Ilmi Granoff is a Senior Research Fellow at ODI leading the institute’s work on green growth. He is an attorney with over 15 years of experience and expertise in environmental law and policy, sustainable development, energy and infrastructure finance and public-private partnerships.
He recently served as the sole environmental and climate counsel at the African Development Bank, where he advised the bank’s management, and was responsible for all legal issues related to climate, environmental and social matters for the bank’s portfolio throughout Africa. He also advised the Bank on various issues related to its multilateral climate funds, including the structuring of the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa. He continues to advise the bank’s Climate & Environment Department on integration of green growth principles in the bank’s strategy, operations, and policy support to member countries.
Prior to this, he served for five years as an associate in the energy and infrastructure finance practice of the international law firm of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, providing commercially practical legal advice to governments, banks, companies and multilaterals. Ilmi’s practice focused on clean energy transactions and public private partnerships.
Ilmi has researched and published on sustainable development, international law, and conservation, particularly in Latin America. Ilmi holds graduate degrees in environmental science and international relations from Yale University, and received his juris doctor from New York University School of Law. He holds a bachelor’s degree (High Honors) from Swarthmore College.