Abla Abdel-Latif

Executive Director and Director of Research, Egyptian Center for Economic Studies

Dr. Abla Abdel Latif is currently the Chair of the Presidential Advisory Council for Economic Development; and the Executive Director and Director of Research of The Egyptian Center for Economic Studies (ECES). She has been in both positions for the last seven years. She is an Egyptian national with a B.A. in economics from the American University in Cairo (AUC) (with highest honors) and an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. She was a Professor of Economics at the American University in Cairo (AUC) for over twenty years, she has been selected to be a Life Time Research Fellow at the Economic Research Forum (ERF) and has authored a large number of publications in class A internationally refereed Journals. Her professional experience is also extensive, starting from being the Policy Unit Manager in the Industrial Modernisation Centre (IMC) to being the Minister of Industry’s Advisor shortly after the 25th of January Revolution and until 2015 when she became the Chair of the Presidential Advisory Council for Economic Development. She was also a Member of the Central Bank of Egypt’s Coordinating Council, and a Board Member of the National Bank of Egypt – the first female in this position, for over six years. She has also been a senior international expert in several UNIDO projects and other international organizations. In 2013, she was honored with membership of the Committee of Fifty, whose mission was to draft Egypt’s Constitution following June 30, 2013. In that capacity, she was officially representing the Egyptian Federation of Industries, and one of only five females in the Committee. Dr. Abla received several awards among which a special award for outstanding achievement and excellence in research from Sussex University in the UK and a faculty excellence teaching award from the American University in Cairo. She is also a cofounder and Board Member of BASEERA (the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research), and “El Nidaa” Foundation for job creation for women and youth in Upper Egypt.