Robin Mearns

Robin Mearns is the World Bank Group Director for Gender as of January 1, 2026. He previously held the position of Global Director for Social Development in the World Bank. Since joining the Bank in 1997, Dr. Mearns has held various positions in Washington, D.C., Vietnam and Zambia, including as regional manager for social development in Africa and South Asia. He has led operations, policy dialogue and analytics in community and local development, land and natural resource management across multiple regions. Robin also served as the Bank’s first global lead on the social dimensions of climate change and as sector/program leader for sustainable development (then including infrastructure) in Southern Africa. Prior to joining the Bank, Robin spent a decade in research and teaching on environment and development policy at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and the International Institute for Environment and Development in London. He holds master's and doctoral degrees in geography from Cambridge University and a Master of Philosophy in Development Studies from the University of Sussex.