Richard Samans

Biography

Richard Samans is an internationally-recognized expert on strengthening the growth and development prospects of economies through fundamental improvement in their social inclusion and environmental sustainability. He is the author of numerous publications, including Human-Centred Economics: The Living Standards of Nations, which the Financial Times selected as one of the best books of 2024 on Economics. He currently serves as Senior Economic Adviser to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development; Senior Fellow at the Geneva Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies; Nonresident Senior Fellow of The Brookings Institution; and Special Advisor to the United Nations Economist Network. He served previously as Director of the Research Department and G20/G7 Sherpa of the International Labour Organization as well as founder and chairman of the Climate Disclosure Standards Board, a precursor of the International Sustainability Standards Board. He was formerly a Managing Director of the World Economic Forum; Director-General of the Global Green Growth Institute; Special Assistant to the President for International Economic Policy and National Security Council Senior Director for International Economic Affairs in the second Clinton-Gore Administration; and economic policy advisor to former US Senate Democratic Leader Thomas A. Daschle.