Who we are

Career

Juergen Voegele, Ph.D., assumed the position of Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank on April 1, 2020. In this role, he oversees the work of Global Practices and thematic groups that bring together the best expertise from across the World Bank Group and from partners, to help countries tackle their most complex challenges in the area of sustainable development. The practices and groups under his responsibility include Agriculture and Food; Climate Change; Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy; Environmental and Social Framework Implementation Unit; Social Development; Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land; and Water.

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Voegele was Global Director of the World Bank’s Climate Change Group and Senior Director of the World Bank’s Agriculture and Food Global Practice. Dr. Voegele is chair of the CGIAR System Council Board, which oversees agricultural research programs tackling poverty, food and nutrition security, and improved natural resource management around the world. Since 2016, Dr. Voegele has served as co-chair of the Global Future Councils of the World Economic Forum. He is also a member of the EAT Foundation Advisory Board since May 2017.

Since joining the World Bank in 1991, Dr. Voegele has held several assignments, chairing the Agriculture and Rural Development Sector Board as well as the Environment Sector Board, leading the Agriculture Unit in China, the Agriculture and Rural Development Unit of the Europe and Central Asia Region, and the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of the World Bank (later recast as the Agriculture and Environmental Services Department). Career highlights include his leadership of the acclaimed Loess Plateau watershed management project in China and managing a multi-sectoral team that disbursed more than $1 billion for 70 projects in response to the global Avian influenza crisis. Those latter efforts were replicated during the 2008 global food crisis.

Dr. Voegele holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics and a Master’s in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Hohenheim, in Germany.

Career

Akinwumi Adesina is the eighth elected President of the African Development Bank Group. He was elected to the position on May 28, 2015 by the Bank’s Board of Governors at its Annual Meetings in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Mr. Adesina took office at the Bank’s headquarters in Abidjan on September 1, 2015 and will serve an initial five-year term.

Mr. Adesina is a distinguished development economist and agricultural development expert with 25 years of international experience. He is the first Nigerian to serve as President of the Bank Group.

Mr. Adesina served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development from 2011 to 2015, during which time he implemented bold policy reforms in the fertilizer sector and pursued innovative agricultural investment programs to expand opportunities for the private sector.

Mr. Adesina was previously Vice President of Policy and Partnerships at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. He was also Associate Director of Food Security at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York, where he worked for a decade (1998 – 2008) in senior leadership positions, including as Regional Office Director and Representative for Southern Africa.

Mr. Adesina was Principal Economist and Social Science Research Coordinator at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Principal Economist and Coordinator of the West Africa Rice Economics Task Force at the West Africa Rice Development Association, and an Assistant Principal Economist at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics. From 2008 to 2010, he was the President of the African Association of Agricultural Economists.

Mr. Adesina has received a number of global awards for his leadership and work in agriculture. In 2010, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed him as one of 17 global leaders to spearhead the Millennium Development Goals, along with Bill Gates, the Spanish Prime Minister, and the President of Rwanda. Mr. Adesina was named Person of the Year by Forbes Africa magazine in 2013.

Education

• 1988: won the prestigious Rockefeller Foundation Social Science Post-Doctoral Fellowship, which launched his international career in global agricultural development
• 1988: Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics, Purdue University (United States)
  • Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Award
• 1981: first-class honors bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics, University of Ife (Nigeria)

Read or download his full bio here »

Alan Jope, Chief Executive Officer, was appointed an Executive Director to the Board of Unilever PLC in May 2019.

As CEO of Unilever, Alan is responsible for leading one of the world’s largest and most geographically diverse consumer goods businesses, with presence in 190 countries.

Alan joined Unilever in the UK in 1985. Before being appointed as CEO, he served as President of Unilever’s Beauty & Personal Care Division from 2014. He also worked in leadership roles in North America for 14 years and Asia for 13 years. When leading Unilever’s business in China, Alan doubled its size and laid important foundations for future success.

Alan is a Vice Chair of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Executive Committee, a member of the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council, and on the Board of Directors of the Consumer Goods Forum and FCLT Global (Focusing Capital on the Long Term). He is Chair of the Generation Unlimited Board of Trustees, a Vice Chair of the Unstereotype Alliance and a private sector Steering Committee member of the UN’s Generation Equality campaign.

