Languages: Hindi, English, Gujarati, Urdu, Kiswahili 

Parmesh Shah is the Global Lead for Rural Livelihoods and Agricultural Jobs at the World Bank. In this position he provides leadership to Bank’s work in these areas and supports development of global knowledge and learning in these areas to offer solutions to clients and other development partners. He also leads the rural livelihood and development cluster in South Asia region of the World Bank and is involved in designing and supporting a number of rural poverty reduction and inclusive growth programs in the region. His current areas of interest are economic and social organizations and networks of the poor, making markets and public services work for the poor, social entrepreneurship, ICT-based innovations in agriculture and rural development, promotion of on farm and off farm jobs   and public private and people partnerships for rural poverty reduction.

Prior to his current position, Parmesh worked as Coordinator of the Bank wide Community of Practice on "Participation."  In this role, he supported development of operational knowledge and learning across the Bank group on community driven development, community participation, participation in development of country-owned poverty reduction strategies and social accountability mechanisms,

Before joining the Bank, Parmesh worked for governments, civil society organizations, foundations and other bilateral and multilateral development organizations in Asia and Africa regions in the areas of community driven development, participatory approaches, institutional change and natural resources management.

He holds a D Phil in Development Studies from Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and B Tech degree in Agricultural Engineering from Pantnagar in India.

He has authored a number of papers and publications and has co-edited the book Fertile Lands:  Economic and Environmental Impacts of Participatory Watershed Development Programs. ( IT Publications)