Geert van der Linden
 

GEERT VAN DER LINDEN has been ADB's vice president for knowledge management and sustainable development since September 2003. Previously, he was special advisor to the President of ADB, developing ADB's role in knowledge management, policy, and strategy. In 2002 he was director general of ADB's East and Central Asia Department, managing the operations of five divisions. He was also responsible for ADB's resident missions in the People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, and Uzbekistan, as well as for liaison offices in Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. In 2001 he was director of the Programs Department, and also chaired the working group that reorganized ADB operations. He has held other positions in ADB since 1979. He was junior professional officer to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Manila in 1977-1978, and staff member of the regional planning agency of the Government of the Netherlands in 1972-1976. He graduated from Erasmus University, the Netherlands with a master's degree in economics. He participated in the Executive Development Program of the Harvard Business School in 1997.