ADB names new Philippines country director

MANILA, Philippines — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has named Pavit Ramachandran as its new country director for the Philippines.

Ramachandran   will lead the multilateral lender’s operations in the country.

In a statement, the ADB said Ramachandran succeeds outgoing country director Kelly Bird, who was recently appointed as advisor for ADB’s East Asia department.

Ramachandran, who assumed his post yesterday, will be responsible for handling ADB’s relationship with the government, private sector, and development partners.

In addition, he will oversee the implementation of ADB’s current country partnership strategy, which identified up to $4 billion worth of sovereign loans for this year.

Infrastructure projects that form part of the ADB’s country partnership strategy include the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project and the Bataan–Cavite Interlink Bridge Project.

Ramachandran will also supervise the preparation of ADB’s new country partnership strategy covering 2024 to 2029, which aims to strengthen climate action; improve climate smart connectivity through transport, digital technology, and energy; and invest in Filipinos’ well-being.

“ADB has a unique and enduring partnership with the Philippines, being its host country,” Ramachandran said.

“I am excited to work on further solidifying this strong relationship with the government and supporting the Philippines in finding innovative solutions to its development needs. My immediate priority is to ensure we deliver on our commitments to help the country address its poverty, climate change, and infrastructure development challenges,” he said.

Before being appointed to the Philippines’ country office, Ramachandran served as country director for Mongolia.

He has sectoral proficiency in agriculture, natural resource, and environment areas and has led regional programs in the Greater Mekong Subregion, Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Growth Area, and Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Growth Triangle.

He has also worked on Philippine projects from 2009 to 2014.

Aside from the ADB, he had consulting stints with management consulting firms in the US, with a focus on energy regulation and policies on climate change abatement strategies.