Sunil Bharti Mittal among new members in World Bank’s investment lab initiative

The World Bank Group has announced the launch of its next phase of the Private Sector Investment Lab that will focus on implementing proven solutions at scale. The Lab has also expanded its membership to include new leaders like Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, Bayer AG CEO Bill Anderson, Dangote Group President & CEO Aliko Dangote, and Hyatt Hotels Corporation President & CEO Mark Hoplamazian.

World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, speaking about the next phase of the Lab said, “This isn’t about altruism – it’s about helping the private sector see a path to investments that will deliver returns, and lift people and economies alike. It’s central to our mandate.”

The Lab brought leaders over the last 18 months to identify the most pressing barriers to private sector investment in developing countries and to test actionable solutions. This effort has been consolidated into five priority focus areas: regulatory and policy certainty, political risk insurance, foreign exchange risk, junior equity capital, and securitization.

The Lab is now entering its implementation phase, expanding its membership to include private sector leaders from critical job-creating sectors such as infrastructure, energy, agribusiness, healthcare, tourism, and manufacturing.

New members include Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer AG; Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chair of Bharti Enterprises; Aliko Dangote, President & CEO of Dangote Group; and Mark Hoplamazian, President & CEO of Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

“We are grateful to the original Lab leaders who helped us deliver strong results in the initial work period,” Banga said. “Now we’re building on that foundation—bringing in additional leaders from sectors that are central to job creation and moving from ideas to implementation.”

The Lab’s founding members included senior executives from AXA, BlackRock, HSBC, Macquarie, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Ninety One, Ping An Group, Royal Philips, Standard Bank, Standard Chartered, Sustainable Energy for All, Tata Sons, Temasek, and Three Cairns Group. The Lab is chaired by Shriti Vadera, Chair of Prudential plc.

Mittal said, “The World Bank Group is leading the way with initiatives to grow economies and create opportunities in emerging markets around the globe. As President Banga has said, the private sector will play a pivotal role in this transformation, and I am delighted to join the PSIL alongside other distinguished business leaders. I have seen firsthand the power of connectivity to transform lives by creating opportunities for businesses to grow and communities to thrive. I hope that the successes of the telecommunications sector will be valuable as PSIL embarks on the next stage of its important work.”

Anderson said businesses and World Bank together can unleash job creation in emerging markets by managing risks and realising the opportunities for the next generation growing up in low and middle income countries.