Shamshad Akhtar

Dr Shamshad Akhtar is a former Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and has also served as caretaker finance minister. Amongst other positions, she has been an Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and was the tenth Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. She also served as the coordinator of the five UN regional commissions. Dr Akhtar was the UN Secretary General’s Special Senior Advisor on Economics and Finance, and Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs. She led the UN-wide coordination of the work on the post-2015 development agenda, and was also the UN Sherpa for the G20, supporting the finance ministers and central bankers track. She has also worked extensively with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The Wall Street Journal Asia has recognised her as one of Asia’s top ten professional women.