Ahsan H. Mansur

Ahsan H. Mansur is a Bangladeshi economist and director of Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh.^[1][2] He is the chairman of BRAC Bank Limited.^[3] He is an independent director of Walton.^[4]

Early life

Mansur completed his bachelor's in Economics from the University of Dhaka in 1974.^[5] He became a lecturer at the University of Dhaka in 1976.^[5] He completed his master's in economics from McMaster University in 1977.^[5] He did his PhD from the University of Western Ontario in 1982.^[5]

Career

Mansur joined the International Monetary Fund in 1981.^[5] He worked at the Fiscal Affairs Department of the International Monetary Fund from 1983 to 1989.^[5] From 1991 to 1995, Mansur served in the Policy Development and Review Department and the Middle Eastern Department of the International Monetary Fund.^[5]

Mansur was appointed a finance advisor to the Minister of Finance Wahidul Haq in 1989 and served till 1991.^[5] From 1996 to 2007, he served in the Middle East and Central Asia Department of the International Monetary Fund.^[5] From 1994 to 2007, he served as Senior Resident Representative of the International Monetary Fund in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Sudan, and Yemen.^[5]

Mansur joined the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh as executive director.^[5][6] Mansur was appointed chairman of BRAC Bank on 27 August 2019 replacing Sir Fazle Hasan Abed after he retired.^[7] He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Policy Insights.^[8]

Mansur had questioned the GDP figures of the government of Bangladesh which did not match with macroeconomic indicators in 2019 while predicting a slowdown of the economy.^[9] He described the need for endurance for the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.^[10] In September 2020, he said the economy was recovering.^[11] He recommended the usage of monetary policy to control inflation.^[12] He has spoken critically about S. Alam Group buying banks using loans from their existing banks.^[13] He called for reforms in the financial sector to reduce loan defaults.^[14] In 2023, he said the economic shock of Bangladesh was also the result of government inaction and not entirely based on external factors.^[15]

References

1. Mansur, Ahsan H. (2022-11-21). "Reforms in the financial sector necessary to get rid of default loans". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
2. "Ahsan H. Mansur". International Growth Centre. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
3. "Mansur elected BRAC Bank chairperson". New Age. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
4. walton. "Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC". waltonplc.com. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
5. "Dr. Ahsan H. Mansur – Policy Research Institute". Retrieved 2023-02-11.
6. "Human resource dev lagging behind, say economists". New Age. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
7. "Ahsan Mansur new Brac Bank chairperson". The Daily Star. 2019-08-27. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
8. "Editorial Team – Policy Insights". Retrieved 2023-02-11.
9. "Economic indicators contradict GDP growth figure: economist". The Daily Star. 2019-11-29. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
10. Rahman, Md Fazlur (2021-01-01). "Economy bruised, not broken". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
11. "Economy on a recovery track". The Business Standard. 2020-09-07. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
12. "Use monetary policy to contain demand, reduce inflation". The Daily Star. 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
13. Mortoza, Golam (2022-12-06). "Islami Bank's loan scams were not unknown to policymakers". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
14. Mansur, Ahsan H. (2022-11-29). "Financial sector reforms necessary to get rid of default loans". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
15. "Economic shocks not entirely external". The Daily Star. 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2023-02-11.