Robyn van den Heuvel

Robyn van den Heuvel is the Director of Special Projects at Dalberg Catalyst, where she supports the CEO in advancing organizational strategy, incubating new initiatives, and driving cross-cutting efforts that enable systems-level change. Her work spans internal coordination and external engagement, helping to align partners, resources, and insights around breakthrough ideas with transformative potential.

Robyn also serves as the Program Director for the Climate Smart Forest Economy Program (CSFEP), one of Dalberg Catalyst’s initiatives. CSFEP helps countries in the Global South develop regional forest product industries that support forest resilience, local prosperity, and climate adaptation and mitigation. Robyn sets the strategic direction of the program, manages a global, multi-disciplinary team, and leads implementation across regions. She works closely with coalition partners to co-create regenerative forest economies rooted in local realities, while sharing learnings globally to inform policy, research, and practice. Under her leadership, CSFEP has launched its first regional coalition in East Africa and is on track to scale the model to three additional regions by 2027.

Robyn’s broader career has focused on climate, land use, and energy transitions in the Global South, with a particular emphasis on green jobs and inclusive economic development. She has held multiple roles across the Dalberg ecosystem, including as a consultant at Dalberg Advisors and as the Innovation Fellow at the Dalberg Trust. Robyn holds a postgraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pretoria.