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 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, actions on diversity, equity and inclusion, and major steps towards transparency, including tax and contract disclosure. ICMM also updated its Position Statement on Indigenous People, representing a landmark industry commitment to respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights in relation to mining projects on their lands.
Ro is a Senior Associate in the Energy & Climate Change Programme at the Centre for Strategic & International Studies, a Fellow of the Africa Leadership Initiative, and a Raisina fellow at the Asian Forum on Global Governance. He is also Chairman of the BecomingX Foundation, in partnership with Bear Grylls, to help young people realise their full potential.
He serves on the Advisory Board of the Quadrature Climate Foundation and advises one of the world’s largest integrated energy and chemicals companies on decarbonisation and energy transition strategy. He was named one of South Africa’s climate change leaders and one of the top 100 most influential figures in the Africa mining industry.
Ro holds a Master’s in Environmental Change & Management from the University of Oxford and an undergraduate degree in Economics from Rhodes University. Born and raised in India, and having spent much of his adult life in South Africa, these experiences are the source of his passion for responsible mining and belief in the power of the mining industry to change lives and support nature.