Dr Roli Asthana is a development economist, former diplomat and senior adviser with over three decades of experience in economic diplomacy, global governance and international cooperation across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. She specialises in international political economy, state capability and institutional reform, development and climate finance, and the multilateral rules-based system.

She has held senior leadership roles in the UK government, the UN and multilateral institutions and has worked extensively on Asia-Africa relations, including China-Africa and India-Africa partnerships. Her expertise spans climate and nature finance, just energy transitions, debt sustainability, fiscal governance and digital futures, with a strong focus on Africa’s development pathways and resilience.

She is CEO of Purvasa Strategy, Risk and Impact. She is also an Associate Research Fellow at Chatham House and contributes to global debates on development finance, multilateralism, and the evolving international financial architecture. She holds a PhD and Master’s in Economics Science from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor’s in Economics from St Stephen’s College, University of Delhi.