The World Bank announced Zafer Mustafaoglu as the new Country Director for the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam, starting July 1, 2024. A Turkish national, Mustafaoglu has been with the World Bank since 2005, engaging in diverse operations and research. His previous roles included overseeing finance, competitiveness, and innovation in East Asia and the Pacific, and similar responsibilities in Latin America and the Caribbean. Before joining the World Bank, he served in the Turkish government’s State Planning Organization. Mustafaoglu, who holds a Ph.D. in international economics from Middle East Technical University and studied at the University of Essex and Cambridge University, aims to address unique development challenges in his new role, leveraging the World Bank’s longstanding partnership with these vibrant East Asian economies.