Alan holds a BA Hons in Commerce from Edinburgh University and graduated from Harvard Business School’s General Management Program in 2001. Alan is married and has three adult children.

Asif Saleh is the executive director of BRAC Bangladesh. He brings with him a diverse multi-sectoral experience in senior leadership roles in private, public and non-government sectors, with a proven track record of effectively managing interfaces of development programming, operational and financial sustainability and building effective partnerships, both within and outside BRAC.

Mr. Saleh has been deeply anchored in driving the strategic direction of BRAC. He joined the organization in 2011, and took up an increasingly important role in leading advocacy for social change, information technology, communications and social innovation. He has been instrumental in BRAC’s concentration on emerging development challenges in the areas of urban poverty, youth skills development, inclusive growth and migration. As the senior director of the empowerment program cluster, he led BRAC’s new programmatic areas, namely, the urban development program, human rights and legal aid services, skills development program and migration program. He also led the development of BRAC’s five-year strategic plan in 2016.

Prior to joining BRAC, Mr. Saleh worked as a policy specialist for the Access to Information (A2i) Programme at the Prime Minister’s Office. As part of the Government’s Digital Bangladesh initiative, he led the policy effort to expand affordable broadband connectivity across Bangladesh and devised the Government’s m-governance strategy. He was also a key part of the Union Digital Centre team that created digital service centers in every union in Bangladesh. Since then, he has actively promoted the role of technology and frugal innovation in the development sector. He spent 12 years in Goldman Sachs in different fin-tech roles and institutional client sales in New York and London, ending his term there as an Executive Director. He has also worked in Glaxo Wellcome, IBM and Nortel.

Mr. Saleh is the founder of Drishtipat, a global organization with chapters across the globe focusing on human and economic rights of Bangladeshis. He was recognized for his work by Asia Society’s Asia 21 program in 2008, the Bangladeshi American Foundation in 2007, and was selected as an Asia 21 Fellow in 2012. He was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2013.

Mr. Saleh is an active member in a range of international networks and alliances, advocating inclusive achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. He is a non-resident fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the Millions Learning International Advisory Group, Brookings Institute, which addresses the question of how to scale quality education for all children and youth. He is also a member of the South Africa-based Innovation Edge, an institution promoting early childhood development.

Mr. Saleh chairs BRAC IT Services Limited, co-chairs BRAC Net, and is on the Board of BRAC Bank, and edotco Bangladesh Ltd. He is also a board member of multiple non-profits, including Institute of Informatics and Development, and Maya.
Mr. Saleh holds a Bachelor’s degree in computer science and an MBA in management and marketing from the Stern School of Business, New York University.

Dr. Bruno Oberle is a former Swiss State Secretary and an environmental expert who has served in some of the country’s most prestigious positions related to the environment. As State Secretary for the Environment, he represented Switzerland in leading international institutions and international negotiations, playing a key role in the Global Environment Facility and in the establishment of the Green Climate Fund. He is a leading expert in the fields of sustainable resource management and green economy who has explored and shaped the interface between environmental policy, economic development, and social balance from the perspective of state regulator, entrepreneur, and scientist.

Prior to joining IUCN, Dr. Oberle served as Chair of the Green Economy and Resource Governance program at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where he also headed the International Risk Governance Centre. Since 2019, he has chaired the Global Tailings Review, which aims to establish an international standard for the safe management of tailings storage facilities that can be applied to dams around the world.

After completing his studies at the ETH Zurich, Dr. Oberle founded and managed companies in the field of environmental consulting and environmental management. In, 1999 he was appointed as deputy director of the Federal Office for the Environment, Forests and Landscape in Switzerland. He then became the director of the newly created Federal Office for the Environment in 2005 – a post he held while State Secretary – before leaving to join EPFL in 2016.

