The Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has officially designated Andrew Jeffries as its new country director for the Philippines effective Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.

Jeffries will lead the ADB’s operations in its host country, which currently holds an active portfolio valued at approximately $13 billion.

His responsibilities include overseeing the implementation of the multilateral lender’s Philippines Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) 2024-2029 and managing the institution’s engagement with the Philippine government, private sector, and development partners.

The ongoing ADB-Philippines CPS for the six-year period aims to provide the country with $24 billion in loans to help accelerate economic growth and build resilience against climate change.

“I am delighted to be back working in the Philippines, a country which majority of us in the ADB call home,” Jeffries said in a statement.

“The economy is at a critical juncture, with huge infrastructure and social protection investments rolling out and starting to bear fruit. More needs to be done to ensure no one is left behind and risks such as those related to climate are mitigated as the country strives toward upper-middle-income status,” Jeffries said.

“My immediate priority is to see that the ADB does everything we can to help the Philippine government with their development priorities. I am also excited to grow the ADB’s support to mobilize private capital and expertise as an important part of our overall assistance,” he added.

With over 34 years of professional experience, including more than 18 years with the ADB, Jeffries previously served as advisor for energy transition mechanism and partnerships, where he led a region-wide energy transition initiative.

Jeffries served as the ADB’s country director for Vietnam from 2020 to 2023, where he represented the bank and oversaw all its operations in the country.

From 2016 to 2020, he was director of the Southeast Asia energy division, managing investments in energy infrastructure, providing policy advisory support, facilitating sector reforms, and promoting regional energy cooperation.

Between 2013 and 2016, he led the ADB’s energy sector operations in India, and prior to that, he managed energy infrastructure projects across the South Asia subregion.

Before joining the ADB in 2007, he served as senior vice president at Fortis Capital Corp., following his role as vice president in the global energy division of GE Capital’s structured finance group in the United States (US). In these roles, he led the execution of structured finance transactions, project financing, and equity and preferred equity investments in energy infrastructure.

Jeffries is a US citizen. He earned a master’s degree in international affairs, specializing in international economic policy, from Columbia University, and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Bucknell University, also in the US.

(Ricardo M. Austria)