Leo Horn-Phathanothai

Leo is an accomplished leader in sustainable development. He has played an influential part in shaping international norms and standards for environmental governance and advancing sustainable development policy and diplomacy over two decades in government, international organizations, think tanks and the non-profit sector. Over the past twelve years as a senior Director at the World Resources Institute (WRI), he helped forge transformative partnerships and raised >$350 million in funding, helping drive WRI’s rapid growth from an organization of 300 to >2,700 experts and expanding its global reach and impact to over 60 countries. Before that Leo worked as a climate expert and environmental economist at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank and the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID). He has a long-standing focus on China and was posted there from 2003-2009, from where he helped develop and then coordinated a pioneering partnership between the UK and China on sustainable development, launched by Prime Ministers Blair and Wen, and involving 17 government ministries/agencies. Leo recently moved to Bangkok where he is working with Chinese, regional and international actors to accelerate investment, innovation, and policy change in the region. He teaches, writes, serves on boards and as a strategic advisor to mission-aligned organizations and start-ups. He is working on the 2nd edition of a textbook on “Climate Change and Development”, first published in 2014, which has become a reference for development study graduates.