By day, Baljit “Dobin” Vohra is Senior Vice President at WSP USA; the rest of the time he’s jet-setting to tackle development challenges. He rolls out of bed every morning with a “let’s do this” attitude, fires up his team around a clear goal, and then leads the charge—step by step—until it’s done.
Dobin was born July 5, 1961, in India—always the introspective Cancerian—and cut his teeth on mechanical engineering at Jabalpur Engineering College. In 1987, he hopped over to the States, earned an MBA in Finance & Investments from George Washington University, and never looked back.
Over the last 34 years, Dobin’s career has been a world atlas of travel and accomplishments:
- Holding leadership positions on several large multidisciplinary projects in over 20 countries for multilaterals and bilaterals, including the World Bank; Department for International Development (DfID) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
- Laying the groundwork for privatization, stock exchanges and pension reform across Central Europe, the former Soviet bloc (Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova) and China
- Leading multi-million-dollar USAID and FCDO programs on governance and economic growth in Iraq, Nepal, Honduras, El Salvador, Ukraine, Pakistan, Philippines and beyond
- Building financial-inclusion channels for half a million post-quake families in Nepal and helping over 2.6 million people access finance in Nepal and Iraq
- Forging workforce-development alliances and skills-upgrading partnerships across South Asia
At WSP, he now juggles heading the Integrated Development division—overseeing resilient infrastructure, trade & investment promotion, governance and inclusive finance—with a personal geography that spans Virginia, Chandigarh and a cozy condo in St. Kitts (a nod to his early Caribbean days).
Off-duty, Dobin is a teetotaler and non-smoker who unwinds with art galleries, international travel, the occasional NFL game (Go Commanders!), cricket Test matches, IPL (Go Punjab Kings) and weekend golf under a tropical sun. He embodies integrity, empathy and an unwavering commitment to excellence—values handed down from his mother, Guddi, and mentor-father, Prithi—and continues a family legacy of military service in the Indian Armed Forces dating back to 1857.
He splits his time between homes in Virginia, St. Kitts and Chandigarh and owes his dietary and exercise discipline to his nephew Jaz, an AI engineer and gym enthusiast. He also draws inspiration from his brother “Lak” – the smartest in the family.
Through natural disasters (Nepal and Montserrat), post-conflict rebuilds (Iraq) and every curveball at work, Dobin’s mission stays the same: roll up his sleeves, lead by example, and lift communities—one strategic roadmap at a time. Baljit Photo Gallery