https://www.india.com/us/world-bank-chief-ajay-banga-named-in-2023-list-of-great-immigrants-6142188/World Bank Chief Ajay Banga Named In 2023 List Of Great Immigrants

Prior to his appointment to the World Bank, Ajay Banga was Vice Chairman of General Atlantic. He is also a co-founder of the Cyber ​​Readiness Institute and served as Vice President of the Economic Club of New York.

New York: Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank, has been named by a prestigious philanthropic organization to its annual “Great Immigrants” list of honorees who have enriched and strengthened America and its democracy through their contributions and actions.

Banga, who became head of the World Bank in June 2023, is the first-ever Indian American to lead the institution. He is the only one from India on this year’s list of Great Immigrants by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

With more than 30 years of experience in key positions, the 63-year-old Banga is expected to usher in transformative policies at the World Bank to fight poverty and tackle climate change, creating opportunities for people around the world, a statement released. said by Carnegie on Wednesday.

Speaking by the fireside, Carnegie said Banga made some reflections on how diversity helped him succeed as a leader: Having grown up in the same places and worked with you in your past jobs, you’ll feel comfortable hiring people around you who have that familiarity. But you will also have the same blind spots. You miss the same trends. You miss the same opportunities.”

Banga started his career in India and spent 13 years with Nestle India and two years with PepsiCo. In 1996, he joined Citigroup, eventually leading the Asia-Pacific region as CEO.

Later, Banga moved to the US, where he served as President and CEO of Mastercard for 12 years before being named Executive Chairman. Under his leadership, Mastercard launched the Center for Inclusive Growth, which promotes equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world, the statement said.

Prior to his appointment to the World Bank, Banga served as Vice Chairman of General Atlantic. He is also a co-founder of the Cyber ​​Readiness Institute and served as Vice President of the Economic Club of New York.

Among numerous awards, he received the Foreign Policy Association Medal, the Padma Shri Award from the President of India and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Every Fourth of July, celebrated as America’s Independence Day, the Carnegie Corporation of New York honors a group of “notable” Americans, all naturalized citizens “who have enriched and strengthened our nation and our democracy through their contributions and actions.”

This year, the company is honoring 35 individuals from 33 countries and from a wide range of backgrounds. The awards include individuals who have furthered opportunity for others through their work as educators, mentors, philanthropists, job creators, public servants, storytellers and advocates.

“The Great Immigrants Initiative pays tribute to the legacy of Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish immigrant who, like these accolades, found success in America, contributed immensely to his adopted country and inspired others to do the same,” said Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Richardson is a naturalized citizen who first came to the United States from Ireland as a graduate student. “The 35 naturalized citizens being honored today embody that tradition and remind us that the contributions of immigrants make our country more vibrant and our democracy more resilient,” she said.

This year’s winners include Vietnam-born Academy Award-winning actor Ke Huy Quan, Chilean-born actor Pedro Pascal, World Trade Organization Director General, Nigerian-born Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, U.S. Congressman Ted Lieu , born in Taiwan, the Grammy Award. – Winning singer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Ang lique Kidjo, born in Benin, Polish-born professor emeritus of chemistry, Cornell University and Nobel laureate Roald Hoffmann and Guido Imbens, born in the Netherlands and professor of economics, Stanford University and Nobel laureate.

Carnegie Corporation of New York is a leading philanthropic foundation founded by Scottish immigrant Andrew Carnegie and now headed by Irish immigrant Dame Louise Richardson. It celebrates the vital role of naturalized citizens in making America a land of opportunity for all.