AfDB announces appointments of three new Vice-Presidents
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has appointed three new senior executives to the positions of Vice-Presidents.
In statements issued Sunday October 23, 2016 and copied to ghanabusinessnews.com, the AfDB says it has appointed Vice-Presidents for Power, Energy and Green Growth, Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization and for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery.
The appointees are Amadou Hott – Vice-President, Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, Pierre Guislain, Vice-President, Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization and Dr Khaled Sherif as Vice President, Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery.
The appointments of Hott and Dr. Sherif take effect on November 1, while that of Guislain takes effect on December 1, 2016.
Mr Amadou Hott, who is a Senegalese, is described as a top-notch management executive who brings along 20 years of experience in the private sector that span structured finance, investment banking, infrastructure investments and development of integrated energy solutions.
He was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Senegal, where he is spearheading major infrastructure investments, including energy projects and renewable energy.
The statement notes that he brings extensive experience on power and energy from his work as Assistant Director, Energy and Resources Group, United Kingdom, where he led and provided integrated energy solutions for clients, ranging from structured financing for power and utilities, oil and gas, metals and mining sectors. As the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Afribridge Capital, an Africa-focused advisory and Investment Company, he advised on power, energy, information, communications and technologies, mining and banking sectors.
He is also experienced in structuring finance for power and energy projects and passionate about solving Africa’s power and energy needs, especially in renewable energy and balanced energy mix.
According to the statement, he has led several projects in power including the first solar project in Senegal (30 MW) under construction and to be commissioned in three months and Scaling Solar for 200 MW with the first phase of 100 MW and development of 400-600 MW in negotiation with the National Power Utility of Senegal. As an Investment Banker, he advised on various oil and gas and power projects at the ABN Amro Bank in London and at the Millennium Finance Corporation in Dubai.
Mr. Hott served as the Chief Executive Officer of the investment-banking subsidiary of United Bank for Africa (UBA) PLC, with presence in 20 African countries. He served as Chairman of AIBD SA, Senegal’s new international airport project. He had worked as Director for Africa for the Millennium Finance Corporation, where he was responsible for project finance transactions covering energy, mining, ICT and banking etc. in Africa and the Middle East.
He went to school in France, where he obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Master’s Degree in Financial Markets and Banking Management from Sorbonne University, Paris. In 2012, the World Economic Forum nominated him as a Young Global Leader.
Mr Pierre Guislain, who is a Belgian national, currently works as a Senior Director at the World Bank, where he provides global leadership for the Global Practice on Transport and Information and Communications.
According to the statement, he has built an impressive career at the World Bank, spanning more than 30 years. He worked previously as Director for the Investment Climate Department of the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank Group (2006-2014) and Manager of the World Bank Group’s Information and Communications Technology Division (2001-2005).
He currently manages the World Bank’s Global Practice portfolio of $42 billion on transport and information and communications infrastructure. He is widely respected for his global leadership in pushing for regulatory reforms in the telecoms industry, moving away from the monopolistic telecoms operators to a competitive sector with private sector participation, contributing to what became a major driver of economic and private sector growth, especially in Africa.
He brings extensive experience in private sector and infrastructure development. As Director, Investment Climate Department of the International Finance Corporation, he managed a team of 300 professionals across the world, it notes.
He also brings along a strong background as an economist and lawyer with many years of experience and senior leadership experience at the World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). As Director of the Investment Climate Department of the IFC, he advised governments on improving their business and investment opportunities through improved business registration, licencing, business taxation, foreign direct investment, trade logistics, debt resolution, commercial dispute settlement and policies promoting the private sector. He successfully integrated the separate teams from the World Bank, IFC and MIGA into a single integrated department.
Mr Pierre Guislain holds a Masters in Public Administration in Economics and Public Policy from Princeton University, USA, a Bachelor’s degree in Belgian and International Law, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium.
Dr. Khaled Sherif, an Egyptian national, is a highly respected and experienced economist and manager with 25 years of experience within the World Bank, spanning strategic, operational and technical expertise in development and development finance. He comes with deep knowledge and extensive experience in project development, portfolio management and regional operations management, the statement says.
Indicating that he rose progressively through the ranks in the World Bank, joined through the Young Professional Program and moved up as Senior Economist, Principal Economist, Lead Economist and Sector Manager for private and financial sector development, and later became the Chief Administrative Officer – the Chief Operations Officer of the World Bank’s Africa Region.
As the Chief Financial/Administrative Officer for the Africa Region of the World Bank, he oversaw the largest region within the World Bank, which accounts for approximately half of the entire organization’s operational budget. Reporting to the Vice President for Africa region, he led a team of 250 professionals across Africa, responsible for operations work for 38 regional offices.
Under his leadership, the Africa Region doubled its volume of annual lending from under $ 4 billion to over $ 8 billion. He was responsible for strategic planning and policy development across the World Bank’s operations in Africa, and brings along wide experience in managing operations in Middle East, North Africa, South and East Asia.
It indicates that he also previously served as the Chief Administrative Officer, Network Operations in the Human Development Network of the World Bank, where he managed nearly $2 billion in bank-executed Trust Funds.
He helped to create the Regional Integration Department in Africa for the World Bank and brings unique set of skills in working with Regional Economic Communities on regional integration projects. He brings particular expertise in strategic planning, budget control and management and working with others to deliver actionable, locally tailored regional and country strategies. He possesses a unique combination of technical expertise in the private sector, managing regional integration, financial sector development, banking operations, strategic planning and organizational reform and change management. These will help the Bank to spearhead its regional integration agenda and ensure the success of the decentralization action plan.
Dr. Sherif studied economics, public policy, earning his Bachelors (1981) and Masters degree in economics (1983) and a second Masters degree in political science from the American University of Cairo (1989), and a PhD in public policy and management from Boston University in 1986.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi