Sanjay Pradhan (53) who has roots in Patna has been selected as the chief executive officer for the Open Government Partnership (OGP).

OGP was launched by US president Barack Obama in 2011 along with seven other heads of state and nine civil society leaders at the UN General Assembly with the objective of making governments more transparent, responsive and accountable through stronger civic participation.

Sanjay will report to an international 22-member steering committee comprising governments and civil society organisations.

Sanjay was earlier working with the World Bank as vice-president for the change, leadership and innovation unit and as director of public sector governance. He has held three vice-presidential positions with the World Bank Group. He led their governance and anti-corruption strategy, launched the global partnership for social accountability and rolled out a leadership initiative to help governments undertake collaborative actions. He has also spoken on open governance at global forums such as TED Global Conference, the BBC World Debate, the British House of Commons and the European Parliament.

He studied in Patna's St Michael's School till Class VIII and then moved to Manila (Philippines) when his father got a job there. He finished his schooling there. He did his graduation and postgraduation from Harvard University and completed his PhD from the same university. He has been living in Washington DC area for the past 25 years.

"I am very excited to lead OGP that can transform the lives of millions around the globe," says one of Sanjay's Facebook posts.

Sanjay's elder brother Ajit Pradhan is the chief cardiac surgeon at Jeevak Heart Hospital in Patna. Ajit said he was proud of his brother and the whole family had gone into a celebratory mode since they heard of Sanjay's success.

"Sanjay has a prestigious position at the World Bank," said Ajit. "He achieved what he could in his last job. Being handpicked by the US president for OGP is huge. We are very proud of him."

"My father was a chief engineer with the state government but we were never affluent during his service in Bihar," said Ajit. "We never had a car or a refrigerator. He was an honest person. Sanjay is exactly like him. He will not oblige anyone with special favours, not even his family. He is like our father."

Ajit added: "He was always among the top students at Harvard. He got a full scholarship for his graduation and postgraduation. My father did not have to spend a single penny on his higher education."