Dr. Leonard is the President and a founding partner of Global Environment Fund (GEF).
Dr. Leonard is the primary architect of GEF’s global private equity investment program. Since GEF’s inception, he has led emerging markets private equity investments in the clean technology, independent power, gas distribution, water treatment, consumer products, healthcare and forestry sectors. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of several organizations supporting the asset class, including the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (“EMPEA”), and he is co-chair of the Advisory Board for the Clean Technology Venture Network.
Dr. Leonard currently serves on the Board of the National Cooperative Bank; Reva Elecric Car Company (Bangalore, India) and several other GEF portfolio companies. He has previously served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of International Pepsi-Cola Bottler Investments (Africa), and a founder and board member of Global Forest Products Ltd (Sabie, South Africa). In addition, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia, and Chairman of the Water Supply & Wastewater Treatment Summit of the World Economic Development Congress.
Dr. Leonard is the author of five books and numerous technical articles relating to world trade, technology development and global environmental industries. From 1992 through 1998, Dr. Leonard served as a member of U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen Technical Advisory Panel to the Secretary of Energy, and has previously served as an advisor or consultant to, among others, the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the World Resources Institute, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment and the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research. In 2006-07, Dr. Leonard served as co-chairman of the energy transition team of Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. He is a Board member of the National