The International Finance Corporation (IFC) on Tuesday announced the appointment of Wendy Werner as the new country head for India. Ms. Werner will be filling in the vacancy of her predecessor Jun Zhang, who retired recently after a long career with the corporation.
Based in New Delhi, she will focus on growth and diversification of the India portfolio, helping maximise IFC’s impact in the region.
India is the largest client country globally for the World Bank Group’s developmental lender with a commitment of $1.7 billion for the fiscal year ending June 2021, representing an increase of over 51% from last year.
Since its first engagement in 1956, IFC has invested over $24 billion (including mobilisation) in over 500 domestic companies.
With over 20 years of experience, Ms. Werner will spearhead cross-industry collaboration to promote IFC’s impact on climate, gender, and innovation, the lender said.
Announcing the appointment, Hector Gomez Ang, regional director for South Asia, said, “I am confident she will deepen our relationships here, while bolstering our efforts to support a strong post-pandemic recovery by creating sustainable jobs and reinvigorating growth in the country.” A U.S. national, Ms. Werner joined IFC in 2006 after working in the U.S. power and energy sector.
As the country manager for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, she had closed transformative projects and diversified IFC’s portfolio. Prior to that, she was IFC trade & competitiveness manager for East Asia and the Pacific and was earlier based in Southeast Europe and Tajikistan.
“I look forward to engaging with the Indian private sector, the government, and partners to drive impact across sectors. We are redoubling our efforts to create markets and boost competitiveness, while promoting and preserving jobs, raising living standards, and charting a path towards a low-carbon economy,” Ms. Werner said.
