Title
Vice-President
Company
Private Sector and Cofinancing Operations, Asian Development Bank
Bio
Lakshmi Venkatachalam is the Vice-President (Private Sector and Cofinancing Operations) of Asian
Development Bank (ADB). She assumed office in June 2010. Ms Venkatachalam leads ADB's initiatives
in Private Sector and Cofinancing activities. Under its long-term Strategy 2020 Framework, ADB's
activities in private sector development and private sector operations are targeted to reach 50% of its
annual operations by 2020. Strategy 2020 also envisages a significant increase in ADB's partnership-
based cofinancing activities by 2020. Ms Venkatachalam will lead ADB's efforts in assisting development-
oriented private sector projects in the region, with a clear focus on challenging sectors and regions,
as well as in building and strengthening cofinancing partnerships with various official and commercial
cofinanciers with a view to mobilising investment capital for the region. Ms Venkatachalam has over 30
years’ experience in senior management positions. Prior to joining ADB she was the Director General
of Shipping and Ex-Officio Additional Secretary for India's Ministry of Shipping. Before that she was
Principal Secretary to the Government of Karnataka, overseeing, at different periods, the departments
of Commerce and Industry; Urban Development: Planning, Program Implementation, Economics and
Statistics. Other previous posts include Chairperson of the Coffee Board of India, Commissioner of the
Bangalore Development Authority, Director of India's Ministry of Steel, and Managing Director of the State
Cooperative Marketing Federation in Karnataka. Ms Venkatachalam, a national of India, holds an MA in
Economics and an MBA from Boston University USA, and an MA in English from Jadavpur University in
Calcutta, India.
