Sarvesh Suri, who is named IFC’s Regional Vice President for Asia and the Pacific, said his focus will be on maximising IFC's toolkit of private sector solutions to create jobs.
‘‘Countries throughout Asia and the Pacific face complex and varied issues,’’ Suri acknowledges, noting that what unites people across the region is that they all want the dignity of a job -- livelihoods to support themselves and their families.
"My focus therefore will be on maximising IFC's toolkit of private sector solutions to create jobs. We can do this by mobilising private capital and pursuing innovative financing instruments. We can strengthen local capital markets. We can make equity investments for greater impact. And we can invest in micro-, small-, and medium-enterprises as engines of job creation," he said in a statement on Monday.’
Suri brings 25 years of global investment and development expertise as well as a proven track record of fostering public-private collaborations.
In making the announcement, IFC confirmed that Suri will strategically lead all investment and advisory operations in the region by mobilising the private sector to address complex development challenges and create jobs.
As part of one World Bank Group, Suri will oversee IFC’s team working from India to the Pacific Islands, who are designing private sector solutions in the financial, manufacturing, agribusiness, services as well as infrastructure and natural resources sectors to deliver transformative change for communities and businesses. He will be based in Singapore.
Two new Division Directors will support Suri in the region: Keiko Miwa, based in Jakarta, Indonesia, will manage South West Asia and Pacific Islands and, effective February 1, 2026, Arnaud Dupoizat, based in Hong Kong SAR, China, will oversee East Asia.
‘’It is my genuine privilege to return home to Asia for a role that will allow me to make a meaningful and lasting difference in a region that has shaped me personally and professionally,’’ shares Suri.
‘’Asia is where I grew up and first worked, and I am deeply humbled by the opportunity to bring together the capabilities of the public and private sectors to tackle the pressing development challenges of the region at scale.’’
Prior to his appointment, Suri was IFC’s Regional Industry Director for Infrastructure and Natural Resources, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, during which time he played an instrumental role in launching Mission 300.
He spent six years of his World Bank Group career at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) as Director of Operations, where he managed global risk mitigation products for cross-border investments into developing countries.
Before MIGA, Suri spent 15 years at IFC in various leadership positions, including as Senior Regional Manager overseeing business operations in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Papua New Guinea, based in Jakarta.
An Indian national, Suri holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Delhi University.
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IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets.
In fiscal year 2025, IFC committed a record $71.7 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging private sector solutions and mobilizing private capital to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet.