Helena McLeod Appointed as GGGI’s Deputy Director-General and Head of Green Growth Planning & Implementation

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SEOUL, South Korea, Nov 3 2021 - The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) has announced the appointment of Ms. Helena McLeod, Cardno International Development Group’s Team Leader of UK Aid’s Cities, Infrastructure and Growth Program (Uganda) and former Director of KPMG International Development Advisory Services (IDAS) Africa, as the incoming Deputy Director-General and Head of Green Growth Planning & Implementation (GGP&I). Ms. McLeod will succeed Ms. Hyoeun Jenny Kim, who was named Ambassador and Deputy Minister for Climate Change in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea on July 31, 2021.

Ms. McLeod will lead the GGP&I division based in the organization’s Seoul headquarters and formally assume her duties, serving a three-year term beginning on January 10, 2022.

Dr. Frank Rijsberman, GGGI’s Director General commented “We are delighted to welcome Ms. Helena McLeod to our vibrant and cohesive organization with a strong commitment to help countries make a transition to a model of economic growth that is environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. In this role, Ms. McLeod will be responsible for managing our growing network of country offices, currently in 30 countries, where about three quarters of our 400 staff members work, embedded in the offices of our government members and partners.”

“As GGGI is going through a period of rapid growth to scale up its program and deliver more impact to green the recovery from the pandemic while accelerating climate action, this is a critical role for the organization. I am confident that Ms. McLeod’s many years living and working in developing countries, particularly in Africa, in both government and the private sector, have given her abundant experience and contacts that we can’t wait to put to work to support the green transition the world so urgently needs.”

“I am excited to join GGGI at this important point in the organization’s journey. With my experience spanning across Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, I am looking forward to leveraging my network of contacts on the ground to enhance and strengthen relationships with government stakeholders and private sector actors to help contribute to making a transformational impact in countries where GGGI has operations – especially at a time when country presence is growing rapidly in size and scale,” said Ms. McLeod.

Ms. McLeod, a British national living in South Africa, brings a wealth of 25 years of experience leading large and dynamic teams and managing innovative climate and development programs – including grant and blended finance funds – worth over GBP 1 billion, which helped to benefit millions of people.

As Head of CIG Uganda, she is responsible for managing a team of 30 multidisciplinary and multi-national experts. She is also leading diverse workstreams, including targeting mobilization of GBP1billion of finance for climate smart flagship infrastructure projects, assisting the Kampala Capital City Authority with the development and implementation of its Five-Year Strategic Plan, assisting COVID Economic Recovery Planning and action, innovative green urban planning and working on solid waste management reform.

Prior to joining Cardno, Ms. McLeod was Director for the Resilience, Renewable Energy and Climate Change Sector at the KPMG IDAS Africa Practice. In this position, she significantly scaled the portfolio to a managed 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, among her key responsibilities included designing innovative grant and blended finance funds, developing project pipeline for equity and debt finance, rapid mobilization of global programs, funds, and teams, winning and executing new business and setting strategic direction of the practice.

Her technical thematic experience covers off-grid and on-grid clean energy, urban climate resilience, infrastructure project preparation and financing, solid waste management, climate smart agriculture, sustainable transport, energy efficiency, sustainable timber trade and forestry preservation.

She also held numerous senior positions at KPMG IDAS Africa, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, DFID Africa Regional, and DFID Southern Africa. Early in her career, she worked as an economist at DFID South Africa, DFID’s London Office, and the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission 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.

About the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)
GGGI was established as an international intergovernmental organization in 2012 at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Its vision is “a low-carbon, resilient world of strong, inclusive, and sustainable growth” and its mission “to support Members in the transformation of their economies into a green growth economic model”. GGGI does this through technical assistance to: reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement; create green jobs; increase access to sustainable services (such as clean affordable energy, sustainable waste management); improve air quality; sustain natural capital for adequate supply of ecosystem services; and enhance adaptation to climate change.