Our Projects - WaterConnect

Solar-powered water supply initiative in Malawi

Location: Malawi

Project type: Project preparation support for water supply mini-grid project

Project details: Partnered with Impact Water Solutions, a private developer, to assist with the preparation of a proposed water mini-grid project. The project is expected to provide piped water access to 15,000 people and 26 tourist lodges in Malawi.

Scope: Co-financed the acquisition and installation of data collection devices, environmental impact assessment, and project legal structuring as part of the project’s feasibility study.

Solar-powered water supply initiative in Southern Africa

Nature-based wastewater treatment & reuse for commercial and industrial sectors in Indonesia

Location: Indonesia

Project type: Technology deployment

Project details: Partnered with Absolute Water, a wastewater treatment technology provider, and BCL Synthesis, a local engineering firm, to demonstrate a low-cost, nature-based wastewater treatment technology in a new market. The project demonstrated the versatility and effectiveness of the technology in treating effluents from a mixed-use commercial mall and a slaughterhouse, to meet regulated discharge standards. The treated water is being reused for various purposes such as horticulture, irrigation, and toilet flushing.

Scope: Facilitated the cross-border opportunity and co-designed and financed the demonstration project.

Nature-based wastewater treatment & reuse for commercial and industrial sectors in Indonesia

Smart water management solution for public utilities in the Philippines

Location: Philippines

Project type: Technology deployment via performance-based contract

Project details: Partnered with Hiraya Water, a smart water management company, to demonstrate its offering to a local utility in the Philippines. The project demonstrated both the potential for the technology to reduce water losses and to improve energy efficiency, as well as the viability of an innovative contracting and payment structure.

Scope: Both organizations collaborated on contract design and co-financed the technology deployment cost.

Smart water management solution for public utilities in the Philippines

Sanjit John

Regional Director, Central and South Asia

Sanjit oversees WaterConnect’s project development initiatives and infrastructure services in the Central and South Asia region and is tasked with identifying opportunities for project development and fostering partnerships with technology-based solution providers.

With 17 years of experience in both project sales as well as global business development for engineering and construction companies, Sanjit brings a wealth of market expertise to WaterConnect.

He has worked with Thermax Ltd., VA Tech Wabag Ltd., and Holtec International, gaining valuable insights across the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Sanjit’s extensive experience in the municipal and industrial water sectors allows him to effectively manage complex projects.

He holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Pune University and an Executive Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Symbiosis International University.

Christina Tecson

Senior Director of Legal

Christina oversees WaterConnect’s legal, governance, and regulatory affairs, and leads its operational and compliance matters.

Christina brings over 12 years of experience in project development in the energy and infrastructure space, with a focus on landmark cross-border transactions and transformative projects in emerging markets, gained through in-house experience with Vestas Development, where she advised on the full lifecycle of development of wind projects in Asia, and in Ayala Corporation, where she managed flagship PPP projects for the conglomerate. She also spent 8 years as a corporate attorney in private practice, and worked as a consultant with the Governance Global Practice in the World Bank, Washington, D.C.

Christina is a New York and Philippine qualified lawyer. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Management, majoring in Legal Management, and a Juris Doctor from the Ateneo de Manila University. She also holds a Master of Laws from Columbia University.

Bing Rhodes

Director, Infrastructure Development

Bing oversees WaterConnect’s global infrastructure project development. She is responsible for identifying and nurturing investment opportunities and providing advisory services for infrastructure projects.

Bing has over 16 years of experience in project development, bid management, operations, and technical services in the water and sanitation sector. Before joining WaterConnect, she worked with Water.org, Mowah, and Manila Water, where she headed market and opportunity screening, risk assessment, and bid/proposal development for small to large-scale water and wastewater infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. She also oversaw the project delivery performance of multi-million dollar capital expenditure projects and provided technical leadership to enhance the quality, efficiency, and innovation of water and wastewater operations.

Bing holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Environment and Natural Resources Management from the University of the Philippines.

Hugo Contreras

Regional Director, Latin America and the Caribbean

Hugo oversees WaterConnect’s project development initiatives and infrastructure services in the Latin America and the Caribbean region and is tasked with identifying opportunities for project development and fostering partnerships with technology-based solution providers.

He brings more than 25 years of experience in business development and strategy, policy design and operations in the water and sanitation, and the environmental sectors.

