Luo, Xiang

SIIF/ United Nations Global Leadership & ESG Programme (UNGLEP), China

Dr. Luo Xiang is a distinguished leader with over 20 years of exceptional experience in the United Nations system and other international organisations. He currently chairs the steering committee of the UN Global Leadership & ESG programme, co-developed by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Social Impact Investment Foundation (SIIF). In addition, he serves as the chairman of the SIIF and the ESG Committee of the Multinational-Companies Carbon Neutral Association (MNC Carbon Neutral 50 Forum). In these roles, Dr. Luo leads initiatives that provide systematic solutions in sustainable investment, focusing on clean energy, carbon neutrality, green finance, and the digital economy. His work strongly supports the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and addresses the complex global climate crisis.

From 2014 to 2020, Dr. Luo served as the Country Director for the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in China, where he led multinational programmes in collaboration with the Chinese government and countries along the Belt and Road Initiative. His efforts spanned various sectors, including clean energy, food security, life sciences, healthcare, and knowledge economy projects. Before 2014, he played a key role in other UN systems and international economic development agencies, focusing on industrial cluster development and managing multiple internationally recognised funds. He established a special industry sustainable fund of over one billion US dollars and a global innovation fund of one hundred million US dollars.

Luo holds a PhD in Business Administration and has served as a mentor for the Entrepreneurship Innovation Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT-CHIEF). He is also a core expert for the WWF Climate Initiative and the chief advisor for the China-Euro Green Industrial Transformation & Innovation Committee. His contributions have earned him numerous accolades, including “2020 China’s Top 10 Smart Economy Leaders” from the Economic Daily Group, the “2023 Global Green Finance and ESG Sustainability Leader Award” from the Global Alliance for Ecological Sustainable Development in France, “2022-2023 Asia-Pacific Green Finance and Clean Energy Person of the Year” from the Asia Economy Development Association, and the title of “2023 Green Financial Knight of Global Zero-Emission City Innovation” from the organising committee of the Global Science & Technology Innovation Summit, sponsored by UNIDOGINP-Shanghai.