ADB appoints new director for Phl office

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced today that it has appointed Richard Bolt as the new director for its Philippine office.

Bolt replaced Neeraj Jain who was appointed senior advisor in ADB's Southeast Asia Department. Jain served as ADB's Philippine country director for six years.

"The ADB has a strong development partnership with the Philippines and we in the Philippine Country Office will continue the momentum by supporting the government's development initiatives," Bolt said in a statement.

Prior to his appointment, Bolt was Advisor for Knowledge and Results Management in the Southeast Asia Department, and coordinated the department's disaster risk management support to the region.

Immediately after typhoon Haiyan (local name: Yolanda), Bolt was assigned as technical team leader to ADB's response and subsequently as head, ADB Extended Mission to Yolanda-Affected Areas. He was also the team leader for the 2008 Philippines country assistance program evaluation.

Bolt has more than 25 years of experience in development planning, management, and evaluation. He has worked throughout Southeast Asia, China, the Pacific, and East and Southern Africa.

He is a Canadian national who has a master's degree in Tropical Agricultural Development from the University of Reading and a degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Newcastle- upon-Tyne.

The Manila-based lender said Bolt's appointment became effective on March 21.