Ezgi Barcenas is the Chief Sustainability Officer for AB InBev, the world’s leading brewer where sustainability isn’t just part of our business, it is our business. Barcenas is responsible for AB InBev’s environmental sustainability vision and strategy, particularly the brewer’s plan to achieve its ambitious 2025 Sustainability Goals, which are integrated into the company’s business strategies across supply chain, procurement, and sales functions. She and her team focus primarily on agricultural development, climate action, water stewardship, packaging sustainability and responsible sourcing for the company’s global supply chain, which spans more than 50 countries. Barcenas also oversees the100+ Accelerator, which identifies and supports startups with solutions to today’s greatest sustainability challenges. Additionally, she works closely with the AB InBev’s brand teams on cause marketing initiatives and partnerships, and with the Investor Relations team on Socially Responsible Investor (SRI) outreach. Barcenas has been with AB InBev since 2013. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, a Master’s degree in Environmental Health from Harvard University School of Public Health and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Career

Dr. Frank Rijsberman leads the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in supporting governments’ transition toward a model of economic growth that is environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. With over 30 years’ experience addressing the challenges of environmental sustainability and poverty reduction with leading international organizations and philanthropic foundations, Dr. Rijsberman was appointed as the Director-General of the Institute on October 1, 2016.

Since assuming his position, Dr. Rijsberman has engaged with senior international stakeholders to drive the green growth agenda and help mobilize finance for climate action and sustainable development. As an advocate for sustainable development, he is focused on supporting GGGI Member and partner governments to implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and achieve their Sustainable Development Goal targets. Dr. Rijsberman’s priorities are to support collaborative NDC implementation among GGGI Members, as outlined under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and assist its Member governments in greening their investment to deliver inclusive, pro-poor green growth, as well as climate action.

Prior to joining GGGI, Dr. Rijsberman served as Chief Executive Officer of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Consortium. In this role, he led CGIAR’s transformation from 15 independent research centers toward a single integrated organization. This included a process of cultural and institutional change toward results-based management, including the development of the Consortium’s 2016 – 2030 Strategy and new portfolio of research programs for 2017 to 2022, building an integrated organization and governance structure, and developing its policies and procedures to ensure accountability.

From 2010 to 2012, Dr. Rijsberman was the first Director of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he developed a strategy to help achieve universal access to sustainable sanitation services using radical new technologies and innovative market-based mechanisms.

Dr. Rijsberman also has worked as Program Director at Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, where he led grantmaking in the public health initiative and was responsible for programs and partnerships in health, disaster response, geo-informatics, and climate-change adaptation.

Before working at Google, Dr. Rijsberman was Director-General of the International Water Management Institute, an international research institute headquartered in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Education

• BS and MSc in Civil Engineering, Delft University of Technology (Netherlands)
• Ph.D. in water resources management and planning, Colorado State University (United States)

Ms. Neo Gim Huay is Managing Director, Centre for Nature and Climate at the World Economic Forum. Before joining the Forum, she held various Managing Director roles in Temasek, including Climate Change Strategy, Sustainability and Enterprise Development. Temasek is an investment company, headquartered in Singapore with a net portfolio value of approx. USD$280 billion in 2020. Gim Huay was responsible for seeding new businesses as well as working with Temasek’s existing portfolio of companies to develop strategy and build new capabilities. She also spearheaded Temasek’s sustainability strategy and initiatives across the organisation and within the community. Prior to joining Temasek, Gim Huay was a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Co in the Lagos, New York and San Francisco offices. She also served in the Singapore Public Service as an Administrative Officer, with stints in the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Prime Minister’s Office as well as the Singapore Embassy in the United States. Gim Huay holds a Masters in Business Administration (Arjay Miller Scholar) from Stanford University and a Masters of Engineering (Distinction) and Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honors) from Cambridge University. She was selected as an Eisenhower Fellow in 2015.

Jai Shroff is the Group CEO of UPL Limited. He is a well-recognized global leader in the Chemical & Agri-Inputs industry with over 30 years experience in India and internationally.

UPL group is focused on strengthening the food security in over 130 countries by offering world class technologies and solutions for sustainable agriculture production. Under Jai’s leadership, UPL has been one of the fastest growing agri-input companies in the world with strong presence in the Seeds, Plant Nutrition, Crop protection and Post harvest food preservation value chains. He has driven the transformation of UPL from a largely domestic player to a truly global Indian multinational organization. UPL has a global workforce comprising of more than 25 different nationalities. It operates 35 manufacturing plants in India, Asia, Europe, Latin and North America and serve the farming community across the globe.

Jai’s vision for UPL is to endeavour to continually provide smart, affordable and profitable solutions to the global farming community with a strong focus on Innovation, Research and Excellence by “Doing Things Better’.

