NEC Corp’s Aalok Kumar joins ADB’s high-level advisory group on digital tech

IT services provider NEC Corporation India’s chairman, president and CEO Aalok Kumar, who was promoted to corporate officer and senior vice president-head of global smart city business in February, adds another feather to his hat. The veteran on Monday has been appointed as a member of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) High-level Advisory Group on Digital Technology for Development.

The eight-member group, consists of global industry leaders in digital technology and academicians that work towards the utilisation of ICT technology among ADB activities for developing countries.

Kumar takes over from Katsumi Emura, former NEC Corporation Fellow, one of the founding members of the group. Kumar will now further leverage his wide range of knowledge in providing strategic counsel towards the optimal adoption of digital technologies for ADB to carry out its developmental work.

"I feel humbled to have been elected to represent NEC Corporation as part of Asian Development Bank’s High-level Advisory Group on Digital Technology. I look forward to the opportunity to work alongside this esteemed group of industry luminaries to help develop strong strategies for ADB to carry out critical developmental work in Asian countries, cutting across multiple focus areas," Kumar said in a statement.

Asian Development Bank was established in 1966 as a regional development bank to promote social and economic development in Asia. This advisory group was founded in 2019, with a core purpose to help devise digital strategies on ADB’s operational priorities, as defined in "ADB Strategy 2030." These priorities include addressing poverty, reducing inequality, mitigating climate change, bridging the gender gap, and making cities liveable.

An alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Kumar brings nearly three decades of experience in senior leadership roles in business transformation, performance improvement, and margin expansion. He has also served as the senior vice president of McKinsey & Company and worked in GE Healthcare, GE Capital and ABN Amro Bank.