Mahfuzuddin Ahmed is a Finance, Rural Development, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Specialist with over 30 years of experience on agriculture, food security, rural development and climate change initiatives covering more than 30developing countries in Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Dr. Ahmed has worked for several multilateral and bilateral organizations, including World Bank and Asian Development Bank(ADB).

Abul works on food security and rural development issues, contributes to ADB’s agenda of sustainable development, and supports the ADB-wide knowledge management process on food security and sustainability.

Diwakar oversees ADB's assistance to private sector projects with a clear development impact but limited access to capital. Gupta was Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of the State Bank of India, where he was responsible for setting strategies and direction alongside other members of the State Bank’s Central Management Committee. He joined the State Bank of India in 1974 and held several positions at its various units and subsidiaries. 

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.

Akmal is a natural resource economist with extensive experience in sustainable development. In his 22-year career at ADB, Akmal has prepared a number of development projects and contributed to country strategies in several countries in the Asia and the Pacific. He has promoted creative project interventions in water resources management, horticulture and dairy value chains, animal disease control, and forest plantations. He has successfully led important policy dialogues with high-level government officials.

Bambang Susantono is the Chairman of the Nusantara National Capital Authority of the Republic of Indonesia since March 2022. The agency, a ministerial-level body directly under the President, is in charge of planning and constructing Indonesia’s new capital, as well as overseeing the government’s transition to the new city and eventually becoming its administrator.

David is currently working at FAO’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok.  He specializes in agricultural and food policy analysis, much of it concerned with the Asian and world rice economies. He has spent much of his professional career resident in Southeast Asia, having worked for the Harvard Institute for International Development in Indonesia, the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines and FAO in Thailand, in addition to working several years at FAO headquarters in Rome.  

Takehiko Nakao is the former President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Chairperson of ADB’s Board of Directors. He was elected President by ADB’s Board of Governors and assumed office in April 2013.