Chiyo Kanda is the World Bank’s Country Manager for Maldives and Sri Lanka, based in Colombo. Ms. Kanda, a Japanese national, has held technical and managerial positions in the World Bank and other international development institutions for nearly 30 years. She brings in a combination of strong operational and managerial experiences from multiple regions and corporate departments.

Prior to joining the South Asia Region, Ms. Kanda worked as the Manager of the Results Unit of the Operations Policy and Country Services (OPCS) and led various tasks to strengthen the institution’s results focus and quality of results measurement, monitoring and evaluation (M&E). Her responsibilities included, inter alia: corporate results reporting through the World Bank Group Corporate Scorecards and International Development Association’s Results Measurement System; co-leading the Results Measurement and Evidence Stream—a Bank Group-wide network for results measurement and M&E; development and delivery of staff guidance, learning and operational training related to results and M&E; and coordination of Management’s response to the Independent Evaluation Group recommendations as corporate focal point.

In her previous role as Portfolio and Operations Manager for the Philippines Country Management Unit, based in Manila, Philippines, Ms. Kanda was responsible for portfolio management and quality assurance of the Philippines country program. She also carried out similar responsibilities in the Tanzania country office in Dar es Salaam, as deputy to the Country Director.

Previously, Ms. Kanda served as the Senior Operation Officer at the OPCS’s Investment Lending Unit, and as Senior Economist in the Human Development Department of the Africa Region. Prior to joining the World Bank, she worked as the Economist for the United Nations Development Programme, based in Lilongwe, Malawi.

She holds a MBA and Master’s Degrees in Economics and in International Development.