Puvan Selvanathan is Head of Food & Agriculture at the UN Global Compact (New York) and an Independent Expert member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (Geneva).

He currently advises the Asian Peace-Building & Rule of Law Programme at Singapore Management University, and the Earth Security Initiative (UK) on global resource risks; and is on the Board of Solidaridad North America, a global NGO focused on fair markets and small-farmer equity.

An Architect by profession, Puvan holds an MBA and DBA in Corporate Sustainability. He has designed townships, innovated ICT for Development Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Local Governments, and wrote Mozambique's E-Government Strategy. He led the Malaysian chapter of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and has advised public and private sector on ethics, governance and the green economy.

Puvan was formerly Group Chief Sustainability Officer at Sime Darby, a Malaysian conglomerate and the world's largest producer of sustainable palm oil.