Prior to joining WaterConnect, Hugo led The Nature Conservancy’s water security strategy for LATAM, where he was instrumental in the growth of the Latin American Water Funds Partnership. Before this, Hugo was Business Development and Institutional Relations Director for Bal-Ondeo, a joint venture between the Bal Group and Suez Environment, where he played a key role to position the company as the leading private water operator in the Mexican market. Prior to this, he led the environment and good government practice at Thesis Consultores, before which he served as Chief of Staff for the Under Ministry for Planning and Director for Natural Resource Economics at the Ministry of Environment in Mexico.

Hugo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from ITAM, Mexico, and a Master of Science in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics from UCL, London. He also has diplomas in Management and Environmental Economics from Cambridge University, the IPADE, Berkeley University and the World Bank.

Konstant Bruinette

Regional Director, Africa

Konstant oversees WaterConnect’s project development initiatives and infrastructure services in the Africa region and is tasked with identifying opportunities for project development and fostering partnerships with technology-based solution providers.

Konstant has more than 20 years of professional experience in the complete value chain of water infrastructure development from project conceptualization, project preparation and the financing of the project implementation phase, gained through his career with leading infrastructure developers in the region, including the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the Bigen Group.

Konstant holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil), and a Master of Engineering (Technology and Engineering Management) from the University of Pretoria, as well as an MBA from the University of Stellenbosch.

Christine D’sa

Director, Market Intelligence & Communications

Christine leads the assessment of policy environments and market trends and manages the design of business development strategies and WaterConnect products to reach target partners.

Christine brings over 12 years of experience in urban development related advisory work with a keen focus on water supply and sanitation infrastructure. Prior to joining WaterConnect she was Head of Infrastructure Policy and Regulation with the Infrastructure Services team at Water.org. Before this, she spent over a decade with the Urban Practice at CRISIL Ltd. working across several countries in Asia and Africa on water and sanitation related laws and regulations, several flagship national urban development missions, institutional and regulatory reform, city development planning, PPPs in urban infrastructure, land value capture, municipal finance, affordable housing, and urban economics.

Christine holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in International Housing and Urban Development from IHS, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, a Master of Arts in Habitat Policy and Practice from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Political Science and Sociology from St. Joseph’s College of Arts and Science, Bangalore.

Therese Rossiter

Director of Climate & Impact

As Director of Climate and Impact, Therese leads on integrating climate resilience, impact, and environmental and social risk management into the project development process.

Therese brings over 10 years of experience in impact management, climate finance, and resilient infrastructure development. Prior to joining WaterConnect, she was an Impact Manager at the UK DFI British International Investment, where she developed impact- and climate-focused infrastructure investment strategies and ensured impact was a priority throughout the investment process. In prior roles, she supported sustainable development in the public and private sectors, including in Vivid Economics/ McKinsey’s infrastructure and energy practice, the South African National Treasury’s municipal infrastructure team, and GIZ’s policy forum for infrastructure development in emerging economies.

Therese holds a Masters in International Trade, Finance and Development from Barcelona Graduate School of Economics in Spain and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

Daniel Ogembo

Director of Finance

As Director of Finance, Daniel manages and oversees WaterConnect’s corporate finance functions as well as the financial management of the portfolio of infrastructure projects.

Daniel has over 19 years of experience in financial management, modeling, data analytics, and financial structuring in both corporate and project finance. Most recently he led the finance function for Population Services International during a period of rapid revenue and profit growth. Previous stints include Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Amtrak, and Constellation Energy.
Daniel holds a Bachelor’s and an MBA degree from the University of New Hampshire, as well as a Master of Corporate Finance and Investment Banking from the University of New South Wales, Australia.

Pieter Tobing

Chief Infrastructure Development Officer

Pieter Tobing leads a global team of infrastructure project developers with the task of originating, developing and cultivating opportunities for investment in the water and sanitation sector.

Pieter has over 30 years of experience in water utility infrastructure investments and operations in Southeast Asia, MENA, Africa, Europe and Latin America. He has experience in full-cycle infrastructure development – from early stage to commercial operations – gained through significant involvement with various high-profile pioneering public-private-partnership schemes, structuring deals, raising project finance and managing partnerships with multiple stakeholders. Within utility operations, he is a subject matter expert in utility asset management and capital expenditure programming.
Pieter holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from Parahyangan University in Indonesia and a Master of Science in Construction Economics and Management from the Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, University College London, United Kingdom.

