WRI’s Board of Directors is heavily engaged in providing the institute with strategic direction and equipping it with the resources to be effective. In 2024 WRI welcomed the appointment of four new Board Members, each of whom brought their own unique expertise and experience to WRI.

 

 

Dr. Frannie Léautier
SENIOR PARTNER AND SEO OF SOUTHBRIDGE INVESTMENTS

“WRI provides important data analytics, mapping and long-term tracking tools, and offers balanced and fact-based analysis, which is very helpful for shaping long-term policy on the critical issues impacting the resources of the world. WRI is also a champion of innovative finance solutions in development.”

 

Dr. Frannie Léautier says that WRI’s effectiveness is partly due to its being one of only a few institutions that can stretch beyond political and policy horizons to think long term. That means it is able to do the difficult things that are necessary to secure lasting results for the planet. She is particularly looking forward to continuing her engagement with the activities of WRI in Africa and has a keen interest in the institute’s activities related to cities, restoration and the newly launched WRI Polsky Center for the Global Energy Transition (March 2025). “I hear a lot of positive feedback on what WRI is doing in cities,” she says, citing growing interest in the work in sustainable mobility. Dr. Léautier was previously on WRI’s Global Board for two years and says her return feels like a homecoming.

Clara Barby
SENIOR PARTNER AT JUST CLIMATE

 

“I’m looking forward to working across WRI’s network to help finance and scale the investments needed to reduce carbon emissions, protect nature and improve people’s lives.”

 

Clara Barby has a wealth of high-level experience in getting private capital flowing to the Global South, which is a key part of WRI’s strategy. “Given the scale of finance needed to deliver a net zero habitable planet, private and public investment must quite literally speak to each other and maximize capital flows, especially to emerging markets,” she says. She believes that WRI’s work on financial system change can help governments understand areas where private finance is currently unable to take a leading role, and address barriers with evidence-based solutions. She was also delighted to see the WRI Polsky Center for the Global Energy Transition’s focus on responsibly sourcing critical minerals and supporting sustainable energy sources for cities.

 
 

Sharan Burrow
VISITING PROFESSOR IN PRACTICE, GRANTHAM INSTITUTE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

“Trust and optimism in the transition away from fossil fuels comes with the involvement of workers and their communities. The associated respect for land rights, human and labor rights is the strongest foundation for a sustainable future.”

 

Informed by her role as the first woman general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, Sharan Burrow brings a deep expertise in just transition to WRI’s Global Board. “In a world where trust is fractured it is critical to ensure that we co-create our transition plans,” she says. She believes that WRI’s strategic focus on all three of people, nature and climate is a critical lens through which to view and overcome today’s interconnected issues. “I’m excited to contribute to this mission.” Her experience extends to critical leadership in WRI’s work on issues such as climate and economics, along with food and land use.

Yunli Lou
FOUNDER AND MANAGING PARTNER OF MILESTONE CAPITAL PARTNERS

 

“I am particularly interested in helping WRI’s work on renewable energy and the low carbon transition, and ensuring the focus is on improving people’s lives as well as nature and the climate.”

 

After spending decades navigating complex markets in China and beyond, Yunli Lou brings to WRI a deep understanding of the private sector. “Collaborating with WRI to champion entrepreneurial thinking at the intersection of innovation and sustainability is incredibly exciting,” she says. Yunli Lou sees WRI’s global reach and the quality of its research as more important than ever, given the uncertainties of the current geopolitical environment.

 

 

WRI Global Board

Directors

David Blood
CHAIR
Founding Partner and the Senior Partner, Generation Investment Management

Pamela Flaherty
VICE CHAIR
Former President and CEO, Citi Foundation; Former Director of Corporate Citizenship, Citi

Susan Tierney
VICE CHAIR
Senior Advisor, Analysis Group, Inc.

Clara Barby
Senior Partner, Just Climate

Frances Beinecke
President Emerita and Honorary Trustee, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)

Afsaneh Beschloss
Founder and CEO, RockCreek

Stephen Brenninkmeijer
Founder and Principal, Willows Investments

Jesper Brodin
President and CEO, Ingka Group

Sharan Burrow
Former General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation; Visiting Professor In Practice, Grantham Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London School of Economics

William Chen
Founding Managing Partner, ClearVue Partners

Ani Dasgupta
President and CEO, World Resources Institute

Jamshyd Godrej
Chairman and Managing Director, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd.

Lawrence Jones
Senior Vice President, International Programs, Edison Electric Institute (EEI)

Frannie Léautier
Senior Partner and SEO, SouthBridge Investments

Joaquim Levy
Director of Economic Strategy and Market Relations, Banco Safra Brazil;
Former Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, World Bank

Carlos Lopes
Professor, Nelson Mandela School, University of Cape Town; Chair of the African Climate Foundation Board; Former Executive Secretary, Economic Commission for Africa

Yunli Lou
Founder and Managing Partner of Milestone Capital Partners

Cecilia Martinez
Former Regional Director, UN-Habitat

Pamela Matson
Goldman Professor Emerita, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and Dean Emerita, Stanford University School of Earth, Energy and Environment

Kathleen McLaughlin
Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Walmart; Chair, Walmart Foundation Board

Michael Miebach
Chief Executive Officer, Mastercard

Nader Mousavizadeh
Founding Partner and CEO, Macro Advisory Partners

Mari Elka Pangestu
Professor, International Economic University of Indonesia; Former World Bank Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships

