Dr. Helen Ding is the Senior Economist for Inclusive Development and Head of Economics for the Global Restoration Initiative at the World Resources Institute (WRI), based in WRI Europe’s regional office in The Hague. Her work centers on making a compelling economic case for mobilizing public and private finance to support ecosystem protection and restoration, while advancing the “New Economics of Well-being and Distribution” to ensure equitable benefit-sharing and targeted investment for vulnerable and marginalized communities.

An expert in natural capital accounting, economic valuation of biodiversity and ecosystem services, sustainable finance, and integrated micro- and macroeconomic analysis, Helen develops systematic approaches and decision-support tools that integrate nature’s value into economic policy and investment strategies.

With 18 years of applied research experience across academia, consultancy, and NGOs, she has led projects and multidisciplinary teams across Africa, Amazonia, China, Europe, India, and the Pacific Islands. Focusing on translating complex economic insights into actionable strategies, she helps governments, investors, and organizations align financial incentives with nature-positive outcomes in an evolving sustainable finance landscape.

Prior to WRI, Helen was a Senior Economist at Deloitte Sustainability Services in Paris, where she co-led Deloitte’s Natural Capital Community of Practice for Europe and Asia and represented the firm on the Expert Review Panel for the Natural Capital Protocol.

She holds a Ph.D. in Science and Management of Climate Change from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, an M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences (specializing in Environmental Economics and Natural Resources) from Wageningen University, and was awarded the UNECE/FAO Ph.D. Thesis Award for Sustainable Forest Management in 2011.