Norio Saito

Senior Sector Director,
Water and Urban Development Sector Office,
Sectors Department 2, Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Norio Saito has been the Senior Sector Director of the Water and Urban Development Sector Office in the Sectors Group of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) since June 2023. He leads and oversees the operations in the water and urban development sector that supports livable cities, water security, circular economy, and climate resilience in all regions ADB operates. Prior to this he was the Director of the Urban Development and Water Division (SAUW), South Asia Department since July 2019, overseeing the processing and implementation of loans and TAs in the sector for South Asia’s developing member countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka).

Mr Saito has more than 30 years of professional experience, including 16 years with ADB. He joined ADB in May 2008 as an Urban Development Specialist in the former South Asia Urban Development Division and was subsequently progressed to Principal Urban Development Specialist, SAUW. In April 2016, he became Deputy Country Director, Viet Nam Resident Mission (VRM). In VRM, he oversaw VRM operations and provided seamless high-quality support across all areas. He made substantive contributions in the areas of portfolio performance, ADB’s Public-Private Partnership, and climate change agenda in Viet Nam.

Mr Saito is a national of Japan. He holds a Ph. D. in Environmental and Functional Sciences (urban climate change adaptation) from Ibaraki University, Japan, a Master’s degree in Environmental Economics from Duke University, USA, and a Bachelor's degree in Geography from the University of Tokyo, Japan.

Prior to joining ADB, Mr Saito held progressively senior positions at the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF) of Japan from April 1992 to April 2008, with the last one being Director of the Environment Analysis Department.