Dr. Ishrat Husain is presently Dean and Director of the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi, Pakistan. He was the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan from December 1999 to May 2006. During this time Dr. Husain implemented a major programme of restructuring the Central Bank in Pakistan and steered the reforms of the banking sector. In 2005, The Banker magazine of London declared him as the Central Bank Governor of the year for Asia, and he received the Asian Banker Lifetime achievement award in 2006.
Dr. Husain was appointed the Chairman, National Commission for Government Reforms in May, 2006 with the status of Federal Minister and held that position for two years reporting directly to the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan. During his distinguished career he has also held various senior positions at the World Bank. He is currently also a member of the Middle East Advisory Group of the IMF, the Regional Advisory Group of the UNDP and Chairman, World Economic Forum Global Advisory Council on Pakistan.
Dr. Husain maintains an active scholarly interest in development issues. He has authored twelve books and monographs, and contributed more than two dozen articles in refereed journals. His book "Pakistan: The Economy of the ElitistState" published by Oxford University Press in 1999 has been widely read in Pakistan and outside.
Dr. Husain obtained a Master's degree in Development Economics from WilliamsCollege and a Doctorate in Economics from BostonUniversity in 1978. He is a graduate of the Executive Development programme jointly sponsored by Harvard, Stanford and INSEAD.