Alastair is a former World Bank director for fragile states and Country Director for Afghanistan. He spent 28 years in assignments at the World Bank where he was regional operations director for South Asia and infrastructure manager for the Middle East.
Until he retired in October, 2010, Alastair McKechnie was Director, Fragile and Conflict-Affected Countries Group, where he provided leadership and support for the Bank’s work on the fragile and conflict-affected areas, including developing and promoting an agenda for strategic knowledge and research; establishing key partnerships across institutions involved in fragile states; and leading institutional reforms affecting the Bank’s work in fragile states, including the implementation of the rapid response policy and procedures, and reforms to organizational and human resource systems.
Mr. McKechnie worked for twenty eight years in various World Bank positions, his previous position being Country Director for Afghanistan, Bhutan, and Maldives in the South Asia Region. Other positions include Operations Director for the South Asia Region, where in addition to his work on Afghanistan, he assisted the Vice President for the region and oversaw the Bank’s operations in South Asia; Energy Sector Director South Asia region, responsible for the Bank’s energy operations in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka; Division Chief for Energy, Infrastructure and Private-Sector Development in the Mashreq, Egypt and Iran Department in the Middle East/North Africa region. After the Asian tsunami disaster in 2004, he coordinated the World Bank’s response to the South Asia region.
Prior to joining the World Bank he worked for nine years in consulting firms in the United Kingdom that provided policy advice and pre-investment services to clients in multiple countries.
Since retiring from the World Bank, Mr. McKechnie has worked as an independent consultant, providing advice to the World Bank on the forthcoming World Development report, organizational changes, and operations policy on fragility and conflict. He is currently also working for the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) on the Budget Strengthening Initiative providing advice on program implementation, financing and procurement to African governments.
Mr. McKechnie is a New Zealand national with university degrees in economics and engineering.
