10 July 2019
The East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore has appointed Dutch national Bert Hofman as its fourth director.
Mr Hofman, who had previously served as chief economist for the World Bank and director of its Singapore office, takes over from Professor Zheng Yongnian.
When contacted, Mr Hofman said he was excited to join the institute, which has a strong reputation for studying China and North-east Asia.
He cited the current trade dispute between the United States and China as an issue which requires “more than ever fact-based analysis of the causes and nature of the tensions, its possible impact on the region, and development of options for possible solutions”.
Mr Hofman has an economics degree from Erasmus University Rotterdam and a master’s in economics from the University of Kiel in Germany. He has also worked as country director for the Philippines for the World Bank before his first posting in Singapore.