Tetsushi Sonobe appointed as Dean of Asian Development Bank Institute

Mr. Sonobe, a Japanese national, is currently the Vice President of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) and a Professor at GRIPS’ School of Policy Studies in Tokyo, with a specialty in development economics.

Mr. Tetsushi Sonobe has been appointed as the Dean of the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) based in Tokyo, Japan. He will assume office on 1 April 2020.

Mr. Sonobe, a Japanese national, is currently the Vice President of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) and a Professor at GRIPS’ School of Policy Studies in Tokyo, with a specialty in development economics.

“It is an honor to join this important institute, which produces intellectual inputs for policymakers in ADB’s developing member countries,” Mr. Sonobe said. “I look forward to working closely with partners and colleagues to identify effective development strategies and to promote capacity building for medium- and long-term development, focusing on issues of strategic importance to the Asia and Pacific region.”

Mr. Sonobe holds a Doctorate degree in economics from Yale University in the United States and a Bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Tokyo in Japan.

Mr. Sonobe will take over from Mr. Naoyuki Yoshino, who joined ADBI as Dean in April 2014. During Dean Yoshino’s 6-year tenure, ADBI has successfully evolved into one of the leading think tanks in and beyond the Asia and Pacific region, conducting key research on topics such as infrastructure finance, small and medium-sized enterprise policy, environmental policy, and financial education.

In 2018, ADBI moved into the ranks of the top 25 think tanks worldwide and retained its world’s second-best government-affiliated think tank ranking for a fifth straight year, according to the Global Go To Think Tank Index Report published by the University of Pennsylvania.

In 2019, Dean Yoshino chaired T20, the research and policy advice network under Japan’s G20 presidency. In May, T20 issued a communique for G20 leaders, which detailed innovative policy recommendations for the G20 leaders’ summit in Osaka.

ADBI was established in 1997 in Tokyo to help build capacity, skills, and knowledge to support poverty reduction and sustainable growth in developing economies in the Asia and Pacific region.