NCAER appoints World Bank lead economist Poonam Gupta as new director general

The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) has appointed Poonam Gupta as its new director general, effective from July 1, according to a statement.

Gupta will succeed the current head of the think tank, Shekhar Shah, to become the first woman to hold the post.

Currently, Gupta is the lead economist at the World Bank in Washington DC.


Prior to joining the World Bank in 2013, she was the Reserve Bank of India Chair Professor at National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) and a professor of macroeconomics at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).

The development signals the end of Shah’s second five-year term as head of the NCAER. Shah had also been appointed to the think tank from a prior stint with the World Bank as its regional economic adviser for South Asia.

“We are delighted to have Poonam succeed Shekhar at the end of his successful tenure. NCAER has a unique heritage among India’s intellectual landscape and she brings a set of unique experiences and perspectives that will accelerate, deepen and broaden our research agenda with impact and rigor,” said Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys and president of the NCAER board.

Gupta holds a doctorate in applied macroeconomics and international economics from the University of Maryland, a masters in economics from the Delhi School of Economics, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Hindu College.

Her areas of expertise and research include issues related to growth and developmental challenges in developing economies, fiscal outcomes, financial sector, monetary policy, capital flows, and global developments.

Apart from India, Gupta has experience in working on issues relating to other emerging markets including China, the statement said.

Other members of the NCAER board include Tarun Bajaj, economic affairs secretary, Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries and Deepak Parekh, chairman of HDFC.