John Samy, a Fijian living in New Zealand, has been appointed a Senior Advisor with the new Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) being set up by China.

Like the Washington-based World Bank and the Manila-based  Asian Development Bank, the AIIB is a multilateral financing institution. New Zealand has joined as a founding member.

Through a participatory process, its founding members are developing its core philosophy, principles, policies, value system and operating platform.

The AIIB has the mandate to foster economic growth in Asia by investing in infrastructure and other productive areas, promoting regional cooperation and partnership.

“The AIIB, through a due head-hunting process, approached me to consider taking the role of Senior Advisor to the President on Policy,” Mr Samy said.

Mr Samy, originally from Lautoka and eldest of eight siblings, has  high-level experience in development and management.

He has served in the public sector for 17 years and with a regional multilateral international financial/development institution, the Asian Development Bank, for 20 years.

At the age of 30 years, Mr Samy was appointed Director of Economic Planning.

And at the age of 33 years, appointed permanent secretary for the Ministry of Economic Development and Planning.

He also headed the Department of Trade, Industry and Tourism, while serving also, concurrently, as the chairman of the Prices and Incomes Board for seven years.

Mr Samy was responsible for providing strategic leadership and direction in the formulation of Fiji’s 8th and 9th five-year National Development Plans.

He served on numerous boards and committees, including as chairman of the Business and Industrial Committee of Officials which vetted all investment applications.

Mr Samy left Fiji to join the Asian Development Bank in November, 1987 where he served until May 2006.

At the ADB, he was the Country Director, ADB Vietnam Resident Mission, based in Hanoi, Vietnam from 2000 to 2003.

He was also the Senior Economic Advisor and Head of the ADB Extended Mission based in Seoul, Korea from 1998 to 1999 and appointed the Deputy Director General of the South Asia Regional Department, in August 2003 until he took early retirement in May, 2006.

“This has not been an easy call for me, particularly after serving in ADB for 20 years, I have been dedicating my time since late 2006 to family and to FENC Fiji post 2009,” Mr Samy said.

He added that he would be leaving for Beijing on February 8th.

edited by: farzana nisha

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