Isabel B. Franco, PhD, MA, MBA

BIOGRAPHY

Isabel B. Franco operates where most consultants do not go.

Over more than 25 years she has worked directly with communities bearing the frontline impacts of mining, energy, and infrastructure development, hearing what they experience, documenting what others miss, and then walking into boardrooms, government ministries, and multilateral institutions to translate those realities into decisions that stick.

At the heart of her practice is a conviction that environmental, social, and governance performance are not separate reporting categories or compliance obligations . They are integral, interconnected components of sustainability itself. She does not arrive at an engagement as the S specialist, the E expert, or the G adviser. She arrives as a sustainability practitioner who understands how these dimensions interact, reinforce, and tension each other and who has the field depth and institutional fluency to integrate them into coherent strategy at every level.

Her technical expertise spans Environmental and Social Impact Assessment, Social Impact Management Planning, IFC Performance Standards compliance, ESG strategy, and sustainable finance advisory across a diverse range of industries including extractives, energy, infrastructure, gemstones, banking and finance, and the public sector in contexts across Australia, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Her multilateral credentials are extensive. She has advised the Asian Development Bank on ESG strategy at a country level, contributed to UN corporate sustainability knowledge products adopted by governments and institutions across the Asia Pacific region, and delivered recommendations actioned by the UN High Level Political Forum in New York. She led the Social Impact Assessment and Social Impact Management Plan for the USD 60 billion AAPowerLink renewable energy project in full alignment with World Bank and IFC Performance Standards.

As Founder and Executive Director of IBF International Institute for Better Futures, she leads a globally operating consultancy delivering ESG, social performance, climate resilience, and sustainable finance solutions across Asia Pacific, Africa, and Latin America. She founded the Women Sustainability Forum and the Exceptional Women in Sustainability Awards, which operate across 39 networks in Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Africa.
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She has generated over 100 peer reviewed outputs, delivered over 100 public engagements worldwide, and is lead editor of books, scientific policy and technical outputs on social performance, climate change, sustainability, ESG, and sustainable finance. She is a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellow (Japan) and a Research Fellow at Utrecht University (Netherlands). She holds a PhD in Governance, Sustainability and Social Performance from the University of Queensland, a Postdoctorate from the United Nations University and Keio University, and a Master of Business Administration. She conducts business in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Her purpose is to connect what communities live with what organisations decide — and to ensure that connection drives better futures for both.
W:drisabelfranco.com
E: [email protected]
T: @DrIsabelFranco
E: [email protected] 
M: +61404512757

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INTERESTS & EXPERTISE

• Sustainable Investing and Climate Finance 
• Climate and Science Diplomacy
• Environment, Social and Governance Indicators (ESG)
• Corporate Sustainability Reporting and Performance 
• Sustainable Resource Development and Extractives (Mining, Oil, Gas and Gemstones)
• Governance for Sustainable Development, SDGs and Agenda 2030
• Gender Aspects of Sustainable Development 
• Impact Sustainability Science, Community Capacity-building and Education for Sustainable Development
• Sustainable Livelihoods and Climate Change
• Sustainable Entrepreneurship
• Sustainability and Leadership

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EDUCATION

• 2011- 2014

​          Ph.D ‘Governance and Sustainability’, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences; Sustainable Minerals Institute
​          (UQ International Scholarship)
          The University of Queensland, Australia 

• 2020 - 2021

          Master of Business Administration (MBAc Leadership - 2020 Multicultural Scholarship (awarded by Brisbane Lord Mayor)
           CQ University, Australia 

• 2008-2010 
  MA Educational Management, University of Barcelona, Spain
• 2017

           Small Business Management, TAFE Queensland, Australia 

• 2010 
  Postgraduate Governance and Public Policy, The University of Queensland, Australia
• 2004 – 2008
  BA (Hons) Education and Languages, National University of Colombia, Colombia
• 2000- 2006
  BA (Hons) Public Administration, School of Public Administration and Political Sciences (ESAP), Colombia

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CAREER

• 04/2021 - present  (Utrecht, Netherlands)

​           Research Fellow
           Earth System Governance, Utrecht University (Netherlands)

• 10/2014 - present  (Estonia)

           Global Chairperson
​           Women Sustainability Forum

• 01/2022 - present  (Brisbane, Australia)

           Director
​           Australian Development Index
           Sustainability Science Journal

• 04/2021 - present  (Tokyo, Japan)

​           Scientific Editor
           Sustainability Science Journal                                                                                                                       

• 09/2019 - 2021  (Brisbane, Australia)

           Research Fellow
           Australian Institute for Business and Economics 
           The University of Queensland

• 09/2017 – 2019  (Tokyo, Japan)                                                                                                                                                                             

           Researcher
          'Project Lead: Global Stakeholder Networks for Impact Sustainability Education and Research - Funded by Postdoctoral 
           Fellowship JSPS-UNU-IAS. United Nations University, Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS)

• 10/2014 – 2017 (Thailand, Asia & Remotely)
  International Consultant & Lead Researcher 
  United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

• 10/2015 – 04/2016 (Angola, Africa)
  International Consultant
  United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
• 05/2017 – 05/2018 (Brisbane, Australia)
  Adjunct Research Fellow
  Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Australia
• 12/2016 – 05/2017 (Brisbane, Australia)
  Research Scholar
  School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland
  Business School, The University of Queensland​
• 11/2010 – 10/2014 (Brisbane, Australia)
  Research Scholar
  Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland
• 08/2008- 06/2010
  Consultant (Bogota, Colombia)
  British Council – Ministry of Education of Colombia
• 06/2006 - 06/2008

            ​Lecturer (Bogota, Colombia)
​            School of Human Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia 

