THE AFRICA BAZAAR MAGAZINE
March 1, 2009
The U.S. government’s development finance agency, Overseas Private Investment Corporation on Friday said David Bohigian, who has served as executive vice president at the agency, is now in charge of the agency as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, effectively, following Ray W. Washburne’s exit from the agency.
Mr. Bohigian has worked at the agency since August 2017, and was instrumental and a collaborator of many of the development initiatives that the agency has undertaken since 2017 to empower women and small medium-sized enterprises in the developing world, including the agency’s Connect Africa Initiative which aims to enhance connectivity in Africa through investment, the 2X Women’s Initiative that will mobilize $1 billion to women and The Northern Triangle Initiative to drive investment to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Former OPIC President and CEO Ray. W. Washburne, who announced his exit from the agency on February 12 said Mr. Bohigian’s dedicated work to advance the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act into law last year makes him the ideal candidate to lead the transformation of OPIC into a rebrand U.S. Development Finance Corporation.
“David is exceptionally qualified to take over OPIC at this exciting time. Better than anyone, [he] understands what it will take to launch the DFC. I leave OPIC knowing that it has the leadership to bolster U.S. development finance and its positive impact across the world,” said Mr. Washburne.
In a statement, Mr. Bohigian said he is “deeply honored today to have the chance to lead this outstanding and innovative organization that every day is making a difference in millions of lives across the globe. As the agency transforms into the new [DFC], I look forward to launching a world class development finance institution and building an unprecedented global platform supporting peace and prosperity.”
Prior to joining OPIC, Mr. Bohigian, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington & Lee University and his JD from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, was the managing director of Pluribus Ventures, where he advised financial services firms and invested in impact-driven companies. Before that, he served on the management team of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, and founded E2 Capital Partners, which developed new financing models for energy efficiency projects.
He also held various senior positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce during the George W. Bush administration, including as Assistant Secretary for Market Access and Compliance in the International Trade administration, where he focused on eliminating trade and investment barriers for U.S. companies.
