Prominent development economist Dr Nazneen Ahmed has been appointed executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), one of Bangladesh’s leading research and policy institutions.
She will assume office on September 1.
Dr Nazneen has nearly three decades of experience in economic research, policy analysis and development work at the national and international levels. She has extensive experience in policymaking and working with international development organisations.
Before joining CPD, she served as UNDP Bangladesh’s country economist for two years and later worked for three years as a policy adviser at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific in New York.
She previously spent 25 years at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), joining as a research associate in July 1998. She later rose through various positions to become the institute’s research director.
Her research interests span macroeconomics, international trade, industry and employment, governance, gender equality, social protection and inclusive growth.
Dr Nazneen has published extensively in reputed national and international journals and contributed chapters to books published by internationally renowned publishers. She has also prepared research reports for various international organisations.
Over her career, she has worked with the World Bank, the UK Department for International Development (DFID), the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the European Union, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Islamic Development Bank.
She earned a PhD in economics from Wageningen University in the Netherlands and a master’s degree in development economics from the University of Sussex in the UK. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Dhaka and is a former Chevening scholar.
CPD said her extensive experience in research, economic analysis, policymaking and international development cooperation would play an important role in advancing the institution’s future work.
Her leadership is expected to further strengthen CPD’s efforts to promote evidence-based policymaking and inclusive development in Bangladesh.
