Zafer Mustafaoğlu is the Country Director for the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei. In this capacity, he oversees the World Bank's program of support in the three countries, advancing the institution's policy dialogues with government officials, civil society, academia, the private sector, and other key stakeholders.
Mr. Mustafaoğlu, a Turkish National, joined the World Bank in 2005. His latest assignment was the Practice Manager for Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation in the East Asia and Pacific Region, covering China, Mongolia, Korea, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. Previously, he held the positions of Practice Manager for Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation Global Practice in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region and Lead Economist and Program Leader for Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Zafer worked on various operations and research projects at the World Bank, spanning both macroeconomic and microeconomic policies.
Prior to joining the Bank, Zafer worked twelve years for the Turkish Government, and he held the Head of Modeling and Economic Policy Analysis Department position at the Prime Ministry State Planning Organization of Turkey.
Zafer received his Ph.D. in International Economics from the Middle East Technical University, Türkiye, and completed his Master’s degree and research studies in Economics at the University of Essex and Cambridge University in England.
