Dr. Daisy Tam

JD is the Chief Executive Officer of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, the world’s leading sustainability standard for palm oil and associated products. He and his team work to define and demonstrate how such crops can be produced sustainably and to ensure the availability of sustainably produced and certified palm oil products on the global market.

Prior to this JD was an official of the United Nations, serving most recently as Special Advisor for Strategic Planning and Innovation at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He led a team exploring the future of sustainable development with governments and communities around the world, including through UNDP’s Accelerator Lab Network. JD also led the design and implementation of UNDP’s Strategic Plans and a range of transformation, future, and innovation initiatives from UNDP’s headquarters in New York.

JD has served in a range of other roles in UNDP, advising governments and communities on issues including the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, urbanization, inclusive and equitable growth strategies, environmental sustainability, and early recovery from crises and disasters. As part of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, JD also led UNDP’s global task team on urbanization.
JD was born in Malaysia and educated in Malaysia, Australia, and the United Kingdom. He holds degrees in politics, economics, and international development. He started his career as a management consultant working on business strategy, feasibility analysis, privatizations, and sector strategies.