Diep Nguyen-van Houtte
United States | Senior Manager for Innovation and Business Development, Climate Business Department, International Finance Corporation
˙
Diep Nguyen-van Houtte is senior manager for Innovation and Business Development, Climate Business Department, at the International Finance Corporation (IFC). In this role, she is also chief innovation officer and chief operations officer for key portfolios across industries at the IFC, including green buildings/real estate, green cities, energy transition, energy efficiency, and transport and industrial decarbonization. She also developed the Early Project Development line of business for Infrastructure and Natural Resources at IFC, where she has the decider role in the Investment Committee. Nguyen-van Houtte has been among the earliest supporters of green hydrogen innovation and development. She commissioned and funded IFC’s early project development work on green hydrogen in multiple emerging markets since 2019. She and her team have been leading the effort to develop an investment analysis tool and projects database, as well as working with development partners to raise blended finance for green hydrogen development initiatives. Nguyen-van Houtte is often invited to be a speaker at global hydrogen events. She has been selected to Hydrogen Economist’s Top 50 Women in Hydrogen.
As a member of IFC’s management team, Nguyen-van Houtte leads the development, dissemination, implementation, and monitoring of IFC’s climate strategy across industries and sectors. In this capacity, she engages with thought leaders and decision-makers within the World Bank Group and externally to foster innovative thinking about creating new instruments and markets for climate finance, and to source projects in developing economies to increase private investment for climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience. Nguyen-van Houtte is a nominee board director for the IFC. She serves on the Boards of several organizations dedicated to environmental conservation, energy transition and green hydrogen development, and community service.
Before joining IFC, Nguyen-van Houtte worked for more than 17 years as lead technical specialist and chief investment officer at the World Bank for infrastructure and sustainable development sectors. She has worked on more than 40 countries in multiple World Bank Group regions and has provided billions in financing to development projects in emerging markets. Prior to the World Bank, Nguyen-van Houtte spent 10 years in various private sector leadership roles, including as director of a Fortune 100 digital infrastructure and services company, director of business development for a Silicon Valley digital currency startup, and lead management consultant for Deloitte Consulting. Nguyen-van Houtte holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard College and a master’s degree in public policy and management from Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. She speaks fluent English, French, and Vietnamese, and some Spanish and Portuguese.
Nguyen-van Houtte was an event speaker at the Dialogue.
