Ishrat Hussain

Dr Ishrat Husain is a Professor Emeritus and Chairman of the Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance at IBA Karachi. Until recently, he held the position of Advisor to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms with the status of Federal Minister. Previously, he served as the Dean and Director of IBA, Chairman of the National Commission for Government Reforms, and as the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan.
During his distinguished career at the World Bank spanning over two decades from 1979 to 1999, Dr Husain held various key positions. These included serving as the Resident Representative to Nigeria, heading the Bank’s Debt and International Finance Division, acting as the Chief Economist for Africa, and later as the Chief Economist for the East Asia and Pacific Region. He subsequently became the Bank’s Director of the Poverty and Social Department and later the Country Director for Central Asian Republics.
In recognition of his meritorious services, Dr Husain was honoured with the highest civilian award of Nishan-e-Imtiaz in 2016 and the Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan in 2003. The Banker Magazine of London named him the Central Bank Governor of the Year for Asia in 2005, and he received the Asian Banker Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
Dr Husain has maintained an active scholarly interest, authoring two dozen books and monographs, over 40 articles in refereed journals, and 34 chapters in books. His notable contributions include ‘Governing the Ungovernable’ and ‘The Economy of an Elitist State.’ As a frequent speaker, he has participated in more than 150 international conferences and seminars since 2006. He has also chaired or served on the boards of several research institutes, philanthropic organizations, and cultural organizations.
Ishrat Husain earned a master’s degree in development economics from Williams College and a Doctorate in Economics from Boston University in 1978. He is a graduate of the Executive Development Program jointly sponsored by Harvard, Stanford, and INSEAD.