Jai believes in the power of collaboration and inter-sectoral partnerships. He is actively involved in the global development agenda, including the World Economic Forum’s Grow Africa and Grow Asia initiatives, IFPRI’s Sustainable Agriculture and Global Food Security Initiative, WBCSD, Chicago Council, IGD and ICAR.

Career

Before becoming CEO on May 1, 2017, James Quincey led all of the company’s operating units worldwide as President and Chief Operating Officer from August 2015.

From 2013 to 2015, Mr. Quincey served as President of The Coca-Cola Company’s Europe Group, which is comprised of 38 countries including the Member States of the European Union, the European Free Trade Association countries, and the Balkans. Under his leadership, the Europe Group, the company’s most profitable operating group, strategically expanded its brand portfolio and improved execution across the geography. These actions helped drive solid topline growth and expanded the company’s leading market share position in total non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages despite the volatile and prolonged macroeconomic challenges in the region.

Mr. Quincey also played an instrumental role in leading the merger of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Coca-Cola Iberian Partners, and Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetranke AG to form Coca-Cola European Partners Plc., which is now the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler based on net revenues.

Prior to Mr. Quincey’s role as head of the Europe Group, he served as President of the Northwest Europe and Nordics business unit from 2008 to 2012. Among Mr. Quincey’s many accomplishments during this time was his leadership during the acquisition of innocent juice in 2009. innocent is now sold in more than 14 countries and is well on its way to becoming one of the company’s brands that generates more than US$ 1 billion in annual revenue.

From 2005 to 2008, Mr. Quincey was President of the Mexico Division. During his tenure in Mexico, he grew market share for the Coca-Cola brand and expanded the company’s portfolio with the re-launch of Coca-Cola Zero and the acquisition of Jugos de Valle, one of the company’s US$-21 billion brands that is now sold in 16 countries.

Mr. Quincey joined the company in Atlanta in 1996 as Director of Learning Strategy for the Latin America Group. He went on to serve in a series of operational roles of increased responsibility in Latin America, leading to his appointment as President of the South Latin Division in 2003. During his time in South Latin, Mr. Quincey was instrumental in developing and executing a successful brand, pack, price, and channel strategy, which has now been replicated in various forms throughout Coca-Cola’s global system.

Prior to joining Coca-Cola, Mr. Quincey was a Partner in strategy consulting at The Kalchas Group, a spin-off from Bain & Company and McKinsey.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering, University of Liverpool (England)

James P. Scriven is the CEO of IDB Invest, the private sector institution of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group, with a portfolio of $13.1 billion in assets under management and 385 clients in 25 countries. IDB Invest is a multilateral development bank focus on providing innovative financial solutions and advisory services for its clients, while achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Latin America and the Caribbean. A dual Argentine/British citizen, Mr. Scriven was previously Vice President of Corporate Risk and Sustainability at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in addition to other leadership positions. Before joining the IFC, Mr. Scriven was Chief Financial Officer of Banco Hipotecario in Argentina. During the past two decades, he has concentrated his efforts on promoting the role of the private sector in development. Mr. Scriven holds a Master´s degree in Finance from Universidad del Centro de Estudios Macroeconómicos of Argentina, and a degree in Business Administration from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. To learn more, follow @JamesPScriven and linkedin.com/in/james-p-scriven.

Bereciartua is a former Secretary of Infrastructure and Water of Argentina from 2017 to 2019. He was responsible for one of the main federal investment areas (water supply and sanitation, adaptation to climate change, expansion of the agricultural frontier, and large-scale infrastructure including dams and aqueducts) and the implementation of national water policies. 

Prior to that, he was Undersecretary of Water Resources of Argentina (2015 to 2017); President of the Water Planning Agency of the Buenos Aires metropolitan area (2015-2019), in charge of defining the water supply and sanitation service for 14 million people; and Director of Infrastructure of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires (2007-2009).  

Bereciartua is a Professor at the University of Buenos Aires and former Dean at the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology (ITBA). He is a member of the Advisory Board of the EIT Climate KIC and a member of the Steering Committee at the International Symposium on Next Generation Infrastructures (ISNGI). 

Among other degrees, Bereciartua has a M.Sc. in Engineering and Economics from the University of California at Berkeley, California, USA. He graduated with honors in Civil, Hydraulic, and Transportation Engineering from the Universidad Nacional de la Plata, Argentina. He has a MBA from the Universidad de San Andres in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Bereciartua is a Yale World Fellow. 

