The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday appointed Xiaoqin Fan as its new country director for Pakistan, a statement from the body said.

According to the statement by ADB, Fan “will oversee ADB’s operations in Pakistan, including the implementation of the country partnership strategy (CPS) that prioritises lifting growth, increasing resilience, and boosting competitiveness”.

“She will also lead the consultation for the new CPS covering the period from 2026 to 2030,” it added.

A national of New Zealand, the official has a Doctorate in Economics from the Australian National University, and Master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Lanzhou University in China, with 30 years of professional experience, including 22 years in ADB.

Fan had joined ADB in June 2002 as an economist, and since then has held positions of increasing responsibility in various departments across the bank.

Regarding her role, Fan said, “I am delighted to be back in Pakistan to lead the country office. I look forward to promoting ADB’s longstanding partnership with the government and people of Pakistan.”

“ADB will continue to work closely with Pakistans federal and provincial governments, the private sector, and other stakeholders to speed-up economic recovery, implement reforms, and champion policies and development processes to create jobs,” she said, adding that the institution was going scale up their support for climate resilience, private sector development, and institutional development.

“We will continue to foster livable cities, rural development, digital ecosystems, growth centers, and regional cooperation and integration,” she added.

Fan succeeds Yong Ye who held the post from 2021.

Prior to joining ADB, she also worked as a policy adviser at the Department of Finance and Administration in Australia, an Economist at the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research in New Zealand, and a Researcher at Lanzhou University in China.