Ani Dasgupta
President & CEO

Ani Dasgupta is President and CEO of World Resources Institute (WRI), where he spearheads global efforts to drive systemic change across climate, nature, and human development. Ani's visionary leadership is defined by action to transform economies, cities, and communities for a prosperous and inclusive future.
A widely recognized leader in climate policy and finance, sustainable cities, and poverty alleviation, Dasgupta has built transformative cross-sector, multinational partnerships with governments, corporations, and civil society. He brings a global perspective to ensure that environmental solutions are both scalable and equitable, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, Time Magazine and many global media outlets. He took the helm at WRI after seven years as global director of WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities. Under his leadership, the WRI Ross Center grew to become one of the largest programs of its kind with teams working in 150 cities, with a reach of more than four hundred cities across the globe.
Prior to joining WRI in 2014, Dasgupta worked at the World Bank for nearly two decades. His work spanned urban development, poverty, and infrastructure in East Asia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. He served as director of knowledge and learning at the World Bank, where he developed the bank’s first knowledge strategy. He also worked extensively in the World Bank’s Jakarta office as head of infrastructure, where he was deeply engaged in post-2004 tsunami reconstruction in Aceh. His technical work at the Bank centered on community-based development, urban environment, disaster management, solid waste management, water supply, and sanitation.
Originally from Delhi, India, Dasgupta developed an early interest in buildings and design. He earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture, with an emphasis on low-income housing, at the School of Planning and Architecture in India. He attended a special program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology focused on affordable housing and later joined the Department for Urban Planning at MIT. Dasgupta holds master's degrees from MIT in city planning and architecture.
He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and has two children.
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World Resources Report: Towards a More Equal City
Launch PlatformLaunch Platform Visit ProjectA new approach to cities that prioritizes equitable access to services would improve billions of lives, generate economic prosperity and create environmental benefits for all.
Part of CitiesUrban Efficiency & Climate
Visit ProjectHelping cities adopt an integrated approach to improve the built environment, clean the air and tackle climate change.
Part of CitiesCoronavirus Recovery
Visit ProjectWRI offers research, expert insights, webinars and more to help policymakers, business leaders and others build back better, in ways that grow economies, create jobs, curb climate change and improve public health.
Part of ClimateCoalition for Urban Transitions (Inactive)
Launch PlatformLaunch Platform Visit ProjectActive from 2016-2021, the Coalition was the leading global initiative helping national governments unlock the economic power of inclusive, zero-carbon cities.
Part of CitiesUrban Development
Visit ProjectCreating livable neighborhoods that build resilience, improve health, and equitably connect people and opportunities.
Part of CitiesZero Carbon Building Accelerator
Visit ProjectHelping cities reduce building emissions to meet climate goals.
Part of Cities