Mr Senzo Mchunu is the Minister of Water and Sanitation, a position he started from 5 August 2021. He was Minister of Public Service and Administration of the Republic of South Africa from 30 May 2019 to 5 August 2021.

Ulrich Körner joined Credit Suisse April 1, 2021, as CEO Asset Management. He joined from UBS where he served as member of the group executive board for eleven years, of which six years leading the Asset Management division. Prior to this role he served as Chief Operating Officer. From 2011 he additionally headed the region Europe, Middle East and Africa for UBS. Before joining UBS, he was an executive at Credit Suisse and held various roles, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Credit Suisse Financial Services and CEO Switzerland. Ulrich Körner holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). 

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Usha Rao-Monari of India as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The Secretary-General expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Mourad Wahba of Egypt for his commitment as Associate Administrator ad interim and 30 years of service in the United Nations.  He also wishes to extend his appreciation to Tegegnework Gettu of Ethiopia for his long-standing career at the United Nations and for his significant contributions to the development agenda as UNDP’s Associate Administrator.

As Senior Adviser to Blackstone’s Infrastructure Group, Ms. Rao-Monari is an investment professional with almost 30 years of investment experience, particularly in the infrastructure area.  She previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Global Water Development Partners, a Blackstone portfolio company, and held several senior positions, notably as Director of the Sustainable Business Advisory Group at the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group.  She currently serves on the Boards of a number organizations in the field of sustainable development and has held a number of Board and advisory positions in the areas of water, natural capital, biodiversity and environment.

She holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs and Finance, School of International and Public Affairs/School of Business, Columbia University, New York, a Master’s degree in Management Studies, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management, Mumbai, India and a B.A. Honors Economics, Delhi University, New Delhi.

Mr. Saroj Kumar Jha is the Global Director for the World Bank Group’s Water Global Practice (GP).  In his current assignment, Mr Jha is  a core member of the GP’s senior management team, which drives the policy direction of the GP, oversees a portfolio of $24 billion in water-related investments, analytical work, multi-donor trust funds and global partnerships. Mr Jha supports an integrated approach to water security and inclusive service delivery, accelerated climate action and food security through Bank’s Global Water Strategy, and providing policy advice and operational support in response to specific country needs.

Before this appointment, Mr. Jha was World Bank’s Regional Director of the Middle East Department, Senior Director for the Fragility, Conflict and Violence Global Practice at the World Bank Group, the World Bank’s Regional Director for Central Asia based in Almaty. In addition, Mr. Jha served as the Bank’s Global Manager for the Disaster Risk Management Practice and as Head of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), which he founded in 2006.

Mr. Jha, an Indian national, joined the World Bank in 2005 as a Senior Infrastructure Specialist in the Sustainable Development Network, after working for the Government of India (1990-2005) and United Nations agencies (1999-2004) as a senior executive in the field of public sector management, infrastructure financing, natural resources management, natural disaster prevention, and environmental sustainability.

Ms. Neo Gim Huay is Managing Director, Centre for Nature and Climate at the World Economic Forum. Before joining the Forum, she held various Managing Director roles in Temasek, including Climate Change Strategy, Sustainability and Enterprise Development. Temasek is an investment company, headquartered in Singapore with a net portfolio value of approx. USD$280 billion in 2020. Gim Huay was responsible for seeding new businesses as well as working with Temasek’s existing portfolio of companies to develop strategy and build new capabilities. She also spearheaded Temasek’s sustainability strategy and initiatives across the organisation and within the community. Prior to joining Temasek, Gim Huay was a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Co in the Lagos, New York and San Francisco offices. She also served in the Singapore Public Service as an Administrative Officer, with stints in the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Prime Minister’s Office as well as the Singapore Embassy in the United States. Gim Huay holds a Masters in Business Administration (Arjay Miller Scholar) from Stanford University and a Masters of Engineering (Distinction) and Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honors) from Cambridge University. She was selected as an Eisenhower Fellow in 2015.

Andre Fourie is Global VP of Sustainability at Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI), the world’s largest brewer. He leads the company’s work on water stewardship such as investing in watershed protection in high-stress areas. ABI’s portfolio comprises over 500 beer brands includes global brands Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois, and numerous multi-country brands.

