The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has named Hüseyin Özhan as its acting Managing Director for Central Asia. He is succeeding Zsuzsanna Hargitai, who has been appointed Managing Director, SME Finance and Development at the EBRD’s headquarters in London.
A Turkish national, Mr. Özhan will assume his new role on 1 June 2024 and will continue to be based in Almaty. He will oversee the Bank’s operations in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Mr. Özhan will also continue working in his current capacity of EBRD Director for Kazakhstan, where he is managing the Bank’s largest and longest-running banking operation in Central Asia.
Mr. Özhan holds a BA in Economics and Mathematics from Macalester College in Minnesota, USA, MA in International Trade Finance and is a PhD candidate from Yeditepe University in Türkiye.
To date, the Bank has invested €19.5 billion through nearly 1,100 projects in Central Asia.
The EBRD is a multilateral bank that promotes the development of the private sector and entrepreneurial initiative in 36 economies across three continents. The Bank is owned by 73 countries, as well as the EU and the EIB. EBRD investments are aimed at making the economies in its regions competitive, inclusive, well-governed, green, resilient and integrated.
The EBRD last year marked 30 years since Tajikistan joined the Bank. EBRD activities in Tajikistan cover all sectors, including energy, infrastructure, financial sector, corporates and SMEs, reaching 947 million euros in 168 projects.
The EBRD’s operational and strategic priorities in Tajikistan are based on the following three pillars: 1) strengthening the competitiveness of businesses and improving the business environment; 2) fostering regional integration, energy reform and infrastructure connectivity; and 3) supporting wider access to better infrastructure and business services for women, young people and underdeveloped regions.
