Poonam Gupta Appointed as First Woman Director General of NCAER

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 6 April 2021

Poonam Gupta has been appointed as the first woman Director General of NCAER, India’s largest and oldest economic think-tank. She will succeed Shekhar Shah who led NCAER since 2011 and will complete his second five-year term in early May. She will assume office on July 1, 2021.

Gupta currently works as a lead economist with the World Bank since 2013. Prior to joining the World Bank, she was the RBI chair professor at NIPFP and a professor of macroeconomics at ICRIER. She has taught at the Delhi School of Economics, and at the University of Maryland. She started her professional career as an economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

"We are delighted to have Poonam succeed Shekhar at the end of his successful tenure. NCAER has a unique heritage among India's intellectual landscape and she brings a set of unique experiences and perspectives that will accelerate, deepen and broaden our research agenda with impact and rigor,” said, Nandan Nilekani, President, NCAER.

Gupta’s area of expertise and research interest include issues related to growth and developmental challenges in developing economies, fiscal outcomes, financial sector, monetary policy, capital flows, and global developments.

Gupta holds a Ph.D. in applied macroeconomics and international economics from the University of Maryland, a Masters in economics from the Delhi School of Economics, and a Bachelor's degree in economics from Hindu College, Delhi University.