Dr. Papathanasiou leads more than 100 professionals at the Energy and Extractives Global Department of the World Bank. He coordinates the overall strategic direction of the Practice, advances the knowledge and learning agenda for the Bank’s energy and extractives professionals, and oversees corporate reporting, trust funds, and partnerships for the Practice.
Dr. Papathanasiou has worked for more than 20 years with the World Bank Group on Energy and Infrastructure in Africa, Latin America, East Europe and the Balkans, South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific Islands. He has contributed to developing energy policies in several countries and worked on power generation projects using many diverse technologies: thermal, hydropower, solar, wind, and geothermal. He has led large teams on complex utility and sector reforms, as well as sizeable public-private partnership transactions. As the Manager for the World Bank’s Energy Global Department in South Asia (2016-2020), he was responsible for a portfolio of more than $10 billion and worked to increase renewable energy projects in the region, expand regional interconnections and exchanges, and modernize networks across the region.
A professional Electrical Engineer, Dr. Papathanasiou holds an MSc in Environmental Technology and a PhD in Energy and the Environment from Imperial College in London, UK.