Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 7 July 2023 - The Islamic Development Bank has announced  the appointment of Dr. Syurkani Ishak Kasim as the new Director of the Strategy, Budget, and Corporate Performance Department. Dr. Kasim brings over 27 years of extensive experience in economic policy and strategy, development financing, public finance management, and governance. The President of  IsDB, H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser approved  the appointment.

Prior to joining IsDB, Dr. Kasim held several influential positions both nationally and internationally. He served as a senior director at the Ministry of Finance in Indonesia, overseeing the management of the government's sovereign loans and grants. In 2022, he provided guidance to the Indonesia G20 Presidency as the Presidency Chair for the G20 International Financial Architecture Working Group.

From 2017 to 2021, Dr. Kasim  served as an Executive Director on the Asian Development Bank’s  Board of Directors, concurrently acting as the Dean of the Board from 2020 to 2021. During his stint at ADB, he actively participated in various Board Committees and played a pivotal role in shaping the bank's policies.

Previously, as the Director for Climate Finance and Multilateral Policy at the Fiscal Policy Agency, Dr. Kasim spearheaded significant initiatives in climate finance. He led efforts related to green planning and budgeting strategy, climate public finance landscape, and biodiversity finance. He oversaw the administration of the government's international investments and financial contributions.

Dr. Kasim's holds a master's degree in financial economics and an advanced diploma in international economics from the State University of New York at Buffalo, USA. Additionally, he earned his Ph.D. in monetary economics from Victoria University Melbourne, Australia. Throughout his career, Dr. Kasim has published numerous journal articles, edited books, and delivered presentations on various financial and economic topics.

In assuming his new role, Dr. Kasim expressed his deep sense of honor in serving IsDB. "Our primary objective at the Strategy, Budget, and Corporate Performance Department is to ensure the successful implementation of the Bank's strategic realignment. Concurrently, we aim to draw valuable performance lessons to further enhance our results and maximize our impact," he stated.