Zhang Wencai has served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank Group since March 2024. In this position, he is responsible for managing the group departments that provide core services for the whole World Bank Group, including budget planning and strategy, information and technology (IT), property management, group security, general affairs, health and safety, enterprise procurement, shared services, and group risk management. In addition, he is responsible for providing administrative support to the sanctions system. As a member of the senior leadership team of the World Bank Group, he participated in all strategic discussions of the World Bank Group.
Wen Cai has rich experience in public administration, international economy, development affairs and multilateral development banking. Before joining the World Bank Group, he served as the Vice President of the Export Import Bank of China, leading strategic planning and implementation, budget and accounting, sovereign business, and business development of the Bank in more than 160 countries. He also serves as trustee of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation, which promotes the development and implementation of international accounting and sustainability standards globally.
Previously, he served as the Vice President of the Agricultural Development Bank of China; He also served as the Vice President of the Asian Development Bank, leading operations in South Asia, Central Asia and West Asia, and promoting knowledge sharing and the adoption of innovative technologies.
He also served as the director of the Foreign Financial Exchange Office of the Ministry of Finance of China, the director of the Department of International Financial Cooperation and other leading positions.
Wen Cai also served as Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank in China, Vice Director of the International Fund for Agricultural Development in China, Director of the New Development Bank in China, and Director of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in China.
He started his career in the World Bank Department of the Ministry of Finance of China, and served as an adviser to the Executive Director of the World Bank Group in China. He holds a doctorate in economics from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
