Mr. Salah Jelassi

Head, Regional Hub of Paramaribo

Mr. Salah Jelassi, is currently serving as the Director of Operations for GCC & Yemen and South America at the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), a position he assumed in January 2025. In this position, he oversees the operations in the countries of the GCC and Yemen, as well as the countries under the IsDB Regional Hub of Paramaribo. These two hubs serve as focal points for collaboration between the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and stakeholders in their respective countries. They oversee a diverse portfolio of projects across key sectors such as energy, transport, education, health, and water, facilitating cooperation and development initiatives. They play a crucial role in managing project implementation, fostering partnerships, and supporting socio-economic growth.

Prior to his appointment to his current role in January 2025, Mr. Jelassi served as the Director of Partnerships, Global Advocacy & Resource Mobilization Department of the IsDB (2023-2025). Mr. Jelassi also served as the Sherpa on behalf of IsDB in the G20 and at Heads of MDBs meetings.

Mr. Jelassi was also the head of the IsDB Group Regional Hubs in Türkiye (2014-2020) and Indonesia (2020-2023). He has also served for 14 years (2001-2014) at the IsDB HQs and has held various senior positions in the areas of economic research, trade, as well as development operations.

His years of service as Technical Advisor to the President of the IsDB Group during the period 2007-2014 brought him a unique exposure to the various development challenges and a profound understanding of strategic and policy issues in the IsDB Group Member Countries. Through high-level policy dialogue with countries and by implementing innovative development solutions, he has successfully positioned the IsDB Group as one of the major development partners of Türkiye and Indonesia.

In the earlier stages of his career, Mr. Jelassi also served in various positions, including academia, research, training, and finance. He has pursued his Ph.D. studies in Economics after obtaining a master’s degree in economics from Bilkent University, Türkiye, in 1996. He has attended several leadership and professional development courses from renowned training institutes such as Ashridge Business School, Thunderbird Executive Training, etc. Mr. Jelassi has also participated in many conferences, seminars, and international meetings on various developmental issues.

Mr. Jelassi is a Tunisian national and is fluent in Arabic (mother tongue), French, English, and Turkish. He is married and is the father of a daughter (24) and a son (21).