Mehnaz Ansari

United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA)

Senior Regional Representative-South Asia, Indo Pacific Region

Ms. Mehnaz Ansari is the Senior Regional Representative- South Asia for United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), based at the US Embassy in New Delhi. She is responsible for managing USTDA’s South Asia office and supports USTDA activities in advancing US government’s development priorities, US industry trade interest and US government foreign policy objectives. Mehnaz is responsible for expanding the USTDA portfolio for South Asia including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan, Bhutan and Afghanistan. Besides advancing agencies priority projects in Civil Aviation and Clean Energy, Mehnaz has been instrumental in introducing new sectors in the region with projects in Rail, Ports, Inland Waterways, Smart Cities, Oil and Gas, Healthcare, Digital, Executive Education, Financial Services, and Public Procurement training through agency’s Global Procurement Initiative by collaborating with South Asian countries. She leads the agency’s discussion on Global Partnership on Climate Change launched by President Biden in 2021 with India and recently helped launch US-India Climate Technology Action Group working with India’s Private Sector. She works with various multilaterals such as the World Bank to ensure implementation of the projects is defined. She leads USTDA’s dialogue on Smart Cities with Government of India, USTDA’s Virtual Business Engagement group and is a member of the agency’s Global ICT Sector Team. A sought-after speaker on various infrastructure subjects and a mentor to many academic and competitive sessions organized globally at various platforms, Mehnaz has been a recipient of multiple USG Mission and Industry awards. Mehnaz is the Sr. Vice President of Women in Aviation International-India Chapter. She is a member of US Mission’s Gender Empowerment Committee and The Rotary Wing Society of India. Mehnaz’ s expertise and experience go beyond her work at the USTDA and translates into her work with the community. She is the managing trustee of a charitable foundation which works to support the marginalized sections of society. Mehnaz was appreciated by UN Women in New York in 2017 for her pioneering work in including women safety in Indian Smart Cities. She is also the member of US Ambassador’s Mission India’s Response Team working with US Private Sector to assist the Indians impacted by the pandemic. An MBA in International Business, Mehnaz has Advanced Management Development Training from The Wharton School and a Post Graduate Diploma in Leadership from Emeritus (MIT’s Sloan School of Management, Columbia Business School, and the Tuck School of Business).