Mr. Jemal-ud-din Kassum

Vice President,

East Asia and the Pacific Region

Mr. Jemal-ud-din Kassum is the Vice President for the World Bank's East Asia and the Pacific Region. Mr. Kassum assumed responsibility for the region on March 1, 2000, as it emerged from an economic crisis and had an expanded lending program of about $10 billion for fiscal years 1998 and 1999. Mr. Kassum oversees an annual $2 billion lending program of about 30 development projects and a $28 billion portfolio spread across several hundred projects. The East Asia and the Pacific Region encompasses over 15 countries including China, the Bank's biggest client.

Previously, Mr. Kassum was Vice President, Investment Operations, at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), where he had global responsibility for all new investments undertaken by the IFC. The IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest multilateral source of debt and equity financing for the private sector in emerging markets.

Mr. Kassum joined the World Bank Group through the Young Professionals Program in 1974 and moved to IFC in 1975. After six years of investment work in the Africa region and two years as Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President, IFC, he held a number of management positions in the Asia region including Division Manager, Department of Investments, Asia (1983) and Chief of IFC's Regional Mission in New Delhi (1987). Mr. Kassum became Director, Department of Investments, Asia II, in 1988. In July 1992, he was appointed as one of three vice presidents responsible for new investments and portfolio operations, and in January 1997, he was appointed to the position of Vice President, Investment Operations.

Mr. Kassum, a Tanzanian national, studied at Harrow School, England, and holds an engineering with economics degree from Oxford University (1970) and an MBA from Harvard Business School (1974).