Economist  Iwan Jaya Azis has been appointed to head the Asian Development

Bank’s  (ADB) Office of Regional Economic Integration (OREI), the bank said in a

statement Thursday.

Iwan, who was also mentioned as a possible  finance minister candidate before

Agus Martowardojo was finally chosen,  has worked with the ADB for years.

Currently the director of  Graduate Study for Regional Science at Cornell

University, Iwan is  tasked to oversee ADB's efforts to help member countries

pursue closer  regional ties to a more globally connected Asia.

In his  more-than-30-year-long career, Iwan has worked on various research

projects with the World Bank, the United Nations, the International Food  Policy

Research Institute, the US Agency for International Development,  Japan’s

Ministry for Trade and Industry, Bank Indonesia, Harvard  University and

Columbia University.

source : The Jakarta Post, Jakarta