Emma Crystal is the Chief Sustainability Officer of Credit Suisse. Emma’s responsibilities include setting the sustainability strategy and ambition for the bank and partnering with the divisions, regions and functions, to deliver on the Sustainability commitments, including expanding the wealth management product shelf, investment banking financing offering and net zero deliverables. Previously, Emma led the Wealth Management business for Northern & Western Europe and the Sustainable Client Solutions unit, establishing an integrated delivery around sustainability for wealth management clients. Emma is an executive sponsor of the bank’s LGBT & Ally network. Since joining Credit Suisse in 2013, Emma has held a number of senior leadership positions in Wealth Management focusing on European clients. Prior to that she also covered Family Offices for the UK and Nordic markets. Before joining Credit Suisse, Emma worked in Global Markets at Deutsche Bank for 10 years.

Career

• October 2015: assumed current position
• 2013: joined Nestlé
• Senior Manager (Asia), World Economic Forum
• Consultant, International Monetary Fund (Geneva)
• Senior Economist, European Free Trade Association

Education

• Ph.D., International Economics, Graduate Institute of International Studies (Switzerland)
• MSc, Development Studies, London School of Economics and Political Science (England)
• BA, Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE), University of Oxford (England)

Career

James Dalton is the Director and Coordinator of Global Initiatives of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Water Programme. He has worked on water resources management issues for the last twenty years. Prior to joining the IUCN, Mr. Dalton worked at the Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission in Fiji, where he was the Integrated Water Resources Management Adviser to Pacific Island governments. Prior to this, he was a water management and development consultant for ITAD Water, based in the United Kingdom but working internationally. Mr. Dalton spent years working for consecutive Department for International Development Senior Water Advisers in London as a consultant adviser.

Mr. Dalton has worked in over 25 countries worldwide, with extended periods working in the Pacific Islands, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the Middle East, East Africa, and Eastern Europe.

Education

Doctorate in Civil and Environmental Engineering focusing on groundwater management in the Aral Sea Basin

BA in History, Tufts University; Master’s in Political Science, Institute for Political Studies, Université de Bordeaux; MA in International Law and Diplomacy, Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy. Formerly, with US Embassy, Paris. Since 1997, with Coca-Cola, including roles in Atlanta, Cairo, Hong Kong and Washington DC.

Bereciartua is a former Secretary of Infrastructure and Water of Argentina from 2017 to 2019. He was responsible for one of the main federal investment areas (water supply and sanitation, adaptation to climate change, expansion of the agricultural frontier, and large-scale infrastructure including dams and aqueducts) and the implementation of national water policies. 

Prior to that, he was Undersecretary of Water Resources of Argentina (2015 to 2017); President of the Water Planning Agency of the Buenos Aires metropolitan area (2015-2019), in charge of defining the water supply and sanitation service for 14 million people; and Director of Infrastructure of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires (2007-2009).  

Bereciartua is a Professor at the University of Buenos Aires and former Dean at the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology (ITBA). He is a member of the Advisory Board of the EIT Climate KIC and a member of the Steering Committee at the International Symposium on Next Generation Infrastructures (ISNGI). 

Among other degrees, Bereciartua has a M.Sc. in Engineering and Economics from the University of California at Berkeley, California, USA. He graduated with honors in Civil, Hydraulic, and Transportation Engineering from the Universidad Nacional de la Plata, Argentina. He has a MBA from the Universidad de San Andres in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Bereciartua is a Yale World Fellow. 

Willem is of Dutch nationality, has been with Unilever since 1999, and has held a series of assignments in Supply Chain and Research & Development. He has spent most of his professional life working in various roles in Supply Chain for Unilever’s Latin America business where he was based in Mexico City from 2003 to 2015 with a short assignment in London.

He has been the Supply Chain Vice President for Unilever, Mexico and the Caribbean (2012-2015), Vice President Home Care SC Latin America based out of Switzerland (2015-2016) and recently headed Unilever’s Supply Chain, Home Care division based out of London (2016-2019).

Willem was Executive Director, Supply Chain of Hindustan Unilever Limited from January 2020 until September 2022. He holds a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Applied Physics from Eindhoven University in the Netherlands.