Masato Kanda is the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Chairperson of ADB’s Board of Directors. He was elected President by ADB’s Board of Governors and assumed office on 24 February 2025.
Prior to joining ADB, Mr. Kanda served as Special Advisor to Japan’s Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. With nearly 4 decades of experience, Mr. Kanda has held key leadership roles at the Ministry of Finance of Japan, including Vice-Minister of Finance for International Affairs. He has extensive experience in financial sector policy and macro-fiscal policy, having served as Deputy Commissioner at the Financial Services Agency, Deputy DirectorGeneral of the Budget Bureau, and Deputy Vice-Minister for Policy Planning and Coordination. He is also a leading expert in education and science policy as well as university reform.
Website: ADB.org