Lisa Sachs

Lisa Sachs serves as Director of the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), where she has shaped global understanding of sustainable investment since 2008. After earning degrees from Harvard (BA in Economics) and Columbia (JD and MA in International Affairs), she built her early career at the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility and Amnesty USA focusing on shareholder engagement. At CCSI, she established three core research areas: investments in extractive industries, land and agriculture, and investment law and policy. Her work spans advisory projects across multiple continents, including Mozambique, Guinea, Tanzania, Malawi, Namibia, Paraguay, and Timor-Leste. As a globally recognized expert in investment flows and sustainable development, she teaches highly acclaimed courses at Columbia Law School and School of International and Public Affairs, with her course twice ranking among SIPA's top 5. Her leadership extends to key global forums, serving as co-chair of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network's thematic group on Extractive and Land Resources, member of World Economic Forum Global Future Councils, and advisor to organizations including the Investor Alliance for Human Rights and SDG Academy. A James Kent Scholar and recipient of the Parker School Certificate in International and Comparative Law, she continues to influence investment policies and practices aligned with sustainable development goals and the Paris Agreement through research, teaching, and advisory work.