Pierre Passin

Pierre Passin is the Deputy Director General of Asian Development Bank’s Information Technology Department (ITD). Mr. Passin is responsible for IT infrastructure, platforms, technology innovation and cyber-defense. Mr. Passin, a national of France, has 20 years of multilateral development banks experience running IT systems covering software/systems development, infrastructure, integration, security and support.

Jazira Asanova

Jazira Asanova has over 20 years of experience, including 15 years with ADB as staff in East Asia Department, Central and West Asia Department, South Asia Department, and Strategy, Policy and Review Department (SPD). In SPD, she led development of ADB’s corporate results frameworks for 2017-2020 and 2019-2024. Jazira designed and implemented investment projects in the education sector in the People’s Republic of China, Mongolia, Central Asia, and Caucuses and in South Asia Department, she leads knowledge management and capacity development initiatives.

Marc Lepage

Marc has worked in the knowledge and technology innovation for development context since 1998.

Marc currently works at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as Principal IT specialist (technology innovation), based at ADB headquarter in Manila, Philippines.

Marc advises and supports ADB with its 2030 digital agenda, by designing and implementing ADB’s digital sandboxes programme, an initiative aiming at using emerging digital technologies like artificial intelligence, blockchain and robotics to future-proof ADB and support its transformation into an agile organization.

Ozzeir Khan

Ozzeir Khan is the Director of the Office of Business Relationships and IT Strategy for Digital Innovation within Asian Development Bank. He is currently also heading the ADB Digital Innovation Sandbox Program.

He has worked for United Nations and global financial banking services sector in Asia, Europe, and the USA.

Aape Pohjavirta

Aape Pohjavirta is the Founder and President of Funzi, a mobile learning service. Funzi gives the world’s billions of mobile users access to motivating and useful learning. An opportunity to develop skills to build a better tomorrow. High quality, relevant courses delivered with a combination of effective pedagogy and an engaging experience

In his role at Funzi, Aape has become a recognized industry leader with a vision of how science, technology, and innovation will contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

ADB Conference on Economic Development 2017: Entrepreneurship, Firm Dynamics, and New Technologies

With the theme “Entrepreneurship, Firm Dynamics, and New Technologies," this conference promoted the exchange of new research and ideas among researchers, development practitioners, and policymakers on significant and emerging topics in economic development. Top researchers in the fields of development, trade, and management, as well as country experts and entrepreneurs participated in the event.

Welcome Address - Financial Inclusion in the Digital Economy

Asian Development Bank’s Bambang Susantono in his welcome address at this conference highlighted how (i) a sharing economy gathers individuals, companies, governments, and policy makers to share information and resources, creating a network effect and impact that increases access and value for all involved; (ii) digital finance is changing the value proposition for customers and institutions, from microfinance to remittances to government to person payments; and (iii) digital technologies and big data now allow financial service providers to more effectively serve the financially excluded.

Carolyn Dedolph Cabrera

Carolyn has diverse experience in change management, knowledge management, and communications work for development and research organizations. She is currently focusing on the people side of technology for the Digital Innovation Sandbox Program. Her current initiative is developing the Digital Fitness 101 Program, which aims to equip ADB’s employees with a basic understanding of digital technologies. Carolyn’s career has spanned agriculture, climate change, sustainability, communications, knowledge, change, and digital innovation.

Bruno Carrasco

Bruno Carrasco leads ADB-wide knowledge and innovation work in all thematic and sector operation areas, establishes sector and thematic policies and strategies, and ensures compliance with environment and social safeguards policies. He also oversees the administration of trust funds and global funding initiatives. He provides advice to management on various ADB-wide strategic and policy matters, annual and medium-term work plans, and major operational matters. He has worked at ADB for more than 23 years and has served in countries across all of its regional departments.