Staff

Helena McLeod

Helena McLeod is Deputy Director-General and Head of the Green Growth Planning & Implementation (GGP&I) Division at the Global Green Growth Institute. In this role she leads the 30+ country offices, spread throughout Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific, and their implementation work, to achieve economic growth that is environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive and climate compatible.

Helena, a British national, has over 25 years of experience designing and leading innovative development programmes and multi-disciplinary teams in the areas of green cities, renewable energy, sustainable transport, climate smart agriculture, forest preservation, climate resilience, trade and regional economic integration.

Prior to taking up her position at GGGI, Helena was employed by Cardno International Development as Head of CIG Uganda, a UK AID initiative, targeting mobilization of GBP1billion of finance for climate smart flagship infrastructure projects, solid waste management and innovative urban plans.

Before her appointment at Cardno, Helena was Director for the Resilience, Renewable Energy and Climate Change Sector at the KPMG IDAS Africa Practice, head quartered in Kenya. In this position, she scaled and managed a grant portfolio of USD 400 million, across Africa and Asia. With specialty in management of philanthropic, government and private sector grant funds focused on climate outcomes, her key responsibilities included designing innovative grant and blended finance funds, rapid mobilization of global programs, funds and teams, winning and executing new business and setting the strategic direction of the practice.

Helena was seconded by AusAid as Advisor to the CEO of the Development Bank International, a new USD10billion bank to be established between the Chinese and South African governments for development focused African infrastructure. Based in the South Africa and London offices, prior to that she spent 12 years at the Department for International Development (DFID) where she was a Senior Climate Advisor and Head of Climate Change for DFID Southern Africa, amongst other roles. Her work for DFID included scaling work on climate change and renewable energy, trade and regional integration, as well as leading international and continental policy and strategy processes.

She also worked as a Senior Resource Advisor in the Pacific for the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission and Fiji Mineral Resources Department, based in Fiji.

She holds an MSc degree in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (with distinction) from the University College London and a BSc degree in Economics from the London School of Economics.