Wencai Zhang has been Managing Director and World Bank Group Chief Administrative Officer (MDCAO) since March 2024. In this role, Wencai manages the corporate units that deliver core services to the entire World Bank Group (WBG), including among others, budget planning and strategy, information and technology (IT), real estate management, corporate security, general services, health and safety, corporate procurement, shared services, and corporate risk management. In addition, Wencai is responsible for the provision of administrative support to the Sanctions System. Furthermore, as a member of the WBG’s senior leadership team, Wencai contributes to all strategic discussions.
Wencai brings a wealth of experience in public sector management, international economics, and development, and with Multilateral Development Banks. Before joining the WBG, Wencai was Vice President at the Export-Import Bank of China, overseeing strategic planning and implementation, budget and accounting, sovereign operations, and business development in over 160 countries. He also served as a Trustee of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation, which promotes the development and implementation of international accounting and sustainability standards globally.
He has also been Vice President at the Agricultural Development Bank of China (ADBC); and Vice President at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) where he led operations in South, Central and West Asia and promoted knowledge sharing and adoption of innovative technologies.
Additionally, he held other leadership positions within the Ministry of Finance of China, such as Director General of the Department of External Economic Cooperation, and Director General of the Department of International Economic and Financial Cooperation.
Wencai also served as Executive Director for China at ADB, Alternate Governor for China at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Director for China at the New Development Bank (NDB), and Director for China at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
Wencai began his career in the World Bank Department at the Ministry of Finance of China and served as Advisor to the Executive Director for China at the WBG. Wencai has a Ph.D. in Economics from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.