Michael Polsky
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Invenergy

Roger Sant
Chairman, The Summit Foundation; Co-founder and Chairman Emeritus, The AES Corporation

Jennifer Scully-Lerner
Vice President of Private Wealth Management, Goldman Sachs

Johannes van de Ven
Executive Director of Good Energies Foundation

Gloria Walton
President & CEO, The Solutions Project

Daniel Weiss
Co-founder and Managing Partner, Angeleno Group

Members of WRI’s Global Board and leadership in India, 2024
Members of WRI’s Global Board and leadership in India, 2024

International Offices

WRI Brasil Board of Directors

Johannes van de Ven
CHAIR
Executive Director, Good Energies Foundation

Orlando Strambi
Professor and Coordinator of the Department of Transportation Engineering at the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo

Valmir Ortega
Consultant collaborating with non- governmental organizations, multilateral cooperation agencies, and foundations

Janet Ranganathan
Managing Director of Strategy, Learning, and Results, WRI

Leonardo Fleck
Senior Head of Sustainable Innovation, Santander Brazil

Fernanda Lopes
Program Director, Baobá Fund for Racial Equity

Daniel Bento
Lawyer and Executive Director at CEERT Racial and Gender Equity

Sylvia Brasil Coutinho
Former President of UBS Brazil, responsible for Latin America (2013-2024); Vice-Chairman of the Board at UBS BB Investment Bank (2020-2024)

Julia Marisa Sekula
CFO and Head of Brazil at Terradot, a carbon removal startup; Former Senior Manager at Instituto Igarapé, leading technological solutions and strategic partnerships for the Amazon

WRI India Board of Directors

Jamshyd Godrej
CHAIR
Chairman and Managing Director, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd.

Ashok Khosla
Chairman, Development Alternatives Group

Shashishekhar Pandit
Chairman and Group CEO, KPIT Technologies Ltd

Kiran Pasricha
Former CEO, Ananta Aspen Centre; Former Deputy Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

WRI Indonesia Board of Directors

Mari Elka Pangestu
Chair of The Board
Professor, International Economic University of Indonesia; Former World Bank Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships

Desi Anwar
Senior News Presenter, CNN

Dharsono Hartono
President Director of PT, Rimba Makmur Utama

Dr. Dino Patti Djalal
Ex-Indonesian Ambassador to the US, Founder, FPCI

William Sabandar
Ex-Direktur of MRT Jakarta

Masyita Crystallin
Expert Staff for Ministry of Finance

Yenny Wahid
Social Entrepreneur/Politician

China Strategy and Development Committee

Ani Dasgupta
President and CEO, World Resources Institute

Yi Wang
Member of Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress

William Chen
WRI Global Board of Director, Founding Managing Partner of ClearVue Partners

Sze Ping Lo
Program Director of Sequoia Climate Fund

Hongpeng Lei
Global Director, Climate at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation

Zhongjing Wang
CEO of Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance, Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank

Li Fang
China Country Director of WRI China

Stephen Ross, Ani Dasgupta, and the Re-Ciclo team, grand prize winners of the 2023-2024 Ross Prize for Cities from Fortaleza, Brazil
Stephen Ross, Ani Dasgupta, and the Re-Ciclo team, grand prize winners of the 2023-2024 Ross Prize for Cities from Fortaleza, Brazil

WRI Europe Board of Directors

Stientje van Veldhoven
CHAIR
Vice President and Regional Director Europe, WRI

Elizabeth Cook
Executive Vice President for Governance & Development, WRI

Janet Ranganathan
Managing Director, Strategy, Learning and Results, WRI

 

WRI México Board of Directors

Cecilia Martínez
CHAIR
Former Regional Director, UN-HABITAT

Sergio Chagoya Díaz
Partner, Santamarina + Steta

Adrián Fernández Bremauntz
Executive Director, Mexico Climate Initiative

Ignacio García
IGA Investments & Consulting Services LLC, CEO/Founder

Ernesto Hanhausen
Managing Partner, Circulate Capital for Latin America and the Caribbean

Enrique Norten
Director of TEN Architects

Rolando Núñez Baza
CEO, Roundtable by The 92nd St Y, New York

José Saruhkán Kermez
Former National Coordinator, CONABIO

Eugene Towle
Managing Partner of Softec

Adriana Lobo
Managing Director, Global Presence and National Action, WRI

Ani Dasgupta
President and CEO, World Resources Institute

WRI Colombia Board of Directors

Adriana Lobo
Managing Director, Global Presence and National Action, WRI

Shailesh Sreedharan
Global Operations Director, WRI

Kevin Moss
Chief Administrative Officer, WRI

WRI President and CEO Ani Dasgupta with Global Board Chairman David Blood at the 2024 Delhi Board meeting
WRI President and CEO Ani Dasgupta with Global Board Chairman David Blood at the 2024 Delhi Board meeting

WRI Council of Boards

Jamshyd Godrej
WRI India Board Chair

David Blood
WRI Global Board Chair Champion, WRI Europe Board

Mari Pangestu
WRI Indonesia Board Chair

Cecilia Martínez
WRI México Board Chair

Johannes van de Ven
WRI Brasil Board Chair

Sue Tierney
Chair, WRI US Advisory Board

WRI Kenya Board of Directors

Shailesh Sreedharan
Director

George M. Ruchathi
Director

Wanjira Mathai
Local Representative