James X. Zhan is senior director of investment and enterprise at UNCTAD.

He is editor-in-chief of the World Investment Report and the Transnational Corporations journal. 

He chairs the Governing Board of the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (with all major stock exchanges worldwide as members).  

He has provided policy advice to numerous governments (including heads of states and cabinets) and parliaments, and global summits (including G20).

He led the formulation of global guidelines for a new generation of investment policies used in over 100 countries, and the establishment of the World Investment Forum.  

He is chief strategist for the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies and was Global Agenda Council member of the World Economic Forum. 

He has held several advisory positions in academic institutions (including at Cambridge University, Columbia University and Cornell University) and was research fellow at Oxford University.

He has extensive publications on investment, trade and technology related economic and legal issues.