Rohitesh “Ro” Dhawan is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), a role he has held since 2021. He leads the Council of 24 CEOs of the world’s largest mining and metals companies in voluntary leadership actions that raise the standards of responsible mining. 

Under his leadership, ICMM has undertaken landmark commitments and action on critical sustainable development issues, including the first industry wide commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions, the first collective commitment on nature positive, pioneering actions on diversity, equity and inclusion, and significant steps towards transparency of the industry’s contribution and performance, including on tax and contract disclosure. It was also under his leadership that ICMM updated its Position Statement on Indigenous People, representing a landmark industry commitment to respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights and achieving agreement in relation to mining projects on their lands.

Ro lives in London but was born and raised in India and has spent the majority of his adult life in South Africa. These life experiences in the global south are the source of his passion for responsible mining and belief in the power of the mining industry to change lives and support nature, especially in the least developed parts of the world. 

Ro is a Senior Associate (non-resident) in the Energy & Climate Change Programme at the Centre for Strategic & International Studies. He is also a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative and a Raisina fellow at the Asian Forum on Global Governance. He serves on the Advisory Boards of the Columbia Centre for Sustainable Investment, Concordia, and Resolve. He has served on the UK Government’s Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (PACT) Programme and was named one of South Africa’s climate change leaders for his work with the country’s mining sector. Ro is also Chairman of the BecomingX Foundation, an effort in partnership with Bear Grylls to provide hope, inspiration and skills to help young people realise their full potential.

He holds a Master’s in Environmental Change & Management from the University of Oxford in the UK and an undergraduate degree in Economics from Rhodes University in South Africa.