Leading the Asian Development Bank: Haruhiko Kuroda (20)

On Feb. 1, 2005, I took office as the eighth president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). I headed to the headquarters in Manila and took over from former President Tadao Chino at the hotel where I arrived. This kept to the tradition that the outgoing and incoming presidents would not be in the headquarters building at the same time.

The next day Chino left Manila and I went to the headquarters to present my basic policy thinking to the 12-member board of directors and senior staff. Following the bank's tradition since the first president, Takeshi Watanabe, I called for the organization to act as a "home doctor" who listens to developing countries' voices, rather than teaching them.