ADB appoints new country director for Kazakhstan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Utsav Kumar as its new Country Director for Kazakhstan. He assumed office today, Kazinform News Agency has learnt from the Bank's press service. 

Mr. Kumar will lead ADB operations in the country and foster the bank’s relationships with the government and other stakeholders. He will oversee the implementation of ADB’s country partnership strategy, 2023–2027 for Kazakhstan, which aims to help the country achieve sustained and inclusive growth through public and private sector investments, innovative knowledge solutions, and institutional development.

“For 30 years, ADB has been Kazakhstan’s reliable development partner,” said Mr. Kumar. “I look forward to building on our strong partnership and working closely with the government, private sector, and other stakeholders to support the country’s development priorities. We will continue to assist Kazakhstan in addressing the impacts of climate change and decarbonizing its economy, promoting inclusive economic growth, and strengthening governance.”

Mr. Kumar has 18 years of international experience, including more than 11 years at ADB. Prior to his appointment to Kazakhstan, he was ADB Deputy Country Director for Sri Lanka where he led country programming, knowledge, and economics work, as well as helped to manage various aspects of client engagement and development partner coordination.

Mr. Kumar, a national of India, holds doctorate and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Maryland at College Park in the United States, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in economics from the University of Delhi in India. He succeeded outgoing Country Director Nariman Mannapbekov who held this position from 2020 and was recently appointed Advisor to ADB’s Central and West Asia Department.