Richard Ranken

Director,
East Asia and Pacific,International Finance Corporation

Dick Ranken has had a 30 year career with the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank. IFC supports private sector growth and job creation in all emerging markets by providing advice and financing. It has a strong focus on the 2.6 billion people living on less than $2 a day. IFC investments last year totaled approx USD 16 billion across all sectors, with emphasis on SME and microfinance, infrastructure and PPP's, energy efficiency and climate change, agribusiness and natural resources.

Dick has spent the majority of his career living in the Former Soviet Union, Africa and, most recently, in East Asia. In the FSU he headed IFC's Advisory Services which privatised over 50000 enterprises, introduced them to corporate governance, established the microfinance industry, and helped improve key supply chains. In Africa he was the Director of all IFC's business and decided/led the execution of a new IFC strategy which built IFC's investment business from $150 million per year in eight countries to $1.5 billion per year in over 30 countries, concentrating mainly on infrastructure, financial markets, agribusiness and manufacturing. In East Asia and the Pacific Dick became IFC's Director three years ago and has built a strong focus on climate change financing and advice in Indonesia and China, as well as increasing IFC's impact in the poorer countries including Mongolia, Lao, Cambodia, Vietnam, PNG and the Pacific Islands.

Dick also spent time in Washington DC where he directed the restructuring of IFC's global group dealing with heavy and light manufacturing, including the successful work-out of a large number of non-performing loans.

Dick is leaving IFC early 2009. He will be a board member of a number of private equity funds and banks in China, Vietnam and the Pacific, and will provide part time support to IFC's current initiative to build its investments in the Pacific area. He will split his time between Asia and Australia.