Staff Spotlight: Huang Zhen

Huang Zhen is a Project Manager based in China. Zhen started working for Landesa in 2024.

What brought you to Landesa?

Before joining Landesa, I spent around 20 years in the development field, working on topics such as environmental protection, sustainability and climate actions. I was very interested in the nexus of land rights, climate action and women’s role. Lots of Landesa’s efforts are within this realm. When the opportunity came out in 2024, I grabbed it.

What are your core responsibilities in your role?

As a Project Manager with Landesa’s China team, I support project start up and ongoing implementation of projects in alignment with Landesa processes as well as funder/donor reporting, management, and compliance requirements. I am working with technical colleagues, local partners and experts to ensure project milestones are delivered on time, on budget, and with the quality expected from Landesa and donors.

What is the most rewarding part of your work at Landesa?

One of the most rewarding parts of my work is the opportunity to meet practitioners in the field, gain on-the-ground knowledge of rural development status, and understand rural women’s situation and challenges.

How do you spend your time when you’re not working?

I usually spend my spare time on housework, reading books (I like detective stories very much), meeting with friends, and getting some exercise.

Describe your vision for a better world.

I hope people, especially women, have more opportunity to effectively take their own actions in responding to challenges such as climate change. People have accumulated valuable knowledge to tackling various challenges during their daily life. They just need a supporting system to better apply the knowledge and the opportunity to share their experience and support each other.