Darren Saywell

Allan Cain

Allan Cain is a specialist in project planning, microfinance, urban development, low-cost housing and settlement upgrading. During his thirty years’ experience in developing countries, he has carried out projects for community construction, school planning, and popular participation programmes. Allan has also developed programmes in community-based development involving participation of local residents and the strengthening of civil society institutions. Allan is the Director of Development Workshop (DW), a non-profit organisation working in the field of human settlements development, planning and building. DW collaborates with international organisations, NGOs and governments on the design and implementation of projects and the training of local personnel.

Peter Lochery

As Director of the Water Team at CARE (an international NGO), Peter Lochery has responsibility for strategy, learning and advocacy in the water sector.  He is also a board member of two small US non-profits: Water Advocates and the Millennium Water Alliance.  Before joining CARE, Peter worked for the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program, and prior to that in the private sector.  He is passionate about partnerships in the water sector, asserting that “without them we will not reach the billions of poor people who currently lack services.  At CARE, we have focused on creating and sustaining partnerships as a way of delivering services, giving poor people a voice, and advocacy that in the USA supported the passage of the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act”.  Peter has been Vice Chair of BPD since its inception.

Lajana Manandhar

Lajana Manandhar has been engaged in the WASH sector in various capacities since 1993: delivering services to communities, especially in urban slums; influencing pro-poor policy formulation in the Kathmandu water sector reform process; representing the voices of civil society organisations (CSOs) with the Kathmandu Valley Drinking Water Management Board; and advocating for WASH rights of poor and marginalised people at the local, national, regional and global level. Lajana founded and currently works for Lumanti, an NGO dedicated to the alleviation of urban poverty in Nepal through the improvement of shelter conditions.

Manuel Alvarinho

As a regulator at CRA, Mozambique, Manuel Alvarinho brings added value to BPD’s multi-stakeholder dialogue, being responsible for consumer protection but also for promoting a balance of interests, thereby mitigating socio-political risks (for the government and also for providers – either public or private – ensuring they can operate free from excessive political interference).

Neil Macleod

Neil Macleod is Head of Water and Sanitation, Durban Municipality, responsible for the provision of water and sanitation services to 3.7 million people, where approximately 35% of the population earn less than $2 a day. He is also a Director of Johannesburg Water Pty (Ltd), a municipal-owned private company responsible for water and sanitation services in Johannesburg. He has presented numerous papers at international conferences on the provision of water and sanitation services to rural and urban poor communities, based on his experiences in Durban and developing countries. Neil has served on the Board of BPD Water and Sanitation since its formation, and is currently Chair. He has been directly involved in a number of multi-sector partnerships in South Africa and brings a wealth of skills and experience to BPD.

Abdoul Niang

Abdoul Niang is an expert in water infrastructure, private and public partnerships and regulation, focusing on access for the poorest populations. He has played a key role in water sector development in Senegal, including reinforcement of pro-poor policy. As Strategy and Planning Manager of the Senegalese National Water Company (SONES), he actively participated in the re-negotiation of the Leasing contract (Affermage) with the private operator of public water supply in urban areas (SDE). He also was involved in the Government’s Millennium Potable Water and Sanitation Program (PEPAM) to meet water MDGs. He is currently SONES’ Director of Works.

Gustavo Heredia

Gustavo Heredia is Executive President at AGUATUYA, an organisation dedicated to promoting innovative water and sanitation initiatives in Bolivia. AGUATUYA works in partnership with municipalities, community-based organisations (CBOs) and the private sector to promote and develop water and sanitation services to low-income peri-urban populations. The partnership “Agua para todos” (Water for All) led by AGUATUYA was recognised by a SEED Award in 2005. As a partnership practitioner, Gustavo believes that the water and sanitation challenge for the poor is so complex that it can only be tackled through multi-sector partnerships that involve local governments, the private sector and the users.

Thomas van Waeyenberge

Thomas van Waeyenberge has significant experience representing the private sector at the international level. After starting out as Institutional and NGO relations Manager with Suez, he contributed to the foundation of AquaFed in 2004 and now heads the Brussels office. AquaFed was created to establish a link between private operators and other stakeholders in the water community, aligning perfectly with BPD’s core mission. The Federation brings together water and sanitation service operators of all sizes from more than 40 countries (and more than 250 operating companies), drawing on a wide range of practical experience from its members. Thomas has spent time assessing private water and sanitation service delivery in numerous developing countries and has intimate knowledge of how to make partnerships with the private sector work. He is deeply concerned about turning the human right to water and sanitation into a reality for all and a firm believer in multi-stakeholder action.