KARACHI: Former governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and first woman chairperson of the Pakistan Stock Exchange Dr Shamshad Akhtar has passed away due to a cardiac arrest. She was 71 years old.
Her funeral prayers will be held tomorrow (Sunday) in Karachi after Zuhr prayers.
Dr. Akhtar was the first woman and the 14th Governor of the State Bank since its inception in July, 1948
She earned her education from the University of the Punjab, Quaid-e-Azam University and the University of Sussex, and completed her PhD from the University of Paisley. She later undertook a Fulbright post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard University.
Her distinguished international career included senior roles at the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the United Nations. At the UN, she served as Executive Secretary of UNESCAP and later as Assistant Secretary-General.
In 2006, she made history as the first woman Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, where she led major reforms to strengthen monetary policy and banking stability
Dr Akhtar also served twice as Pakistan’s caretaker federal finance minister and later became the first woman chairperson of the Pakistan Stock Exchange. A strong advocate of financial inclusion, sustainable development and economic reform, Dr Shamshad Akhtar is remembered as a trailblazer whose legacy will continue to inspire generations.
