Born and raised in China, Zhenbo is a graduate of Warwick University and the London School of Economics. While doing his masters at the LSE, he also worked for an MP in the run-up to the 2010 UK General Election. Upon graduation, Zhenbo was selected for the ODI fellowship (2010-2012) to work for the Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the Nigerian Presidency. He was involved in conducting M&E exercises on the progress of the MDGs in Nigeria and establishing a Conditional Grant Scheme between the federal, state and local governments.