World Bank Group’s Chennai office celebrates 20th anniversary

The largest World Bank Group (WBG) office outside the US headquarters – in Chennai – is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The WBG’s flagship “Shared Services Center” in the city with over 1,200 staff provides accounting, finance, human resource, and information technology supports over 130 offices of the World Bank Group across the globe.

“The Chennai Center provides critical services to support the development institution’s mission to reduce poverty and boost shared prosperity throughout the world. The exemplary commitment of our staff in the Chennai Center over the past 20 years has transformed it into a center of excellence and innovation,” said Shaolin Yang, Managing Director and WBG Chief Administrative Officer, in a press release.

The WBG selected Chennai after an extensive global search. It offered an investor-friendly environment, minimal geopolitical risk, a reputation as one of the safest cities in India, and a wealth of skills among its people. Today, the WBG office is located in a 3.5-acre site just off Chennai’s bustling IT- corridor and is housed in a LEED-certified “green” building with world-class infrastructure.

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“The support of the government of India and the government of Tamil Nadu, since inception, has helped create a conducive eco-system that has been vital for the success of the work delivered by the World Bank Group office at Chennai,” said Anshula Kant, Managing Director, and Chief Financial Officer, WBG.

The staff at the center also strive to give back to the community through the work of the Chennai Community Connections Trust (CCCT). Each year, CCCT serves destitute students, old age homes, charitable hospitals and other underprivileged groups through various community and crisis relief projects in and around Chennai.

“More recently, during the pandemic, CCCT supported the purchase of beds and oxygen concentrators for children at a local hospital,” the release said.

Sunil Kumar, Center Head, has been in the Chennai office since its inception in 2001. “The WBG Shared Services Center at 20 is an outcome of the strong talent pool that is present in Chennai. Our staff have inculcated a culture of innovation, collaboration, learning, and knowledge sharing. The center is strongly positioned to support the World Bank Group’s mission of reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity for decades to come,” he said in the release.