Sang-Hyup Kim became Director-General of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) on January 1, 2025, returning to the organization he helped establish in 2012. His 40-year career spans media, academia, and policymaking, dedicated to sustainable development and climate action.

He previously co-chaired Korea’s Presidential Commission on 2050 Carbon Neutrality and Green Growth and has advised KAIST, where he also serves as Visiting Professor. He was President of the Jeju Research Institute, Director of KAIST’s Center for Sustainable Development, and founder of the Coalition for Our Common Future, alongside numerous national and regional leadership roles.

President and CEO of NH Investment of Securities

Managing Director, NH Absolute Return Partners

Juhern Kim is the Country Representative to Viet Nam at the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), where he leads a team of over 30 staff and consultants. He oversees programs that advance climate tech startups, sustainable finance, and sectoral green transformation across agriculture, waste, energy, and other key areas—focusing on industry-oriented mitigation measures, with a US$1 billion mobilization target for 2024–2028. 

A South Korean national, Juhern brings more than two decades of experience in green growth and climate innovation. He has had a stint in Viet Nam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Colombia, and Costa Rica, with a strong focus on emerging markets. His global perspective has been shaped through roles with UNEP’s Green Economy Initiative (Geneva), the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and the ASEM SMEs Eco-Innovation Centre under Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups. He also served as the Korean focal point for globally recognized initiatives such as Corporation 2020, and TEEB. Juhern is also active in the startup and venture ecosystem, serving on advisory boards in the venture capital sector and mentoring climate-focused startups and SMEs. 

He holds executive education credentials from Yale University’s School of Management and Seoul National University. He earned an M.A. from Yonsei University’s Graduate School of International Studies and a B.A. from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He was the first certified international environmental expert recognized by Korea’s Ministry of Environment, following the launch of the national green growth strategy. 

Dr. Lee is a seasoned economist and climate action leader with over 25 years of experience driving green growth initiatives across developed and emerging economies. His extensive work in both the public and private sectors has given him a deep and comprehensive understanding of sustainable development.

Currently, Dr. Lee serves as the Deputy Regional Director for GGGI Asia, overseeing Central Asia operations. He previously led GGGI’s country programs in Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. His expertise spans corporate carbon strategy, economic analysis, emissions trading programs, sustainable cities, sustainable energy, waste management, and program management. With a strong track record of delivering high-impact climate initiatives, he has successfully led diverse, multidisciplinary teams to drive transformative change. His exceptional leadership, marked by a strong commitment to partner and client success, is complemented by his expertise in business development and resource mobilization, ensuring substantial funding for his impactful projects and sustainability initiatives.

In recognition of his contributions to economic development, Dr. Lee was awarded the prestigious Friendship Medal by the Prime Minister of Lao PDR in 2022. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from UCLA and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Seung-yeon Stella Lee is Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Country Representative in Uzbekistan starting in January 2025. With experience of over 20 years in the public sector, her focus has been on green growth, climate finance, and public and private investment. At GGGI, she has been leading multiple green investment and TA projects in various sectors such as green cities, sustainable energy, e-mobility, circular economy, climate technology and entrepreneurship to help accelerate green transition of GGGI member countries.   

Ms. Lee successfully led the design of a ‘Collaborative R&DB Programme for Promoting the Innovation of Climate Technopreneruship’ a $221 million multi-country GCF program for five ASEAN countries together with Korea Development Bank, which was approved by the GCF Board in July 2024. She also facilitated the issuance a total of $1 billion in green and sustainable bonds under Aral Sea GRIP project in Uzbekistan. 

She has professional experience in policy, planning and evaluating large scale infrastructure investment and public-private partnership (PPP) projects as Deputy Director in the Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Korea and as Senior Infrastructure/PPP Specialist at Korea Development Institute (KDI) Public and Private Infrastructure Investment Management Center (PIMAC). She also worked in a G-Market, an e-commerce platform, as a chief planner in its early venture stage.  

She holds a B.A from Seoul National University (SNU), a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University, and is a Ph. D Candidate for Urban and Regional Planning at SNU. 

Head of the Climate Business Team, Korea Development Bank (KDB)

Karen is a digital transformation expert with a background that combines consulting and corporate experience in the telecommunications and energy sectors. She has led numerous assignments in investigation, fraud prevention, and revenue assurance, while developing strong expertise in risk management, data analysis, and the management of innovation projects.

She has supervised and mobilized multidisciplinary teams — data analysts, developers, and project managers — to design and implement high-impact digital initiatives that enhance organizational performance and strengthen internal control mechanisms.

Today, Karen holds a strategic position within the Ministry of Digital Transition and Digitalization, where she coordinates major national initiatives for the digitalization of public services, with the goal of building a smarter, more inclusive, and citizen-centered administration.

Robyn is the Executive Director for P4G.

Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 – contributes to green and inclusive growth in low- and middle-income countries by helping early-stage businesses become investment ready and supporting country climate transitions in food, water and energy systems. Since 2018, P4G has funded 75 partnerships that have leveraged more than US $90 million in commercial investment. P4G partnerships have avoided more than 10 million metric tons of CO2 emissions, generated more than 1,000 jobs and positively affected 1.6 million people.

Robyn has spent her career helping organizations develop and advance projects in the areas of clean energy, water, climate, and sustainable development. Most recently she worked in senior management for the non-profits Winrock and Global Communities. Prior to that, she was a business unit leader for the global engineering firm MWH (now Stantec). She also worked at USAID in the Middle East and South Asia, managing energy projects and infrastructure reconstruction. Prior to she was a consultant to the US EPA, US DOE’s EERE, the World Bank and UNDP. She has lived or worked in over 20 countries spanning the US, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

Robyn holds an M.S. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from the University of Georgia, and a B.S. in Biosystems Engineering from Virginia Tech.

Robyn spends her free time with her husband and two young boys, adventuring in the great outdoors hiking, climbing and camping. She used to be a competitive cyclist in the DC area and was the co-founder of the cycling club Artemis, which is focused on promoting women and youth in the sport. Prior to that, she competed in equestrian sports.