Nairobi, 27 August 2018 – The Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB) presents its compliments to all TDB Partners and Stakeholders and has the honor to inform that Dr. Frannie Léautier has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer (COO) effective 1st September 2018. She will also assume the responsibility of Executive Director, Asset Management, and serve as the Head of Office of the Bank’s Operations Complex in Nairobi, Kenya.

As Chief Operating Officer (COO), Dr. Léautier will work closely with the President and CEO of the Bank on execution of the Bank’s overall vision and mission as the second most senior member of TDB’s executive leadership. She comes to TDB with a distinguished international career in development finance, having served as Senior Vice-President and COO of the African Development Bank in Abidjan, and previously, as Vice-President at the World Bank, in Washington DC.

In addition to development finance skills, Dr. Léautier brings to the TDB Group strong knowledge and networks from across the African continent and globally, having served as Executive Secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation in Harare and having occupied several other senior executive and non-executive roles in the areas of asset management, risk capacity and thought leadership. A Tanzanian national, she was recently appointed as a non-executive director on the Africa Risk Capacity Board of Directors, where she chairs the Risk and Audit Committee. She holds a Ph.D. in infrastructure, and an MSc, both from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and is also a graduate of the Engineering College of the University of Dar es Salaam. She is fluent in French and Kiswahili in addition to English, and is a recipient of several honors and awards.

With wide-ranging African and global experience, and a strong leadership track-record in multilateral institutions, Dr. Léautier is a strong and welcome addition to the executive leadership of the Bank.