The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Pavit Ramachandran as Country Director for the Philippines. He assumes office today.
Mr Ramachandran will lead ADB operations in the Philippines, with an active portfolio of about US$8.7 billion. He will manage ADB’s relationship with the government, private sector, and development partners.
He will oversee the implementation of ADB’s current country partnership strategy (CPS) for the Philippines, which identified up to US$4 billion worth of sovereign loans for 2023. This includes transformative infrastructure projects such as the Davao Public Transport Modernisation Project and the Bataan–Cavite Interlink Bridge Project, both among the government’s priority projects.
He will supervise the preparation of ADB’s CPS covering 2024–2029, which aims to advance and enhance ADB’s efforts to intensify climate action; improve climate-smart connectivity through transport, digital technology, and energy; and invest in Filipinos’ welfare.
“ADB has a unique and enduring partnership with the Philippines, being its host country,” said Mr Ramachandran. “I am excited to work on further solidifying this strong relationship with the government and supporting the country 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.”
Prior to his appointment to the Philippine Country Office, Mr. Ramachandran was Country Director for Mongolia where he oversaw the preparation and implementation of ADB’s CPS for Mongolia, 2021–2024, managed the overall country portfolio and program, and led its knowledge management efforts. He coordinated the delivery of a number of initiatives that enhanced ADB’s reputation as the leading development partner in Mongolia.
He has over 25 years of international development experience, including a combined 19 years in ADB both as staff and consultant. He joined ADB in May 2009 as an Environment Specialist in the Southeast Asia Department after serving as a consultant for 5 years. He was later appointed as Principal Environment Specialist of ADB’s East Asia Department.
He will bring with him extensive operational experience in designing and implementing programs and projects spanning 10 countries in Southeast Asia and East Asia. He has sectoral proficiency in the agriculture, natural resource, and environment areas and experience in leading regional programs in the Greater Mekong Subregion, Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area, and Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Growth Triangle. He has previously worked on Philippine projects from 2009 to 2014 and has an appreciation of the institutional context in the country.
An Indian national, Mr Ramachandran holds master’s degrees in public management from the University of Maryland in the United States (US) and in development sociology from the Delhi School of Economics in India. His previous experience includes consulting stints with management consulting firms in the US, focusing on energy regulation and policies on climate change abatement strategies.
Mr Ramachandran succeeds outgoing Country Director Kelly Bird, who served in the Philippines from 2018 and was recently appointed as Advisor for ADB’s East Asia Department.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.
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