Robert "Rob" Watson is an international leader and expert in business and market transformation, circular economy, and green buildings.

Watson was the first foreigner to have been honored by Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People's Republic of China with its first Green Innovation Award in Beijing in 2005.

[2] His work has been featured in numerous publications, including Fortune Magazine[3] and The Economist[4] and has been referenced on multiple occasions by New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman.

He also was the principal coordinator for ACCORD21, a key green building demonstration project in Beijing for the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (MOST) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Watson was an adjunct professor at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) between 2019 and 2021, and is a Principal at Upland Road, whose mission is to “Transform Tomorrow, Today" by building infrastructure and systems for a clean and resilient future.