advance economic opportunity across underserved populations in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. He was previously on the Boards of the American Red Cross, Kraft Foods, and Dow Inc.
Banga is a co-founder of The Cyber Readiness Institute and was Vice Chair of the Economic Club of New York. He was awarded the Foreign Policy Association Medal in 2012, the Padma Shri Award by the President of India in 2016, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Business Council for International Understanding’s Global Leadership Award in 2019, and the Distinguished Friends of Singapore Public Service Star in 2021.
The Board stated that it looks forward to working with Mr. Banga on the World Bank Group Evolution process, as discussed at the April 2023 Spring Meetings, and on all the World Bank Group’s ambitions and efforts aimed at tackling the toughest development challenges facing developing countries.
The President of the World Bank Group is also the Chair of the Board of Executive Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). The President is also ex officio chair of the Board of Directors of the International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and of the Administrative Council of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
– global bihari bureau
