Sungsup Ra is Deputy Director General (DDG) / Deputy Group Chief (DGC), Sectors Group. He supports the Sectors Group Director General and Chief in leading ADB-wide strategies, knowledge, partnership, and innovations of the education, energy, finance, health, transport, urban, and water sectors.
Prior to his current role, Mr. Ra was Chief Sector Officer (CSO) of the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department (SDCC), Director of the South Asia Human and Social Development Division (SAHS) and Chair of the Education Sector Group for more than ten years. Since he joined ADB in 2001, he worked in various leadership capacities including as Director of the Pacific Strategy and Special Operations, as Senior Advisor to the Managing Director General, and as Deputy Country Director for Bangladesh and Nepal.
As a strategic and innovative leader, he led high-level policy dialogues with developing countries and significantly contributed to ADB’s recent expansion in the social sector. During the COVID-19 pandemic period, he led ADB’s emergency response in health, education, and social protection in South Asia. He is actively involved in global initiatives such as the international financing facility for education, pandemic response and preparedness, and energy transition.
Before joining ADB, Mr. Ra worked with Samsung and Korean National Pension. He also taught at leading universities in Japan, Korea, and US— International Christian University, Tokyo, Korea University, Seoul, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds a Doctorate Degree in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States.