New World AsiaGlobal Fellow
Operations Team Lead (Economic & Social Infrastructure)
Islamic Development Bank
Ilker Ersegun Kayhan leads the evaluation and implementation of the ongoing development projects in the Islamic Development Bank member countries including Suriname and Guyana, of South America. He has also served as the lead evaluation specialist, conducting country assistance evaluations for Bangladesh, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain. Additionally, he has held the position of country manager for Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Prior to these roles, Ilker worked at the World Bank, Central Bank of Türkiye, and Citibank, gaining experience as a seasoned banker, a prudent regulator, and a dedicated development practitioner.
Ilker holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Bilkent University and a master’s degree in public administration/international development from Harvard University, where he was awarded the Joint Japanese/World Bank Graduate Scholarship. He also holds a PhD degree in finance from Eastern Mediterranean University. He also completed the High Impact Leadership Program at the Columbia Business School.
Ilker’s academic interests primarily lie in economics and finance, with a specific focus on project financing. He was a Chevening Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, where he published various academic papers and a book chapter on managing fiscal risks of public-private partnership (PPP) projects and determining socially equitable government guarantees.
His research as an AsiaGlobal Fellow will look into contingent liabilities (government guarantees) in PPP projects in Indonesia, preferably in the transportation sector (toll-road projects), and potentially compare the case of Türkiye versus Indonesia, to exemplify the policy implications.
Room 326-348, Main Building
The University of Hong Kong
Pokfulam, Hong Kong