John Moyer

President

As President of WaterConnect, John Moyer leads all aspects of the business to successfully develop climate resilient water and sanitation infrastructure projects and catalyze investment in the sector. Previously, John led Water.org’s market entry into Southeast Asia before serving as a founding employee and the Chief Investment Officer of asset manager WaterEquity.

John brings to the role 20 years of experience in the financial services, impact investment, and water and sanitation sectors, with emphasis on financing underserved markets.

John received his Bachelor of Arts in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University and holds a Master of International Economics and Development from Johns Hopkins University.

Catherine Colyer

Chief Operating Officer, WaterEquity

Catherine Colyer provides operational and compliance oversight of WaterEquity’s business and its funds. She manages teams that are collectively responsible for maintaining WaterEquity’s status as a Registered Investment Adviser with the SEC, domestic and international regulatory compliance, fund management, operational strategy, corporate governance, HR, and systems. Catherine brings to her role 25 years of experience in regulatory compliance, financial services, fair lending, and balancing business and legal objectives.

Catherine’s prior work experience includes working as a lawyer in an international law firm, a consultant in an international accounting firm, and overseeing compliance for a nationwide mortgage lender.

Catherine received a Bachelor of Arts with honors in Political Science and English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Paul O’Connell

President & CEO, WaterEquity

Paul O’Connell is the President & CEO of WaterEquity LLC, an asset manager dedicated to expanding access to water and sanitation in emerging markets. Paul manages the overall operations of WaterEquity.

Prior to joining WaterEquity in 2019, Paul spent over 20 years as President and Managing Partner of FDO Partners, LLC, managing currency and equity portfolios for sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, and other institutional investors.
Paul has deep experience in the research and practice of international finance. He has published a variety of academic articles on exchange rate behavior, international capital flows, and labor migration. He served on the Editorial Board of the Emerging Markets Review and the Review Board for the Research Foundation of the CFA Institute and has spoken at TED about the potential of capital markets to fund sustainable development goals. From 2016–2022, he served on the Board of Water.org. From 2010–2016, he was Chair of the Board of the US arm of Gavi, a global alliance dedicated to expanding vaccine availability in developing countries.

An Irish native, Paul received a B.A. in Economics from Trinity College, Dublin and an A.M. and Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University.

Vedika Bhandarkar

President & Chief Operating Officer, Water.org

As President and Chief Operating Officer of Water.org, Vedika is responsible for the oversight of the global organization, ensuring our overall effectiveness and comprehensive achievement of strategic, financial, and annual operational goals. She works closely with the CEO, the executive team, the Board of Directions, the President of WaterEquity, and a broad range of other stakeholders to champion the vision of Water.org. She previously served as Water.org’s Chief Global Impact Officer and the Managing Director, India.

Vedika has more than 25 years of experience building teams and businesses with Indian and international financial institutions. She worked with J.P. Morgan for over 12 years, where she served as the Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking.

Vedika serves as an Independent Director on the boards of several companies. She also serves as a board member of the Jai Vakeel Foundation, an institution focused on children and adults with intellectual disabilities. In 2022, she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Vedica Women’s Alliance in recognition of her outstanding achievements and exemplary leadership.

Gary White

CEO and Board Chair, WaterConnect

Gary White is an observer, an innovator, and a passionate problem-solver. He has created solutions that have empowered millions of people in need with access to safe water and sanitation.

Gary is the CEO and Co-founder of Water.org, WaterEquity, and WaterConnect, three nonprofit organizations dedicated to empowering people in developing nations to gain access to safe water and sanitation.

Bringing more than 30 years of experience to work on solving the global water and sanitation crisis, Gary is a leading advisor in the water and sanitation space, counseling organizations such as the IKEA Foundation, Inditex, Reckitt, AB InBev, Amazon Web Services, the Water Resilience Coalition, and Bank of America on responses to the global water crisis. He is also a founding board member of the Millennium Water Alliance and Water Advocates.

Alongside co-founder Matt Damon, Gary has been recognized through TIME magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people and the Forbes 400 Lifetime Achievement Award for Social Entrepreneurship. Gary has also been named to the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Water and selected as Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur and a Skoll Foundation Social Entrepreneur.

Gary’s educational credentials include three degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Missouri University of Science & Technology.