Vinod Thomas

Vinod Thomas is Director General of Independent Evaluation at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Vinod reports to ADB’s Board of Directors through the Development Effectiveness Committee. His work aims to assess ADB’s development effectiveness while providing lessons to help inform ADB’s actions going forward. He is responsible for evaluating policies, programs, projects and technical assistance, as well as thematic issues at the regional, country, and sector levels. Taken together, the evaluations address the effectiveness of ADB’s strategies, policies, practices, and procedures. He also heads the review and selective validation of project and program completion reports from operational departments. He is in charge of tracking the response to evaluation recommendations, as well as supporting evaluation capacity development in member countries.

Prior to this, Vinod was the Director-General and Senior Vice-President of the Independent Evaluation Group at the World Bank Group. He was formerly Country Director for Brazil and Vice-President, a position that he held from October 2001 to July 2005. Prior to that, he was Vice-President of the World Bank Institute, where he led the Institute’s efforts to improve its focus, quality, and impact. He joined the World Bank in 1976 and held several positions, including Chief Economist for the East Asia and Pacific region, Director for the World Development Report, Chief of Trade Policy and Principal Economist for Colombia, and Economist for Bangladesh.

Vinod has a PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago and authored numerous books, articles, and reports. He has taught at Vassar College, New York and the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and has addressed professional and academic fora in all regions.