Guangzhe Chen is the Vice President for the World Bank Group Planet Vice Presidency.
In this role, he leads the World Bank Group’s work on climate; food systems and agribusiness; environment, forestry and biodiversity; and water security as cornerstones of poverty reduction on a livable planet and foundations for jobs, resilience, and better livelihoods.
He also oversees the Planet Vice Presidency’s effort to strengthen the Knowledge Bank and deliver integrated public and private-sector solutions, with a focus on improving policies and regulations and scaling development solutions and impact in developing and emerging economies.
Previously, Mr. Chen served as Vice President for Infrastructure, overseeing the World Bank’s work on energy, minerals and metals, transportation, urban development and disaster risk management, and infrastructure financing from 2023 to 2025. He also held the positions of Regional Director in the South Asia Region for Infrastructure, Global Director for the Transport Global Practice, and Senior Director for the Water Global Practice. Mr. Chen served as the World Bank Country Director for Ethiopia, based in Addis Ababa, and as Country Director for Southern Africa, based in Pretoria, South Africa. Prior to these roles, he served as sector manager for transport, urban, and water in the Latin America and South Asia Regions.
An economist by training, Mr. Chen has over 30 years of international experience in the field of sustainable development, infrastructure finance and management with the World Bank Group and the Asian Development Bank.