Dr Ramabhadran (RB) Balaji
Chief Industry Advisor, Global Manufacturing; and
Co-Lead, IFC Green Hydrogen Hub
RB leads the IFC’s efforts in shaping the transformation of the Manufacturing Industry to reduce its environmental footprint while sustainably producing the critical products needed for everyday life. RB is passionate about development and dedicates about half of his time in IFC to developing Manufacturing in Africa.
RB joined IFC in 2012 after a long career in the Chemicals Industry in R&D, Technology Development, Technology Marketing, Licensing and Technology Transfer, IP Management, and Corporate Strategy. As Chief Industry Advisor to the Global Chemicals and Fertilizers Investment portfolio of IFC, he guides the investment teams and decision-making committees throughout the lifecycle of IFC’s investment including Business Development, Due Diligence, Project Execution and Portfolio Supervision. He has lived and worked in four countries and has done business in over 50 countries.
Current areas of focus:
•Decarbonization solutions for heavy industries such as energy efficiency, green hydrogen, flared gas reduction, renewable and bio-energy incorporation
•Circularity and Resource Efficiency in Manufacturing
•Fertilizers, agrochemicals, and climate smart agriculture for food and climate security
•Bio-derived and bio-degradable chemicals to reduce global dependence on fossil fuels
•Sustainable and sensible deployment of green hydrogen
•Paris Agreement alignment leadership for IFC investments in Manufacturing
RB holds a Ph.D. in Polymer Science from the U. of Akron, Ohio, an M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the U. of Connecticut, and a B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from the U. of Madras, India. He has published his research in several scientific journals and presented at various academic and industry conferences; he also holds many patents for his work on specialty polymer films.