Dr. Heather Taylor-Strauss has 17 years of experience in the field of foreign direct investment (FDI) for sustainable development. She is currently an Economist at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), where she leads the organization's technical assistance and capacity building work on FDI promotion, attraction, and facilitation. The main focus of her work is supporting developing countries in climate and digital FDI attraction, as well as enhancing FDI's impact on gender outcomes.

Since joining UN ESCAP, Heather has implemented 35 investment promotion projects across 22 member States and spearheaded 66 workshops for Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) in 40 countries. She has authored 27 publications on international investment, worked with 22 developing country IPAs (national and subnational levels) to develop and implement FDI strategies, and assisted 7 countries in revising their investment laws and incentives. A significant achievement in Heather's career has been her instrumental role in developing the ASEAN Regional Investment Action Plan, the first of its kind in the region, which she initially proposed to the ASEAN Secretariat and its Coordinating Committee on Investment in 2021. She has since worked closely with each ASEAN member State and their IPAs to build consensus, shape the plan, it’s sectoral focus, and secure funding for its development and implementation.