The Asian Development Bank has appointed Yasuyuki Sawada, a professor at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Economics, as its chief economist.
Sawada, who holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Master's in International Development Policy from Stanford University, will be the first Japanese to take up the position since the bank's establishment in 1966, it said Wednesday.
He has over 20 years of experience as an economist, researcher and academic and is an expert on development economics and applied microeconometrics. He is expected to assume office in spring 2017.
During his career, Sawada has worked at the ADB Institute in Tokyo and served as a consultant for various projects at the World Bank Group, according to the ADB.
As chief economist, he will act as the ADB's spokesperson on economic issues and head its Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, which carries out policy research on development challenges facing Asia and the Pacific. It also produces the Asian Development Outlook, the bank's flagship economic report.