Yesim Elhan-Kayalar has over 29 years of work experience in development agencies, private sector, and academia in 27 countries. She has worked at regional, national and local levels to create long-term development solutions with private sector and beneficiary participation in energy, public management, transport, and water sectors. As Country Director, she leads ADB’s development strategy formulation in Georgia and oversees country program implementation. Prior to her current post, Elhan-Kayalar led the public management and governance portfolio of ADB in 10 central and west Asia countries. She developed policy, provided operational support and knowledge solutions for ADB operations on public management and public-private partnerships across Asia and the Pacific.
She has a PhD in economics from University of California; degrees, qualifications in finance and management from Harvard University and University of Michigan, among others. She has published and taught in the fields of economics, finance, and led research on behavioral finance and competitiveness policy.