United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed seasoned economist and former State Bank Governor Shamshad Akhtar as the new head of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Akhtar will succeed Noeleen Heyzer of Singapore, who will continue to serve as Special Adviser of the Secretary General for Timor-Leste, according to a press release issued by the UN.
Since 2012, Akhtar has served as the secretary-general’s senior advisor on economic development and finance and as assistant secretary-general in the department of economic and social affairs (DESA).
She has over 30 years of broad experience as an economist with “an impressive track record of policymaking and implementation in the economic, development and finance fields both at the country and regional level.”
Akhtar brings with her broad Asia experience, having advised and structured operations across a number of economies in the region, and having been involved in a range of regional cooperation forums, including Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
The former governor of the State Bank of Pakistan has also served with the World Bank as well as the Asian Development Bank.