Elif Ayhan is a civil engineer who holds a master's degree in structural and earthquake engineering. She started her career as a Technical Auditor at the inspection board of a public bank in Turkey, which financed urban housing projects. Following devastating 1999 earthquakes, she was invited to be a member of the Prime Ministry Crises Management Center and contributed to establishing a new disaster risk management system in Turkey. She worked as a Deputy Director at the Prime Ministry Project Implementation Unit, which implemented disaster recovery, reconstruction, and risk reduction projects with national and international resources.
For the last thirteen years, she has been with the Bank, in various capacities, leading urban development, municipal services, land, and disaster risk management projects in ECA and SAR. Among other operations, as a Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist, she has been the task team leader for several flagship engagements, including Istanbul Seismic Risk Mitigation and Emergency Preparedness Project (ISMEP); Serbia and Romania DRM reform programs, and State Partnership for the Resilient Kerala Program in India. Her current work program in SAR covers urban resilience, disaster risk reduction, risk financing, policy reforms to enhance disaster, and climate resilience in India, Pakistan, and at a regional level.