In June 2023, Dr. Merza Hasan, former long-time Dean of the World Bank Group Board of Executive Directors, joined the SEAS-based GW Environmental and Energy Management Institute as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar.
With 189 member countries, staff from more than 170 countries, and offices in over 130 locations, the World Bank Group (WBG) consists of five institutions working for sustainable solutions to reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries. Those five institutions are the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Development Association (IDA), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
A national of Kuwait with a reputation for excellence and strategic vision in international leadership and executive strategy across diverse geopolitical and multicultural environments, Dr. Hasan was elected in 2006 to represent thirteen Middle Eastern countries as Executive Director on the WBG’s Board of Executive Directors. In 2012, he assumed the Chairmanship of the Board as when he was elected Dean of the Board of Executive Directors, where he served until the end of 2022, just before joining EEMI.
In his roles in the WBG, Dr. Hasan had a dual responsibility to his constituent countries as well as to the management of the World Bank Group. In those capacities, he played a key role in deciding on proposals made by the President on IBRD loans and guarantees, IFC investments, IDA credits and grants, MIGA guarantees, and policies that impact the WBG operations.
Dr. Hasan’s significant and practical experience spans over three decades in Senior and Executive positions in the private and public sector as well as academia. Prior to the World Bank, Dr. Hasan was Undersecretary for Industry in Kuwait; held various positions at the University of Kuwait, including Dean of the College of Business Administration; and served as the Cultural Counselor at the Embassy of Kuwait in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Hasan is a proud SEAS graduate, holding a Master of Science degree in Operations Research from the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Management Science from the Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine in the United Kingdom. His GW office location is Room 103 of Tompkins Hall, in the middle of the EEMI’s suite of offices.
Dr. Hasan’s chairmanship and membership on boards of several other institutions and executive committees around the world have provided him with vast experience in accomplishing strategic goals in the midst of complex operations, contexts, and stakeholders with competing agendas. EEMI Director Dr. Jonathan Deason said, “Obviously we are extremely excited about having Dr. Hasan with us to help lead EEMI, SEAS, and the University to new levels of influence in the United States and around the world via strategic planning, implementation, and resource building in conjunction with other George Washington University leaders.”