Multilateral lending agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) today announced the appointment of Jong-Wha Lee as its chief economist.
"As Chief Economist, Lee will be chief spokesperson for ADB on economic forecasts and trends," ADB said in a release.
Lee, a national of the Republic of Korea, is currently the head of ADB's Office of Regional Economic Integration. Since October 2008, he has also held the position of acting chief economist in ADB's Economics and Research Department (ERD), the release added.
"Now more than ever Asia's evolving development landscape requires that the development community and policymakers receive the best independent, objective research and policy advice, precisely what ERD strives to provide," it said.
Prior to joining ADB in 2007, Lee was the director of the International Center for Korean Studies and a professor of economics at the Korea University.
He has over 20 years of professional experience as an economist and an academic. He worked at the International Monetary Fund and taught at Harvard University as a Visiting Professor.