Sungsup Ra supports the Director General in leading ADB-wide knowledge-based innovation, partnership, and sovereign operations across all sectors. He has served as Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department Chief Sector Officer, South Asia Human and Social Development Director, Pacific Operations Director, and Education Sector Group Chair. He has worked for Samsung and Korean National Pension and held faculty appointments at leading universities in the US, Japan, and Korea. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.