Joseph D'Cruz

Chief Executive Officer, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)

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Bio

Joseph (JD) D'Cruz is the Chief Executive Officer of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), leading global efforts to balance economic growth, environmental stewardship, and social equity in sustainable palm oil production.

Alongside his role at RSPO, JD serves on the Board of ISEAL and is an independent non-executive director for Climate Governance Malaysia, providing strategic guidance on sustainability and climate corporate governance across both the public and private sectors.

Prior to joining RSPO, JD spent over fifteen years as a senior official with the United Nations. Most recently, he served as Special Advisor for Strategic Planning and Innovation at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York, where he led global transformation initiatives and cofounded the UNDP Accelerator Lab Network.

His extensive UN tenure also included leading the global task team on urbanization and advising governments worldwide on the 2030 Agenda, the SDGs, and environmental sustainability. Additionally, he has served as Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Global Public Goods.

Born in Malaysia, JD holds degrees in politics, economics, and international development from institutions in Malaysia, Australia, and the United Kingdom. He began his professional career as a management consultant specializing in business strategy and sector analysis.