Ashok Bhargava

Ashok Bhargava assumed the role of Director, Energy Division, Central and West Asia Department (CWRD) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 30 October 2017. In this position, he oversees business development of energy sector lending and non-lending operations, and implementation of $7.3 billion portfolio for Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Prior to joining CWRD, he was Director (Energy), East Asia Department for 7 years and responsible for energy sector operations in the People’s Republic of China and Mongolia. He is an Electrical Engineer with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and, multiple management and leadership trainings from Cambridge University, Harvard Business School and Ross School of Business, Michigan.  

He brings in more than 36 years of energy sector experience in a wide range of energy sector operations from hydropower, renewable energy, energy efficiency, low-emission coal, carbon capture and storage ultra-efficient urban heating and cooling to power transmission and substations across Asia and the Pacific region. He was leading ADB’s flagship program of air quality improvement in one of the most important economic areas of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei in the PRC. He has been instrumental in shifting ADB’s operations from conventional approaches to innovative and cutting-edge interventions in project design and financing that have generated many awards and recognitions. He has led policy papers and knowledge work in areas of power sector reforms, concentrated solar power tariff, CO2 – enhanced oil recovery, capture ready fossil fuel plants, water-energy nexus, shale gas development in the Asia region etc. 

Currently, he is also the Chair, Energy Sector Committee that provides leadership and guidance to ADB’s energy sector operations. He is an Australian national. Prior to joining ADB, he worked with a large infrastructure consulting firm, a multinational power company in Australia, and a large public sector generation utility in India.