• 11/2000 -05/2006

           Research Assistant (Bogota, Colombia)
            School of Administrative and Political Science 
​            Escuela Superior de Administración Publica Colombia

• 04/2021 - present  (Utrecht, Netherlands)

​           Research Fellow
           Earth System Governance, Utrecht University (Netherlands)

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 PROFESSIONAL & ACADEMIC AFFILIATIONS ​

• 2020 

          Guest Lecturer (Sustainable Development)
          University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

• 2017 - 2019 

          Postdoctoral Researcher 
          Keio University, Japan

• 2018-present 

​           Contributing Author - United Nations International Resource Panel Report: Land Restoration for Achieving the SDGs Report
           United Nations International Resource Panel​

• 05/ 2017 – 05/2018 
  Adjunct Research Fellow
  Sustainable Minerals Institute, Centre for Water in the Mining Industry, The University of Queensland, Australia
• 2018
  Guest Lecturer (Education for Sustainable Mining)
  University of Zambia
• 2018
  Guest Lecturer  (Women in Global Mining and Sustainability)
  Universidad Catolica de Chile
• 2015

​          Guest Lecturer (Mining and Natural Resource Management)
          School of Mines, Universidad Nacional de Colombia

• 2013-2016
  Fellow Member
  Global Change Institute, Australia
• 2013-2016
  Guest Lecturer (Sustainable Resource Governance)
  The University of Queensland, Australia

• 10/2012 – 03/2014
  Researcher
  Minerals and Energy for Development Alliance, Australia

• 2015
  Guest Lecturer (Sustainable Resource Governance)
  Universidad Autonoma de Mexico
• 2014-2011
  Global Leader
  The University of Queensland, Australia 
• 2011
  International Ambassador
  Brisbane City Council, Australia

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RESEARCH GRANTS 

• 2017-2019 - Project: Global Stakeholder Networks for Impactful Sustainability Research and Education

​              Status: Concluded
              Dr. Isabel B. Franco,  Principal Investigator
              Funding Body: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Postdoctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers
              Funding: JPY 10,850,000
              Partners: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS); United Nations University - Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability; Keio University, School of Governance and Media

• 2017 - Project: Photo Documentary Research Grant: It is not just a Women's Issue 

               Status: Concluded
             Role: Dr. Isabel B. Franco,  Principal Investigator
               Funding body: Mineros S.A 
               Funding: US 3,000
               Partners: Mineros S.A, Exceptional Women in Sustainability (eWisely) 

• 2015 -  Project: Decentralisation, Corporate Community Development and Resource Governance: A Comparative Analysis of Two Mining Regions in Colombia

​                Status: Concluded
                Dr. Isabel B. Franco,  Principal Investigator
               Funding body: The University of Queensland, Sustainable Minerals Institute, Writing Fellowship
               Funding: AUD 5,000
               Partners: Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland

• 2012 – 2013 - Project: Artisanal Mining and Livelihoods

​                Status: Concluded 
             Role: Dr. Isabel B. Franco,  Principal Investigator
                Funding body: International Mining for Development Centre (IM4DC), Student Action Research Grant
                Funding: AUD 20,000
                Partners: International Mining for Development Centre, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland

• 2013 - Project: The Global-local interface: Governance Dynamics for Sustainable Human Capital Capacity-building in Colombian Mining Regions

​                Status: Concluded
               Role: Dr. Isabel B. Franco, Principal Investigator 
                Funding body: The University of Queensland, Field Research Travel grant – School of Earth and Environmental Sciences​
                Funding: AUD 3,000
                Partners: The University of Queensland, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences​ (SEES)

• 2011 - Project: Community Capacity-building and a Social License to Operate in the Mining Industry

​                Status: Concluded
               Role: Dr. Isabel B. Franco, Principal Investigator 
               Funding body: The University of Queensland, International Conference Grant, Sustainable Minerals Institute
               Funding: AUD 3,000
               Partners: Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland

• 2011 - Project: Socially Responsible Business: A Model for a Sustainable Future
  Status: Concluded

               Role: Dr. Isabel B. Franco, Principal Investigator 
               Funding body: United Nations ESCAP and The University of Queensland, Travel grant – SEES

               Funding: AUD 2,000
               Partners:  United Nations ESCAP, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences​​, The University of Queensland

• 2011-2014 - Project: Enhancing Human Capital in Resource Regions - The Colombian Case

             Status: Concluded
                Role: Dr. Isabel B. Franco, Principal Investigator 
             Funding body: The University of Queensland, UQ International Scholarship (UQI)
                Funding: AUD 92,000
                Partners: The University of Queensland

• 2010-2011 - Project: Education for CSR in Mining Regions

               Status: Concluded
               Role: Dr. Isabel B. Franco, Principal Investigator 
               Funding body: The University of Queensland, Sustainable Minerals Institute - Summer Research Scholarship
                Funding: AUD 3,000
               Partners: Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland 

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AWARDS

• 2017, 2020 
  Multicultural Scholarship, International Business, Brisbane City Council
• 2018
  Exceptional Woman of the Year (Awarded to Women Leaders in their fields)
  Women Economic Forum, India
• 2015
  TEDxUQ Talk Speaker: “Beautiful women: The Ugly Reality”, Australia
• 2014
  Best Sessional Lecturer
  Humanities and Social Science School (HASS), The University of Queensland, Australia
• 2014
  Global Leader Award
  The University of Queensland, Australia
• 2011-2012
  International Student Ambassador for Colombia
  Brisbane City Council (Appointed by Brisbane’s Lord Mayor), Australia 
• 2001 - 2005
  Honour Tuition 3rd, 5th & 10th Term (Highest GPA) 2001 and 2005
  School of Public Administration and Political Sciences (ESAP), Colombia