Toru is the Senior Director for Climate Change, Resilience, and Environment in ADB’s Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department. Toru joined ADB in 2004 as one of the original members of ADB’s climate and clean energy team. He was ADB's focal staff for UNFCCC COPs and other global fora, established and led the Carbon Market Program, and authored ADB’s first climate change action plan. He also led ADB's work to promote clean energy and climate change technologies through venture capital funds and helped launch various other initiatives focused on the nexus of climate change, environment, energy, and transport. In 2011 he was seconded to the UNFCCC Secretariat to help design the Climate Technology Centre and Network and the Green Climate Fund. He joined ADB's Southeast Asia Department in 2014 where he served as the country energy sector focal for Indonesia and the Philippines and team leader for multiple projects exceeding $2 billion in financing with significant contribution to climate and environment solutions. He was appointed as Energy Director for Southeast Asia in 2020 overseeing policy dialogue, technical assistance, investment programs and projects, and regional cooperation efforts across ASEAN developing member countries and Timor-Leste. He was the director in charge of the Energy Transition Mechanism, which is now one of ADB’s flagship climate mitigation initiatives. He was also heavily involved in the formation of the Just Energy Transition Partnership for Indonesia. Prior to ADB, he was Asian Business Manager and Policy Analyst at Trexler Climate and Energy Services Inc., and Research Associate at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, in the United States. Toru is a national of Japan and holds a Master’s degree in Environment and Energy Policy from the Biden School of Public Policy at the University of Delaware, United States and Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Waseda University, Japan.