Safdar Parvez joined the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2002 and currently serves as Deputy Director General of the Strategy, Policy and Partnerships Department, a role he assumed in September 2025. In this capacity, he supports corporate strategy and policy development and bankwide coordination. Prior to this, he served as Country Director for the People’s Republic of China, Advisor in the East Asia Department, and Director of the Regional Cooperation and Operations Coordination Division in the Central and West Asia Department.
A senior economist, Safdar brings extensive experience in strategy and policy development, country programming and operations, economic and sector work, regional cooperation, and project implementation across ADB headquarters and resident missions. He has led or contributed to key institutional initiatives, including the Midterm Review of Strategy 2020, the Approach to Upper Middle-Income Countries, reforms to the Country Partnership Strategy process, and the preparation of Strategy 2030.