Ahsan H. Mansur

Ahsan H. Mansur
আহসান এইচ মনসুর
13th Governor of Bangladesh Bank
Incumbent
Assumed office 14 August 2024
President	Mohammed Shahabuddin
Chief adviser	Muhammad Yunus
Preceded by	Abdur Rouf Talukder
Personal details
Born	1950/1951 (age 73–74) East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
Alma mater	University of Dhaka McMaster University University of Western Ontario
Profession	Economist

Ahsan H. Mansur is a Bangladeshi economist and the 13th governor of Bangladesh Bank.[1][2] He was the director of Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh.[3][4] He was also the chairman of BRAC Bank[5] and an independent director of Walton.[6]

Early life

Mansur completed his bachelor's in economics from the University of Dhaka in 1974.[7] He became a lecturer at the University of Dhaka in 1976.[7] He completed his master's in economics from McMaster University in 1977.[7] He did his PhD from the University of Western Ontario in 1982.[7]

Career

Mansur joined the International Monetary Fund in 1981.[7] He worked at the Fiscal Affairs Department of the International Monetary Fund from 1983 to 1989.[7] From 1991 to 1995, Mansur served in the Policy Development and Review Department and the Middle Eastern Department of the International Monetary Fund.[7]

Mansur was appointed a finance advisor to the Minister of Finance Wahidul Haq in 1989 and served till 1991.[7] From 1996 to 2007, he served in the Middle East and Central Asia Department of the International Monetary Fund.[7] From 1994 to 2007, he served as Senior Resident Representative of the International Monetary Fund in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Sudan, and Yemen.[7]

Mansur joined the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh as executive director.[7][8] Mansur was appointed chairman of BRAC Bank on 27 August 2019 replacing Sir Fazle Hasan Abed after he retired.[9] He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Policy Insights.[10]

Mansur had questioned the GDP figures of the government of Bangladesh which did not match with macroeconomic indicators in 2019 while predicting a slowdown of the economy.[11] He described the need for endurance for the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.[12] In September 2020, he said the economy was recovering.[13] He recommended the usage of monetary policy to control inflation.[14] He has spoken critically about S. Alam Group buying banks using loans from their existing banks.[15] He called for reforms in the financial sector to reduce loan defaults.[16] In 2023, he said the economic shock of Bangladesh was also the result of government inaction and not entirely based on external factors.[17]

References

1. "Ahsan H Mansur to be BB governor". The Business Standard. 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
2. "Dr Ahsan H Mansur to become new BB governor". The Financial Express. 13 August 2024.
3. Mansur, Ahsan H. (21 November 2022). "Reforms in the financial sector necessary to get rid of default loans". The Daily Star. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
4. "Ahsan H. Mansur". International Growth Centre. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
5. "Ahsan Mansur new Brac Bank chairperson". The Daily Star. 27 August 2019.
6. walton. "Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC". waltonplc.com. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
7. "Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur – Policy Research Institute". Retrieved 11 February 2023.
8. "Human resource dev lagging behind, say economists". New Age. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
9. "Ahsan Mansur new Brac Bank chairperson". The Daily Star. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
10. "Editorial Team – Policy Insights". Retrieved 11 February 2023.
11. "Economic indicators contradict GDP growth figure: economist". The Daily Star. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
12. Rahman, Md Fazlur (1 January 2021). "Economy bruised, not broken". The Daily Star. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
13. "Economy on a recovery track". The Business Standard. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
14. "Use monetary policy to contain demand, reduce inflation". The Daily Star. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
15. Mortoza, Golam (6 December 2022). "Islami Bank's loan scams were not unknown to policymakers". The Daily Star. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
16. Mansur, Ahsan H. (29 November 2022). "Financial sector reforms necessary to get rid of default loans". The Daily Star. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
17. "Economic shocks not entirely external". The Daily Star. 5 February 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2023.