Syed Salim Raza is the former Governor of State Bank of Pakistan. He succeeded Dr Shamshad Akhtar who completed her three-year tenure as SBP Governor on January 1, 2009. Prior to his assumption of the office of SBP Governor, he was the CEO of Pakistan Business Council (PBC) since February 2006. . He holds a Masters degree from Oxford University and was the 15th Governor of the State Bank. Raza brought to the State Bank 36 years of international banking experience. He had been with the Citibank, N.A. in various positions that included Country and Regional Management across the Middle East, Africa and the UK, Central and Eastern Europe, based in London from 1989 to 2006. His business experience covers credit and corporate finance, real estate and global asset (bonds & equities) management. He was also the Country Head for Citibank in Pakistan from 1983 to 1987. He has worked extensively on a variety of associated subjects, both exclusively at PBC, and also in partnership with multilateral organizations and Government bodies. He has been instrumental in preparing innumerable reports, surveys and recommendations covering a variety of subjects including corporate and tax law reforms; infrastructure development, including a dynamic role for public-private partnerships; broadening and deepening of capital markets, creation of long-term corporate debt markets;corporate governance; competitiveness capacity building; and a variety of other associated themes .