Ms. Sona Shrestha is appointed Director General, South Asia Department (SARD), effective 12 February 2026. A national of Nepal, Ms. Shrestha holds doctorate and master’s degrees in economics from University of California in the United States. She also has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Smith College, Massachusetts.
Ms. Shrestha is a seasoned development leader with over 27 years of professional experience, including 23 years at ADB. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Shrestha was Deputy Director General for SARD. She has also served ADB Deputy Director General of the Independent Evaluations Department, Assistant Secretary of SEC, Director in the Financial Sector and Trade Division for Southeast Asia, and Deputy Country Director for Indonesia. In earlier professional roles in ADB, she gathered extensive operations experience across Central and West Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia regions. Prior to joining ADB, Sona worked as Senior Economist at the Reserve Bank of Australia in Sydney.
As Director General, she will lead the planning, implementation and supervision of the department’s vision, goals, strategies and work plan in support of overall ADB goals and ensure that the efficiency, relevance and impact of ADB operations in the region is maximized.