Xiao’ou Zhu is a consultant in South Asia Chief Economist Office. She specializes on foreign direct investment and global value chain, digital technology and the adoption, regional integration, issues on state-owned enterprises and industrial polices related to deep international trade and investment agreements. Her recent World Bank publication includes Regional Investment Pioneers in South Asia: The Payoffs of Knowing Your Neighbors. She previously worked in impact investment to combine global stakeholder efforts to launch business-driven bottom-up development programs in which investors’ interests and development priorities intersect. She holds a BA from the School of Asia and Africa Studies of Beijing Foreign Studies University and an MA from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.