Serageldin, Ismail

Ismail Serageldin, is an Egyptian national, born in Giza in 1944. He is married with one son. He is tri-lingual: Arabic, English and French.

Ismail Serageldin is Director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. As the first person to hold the position of “Librarian of Alexandria” in over 1600 years, he brings exceptional breadth and experience to the tasks at hand. He has pursued an active career in development ending with 7 years as Vice-President at the World Bank where he championed the concerns of the poor, women and minorities as well as the environment and the non-economic aspects of development. He was Chairman of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) (1994–2000), Chairman of the Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP) (1995–2000), Chairman of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) (1996–2000) and Chairman on the World Water Commission (1998–2000). Dr. Serageldin holds a BSc from Cairo University and Masters and PhD degrees from Harvard University. He has received 14 honorary doctorates from all parts of the world. He is Distinguished University Professor, Wageningen University, the Netherlands, and is a member of several academies and scientific organizations. He serves as chair and member of a number of advisory committees for academic, research, scientific and international institutions and civil society efforts. He has published widely over 45 books and monographs and some 200 articles and technical papers on Sociology, Agriculture, Science, Architecture, Shakespearean drama, economic development, human resource issues, the environment and other topics.