A. H. Ebtehaj

Abol Hassan Ebtehaj (1899– 1999) was an Iranian banker and administrator who headed the Bank Melli during the rule of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Ebtehaj was the first technocrat of Iran.

Early life and education Ebtehaj was born in Rasht on 29 November 1899. His father was a customs official.

Career Ebtehaj started his career at the Imperial Bank of Iran in 1920.

Next he was appointed ambassador of Iran to France in 1950, but he was removed from the post in 1952. Ebtehaj initiated a project to build the Dez Dam in the mid-1955 after his organization lost control over another dam project concerning the Karaj Dam. His term at the Plan Organization and Budget Office ended on 25 February 1959 when he resigned from office due to tensions with Prime Minister Manouchehr Eghbal.

Ebtehaj cofounded a private bank named Bank-e Iranian (Persian: Iranians’ Bank) in January 1960 and became its chairman and president. He was released from prison in May 1962. He had no child from his first marriage. He died in London on 25 February 1999.