Ristu Yirdaw is the President of Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region since October 2021. He held the position of the chief executive of the Region with a rank of Deputy President after replacing the former governor, Million Mathios, in September 2019.

Prior to that, Restu Yirdaw held various positions including the Commissioner of Ethiopian Sport Commission,  Minister of Youth and Sports, advisor in the Ministry of Federal Affairs, and the Administrator of Gurage Zone.