Our Team

Barry Schiffman

Barry Schiffman is a Partner, Senior Advisor and Board member to Mandala Capital. Mandala is the only institutional private equity fund manager that invests exclusively in the food supply and agribusiness sector in India and South Asia. Prior to joining Mandala, Barry worked with a private family office where he was the co-founder of Next Frontier Capital, an emerging markets private equity firm.

While at Next Frontier, he focused on technology and natural resources transactions in the CIS and Africa, and co-founded Viewdle, a facial recognition software company. Barry served as Viewdle’s COO and General Counsel, and was a member of its Board of Directors; Viewdle was acquired by Google. He has also served as a board member and General Counsel of The Frayman Group, and has served on the boards of numerous privately held companies in which he has been an active and engaged investor.

Barry began his career as an attorney for Bracewell and Giuliani, and has also worked for Fulbright and Jaworski. He graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University with a degree in government, received a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, and is a member of the New York State bar. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Moise Safra Center in New York, and is the Founder and Chairman of the Algemeiner Editor’s Club. Barry is a supporter of the Virunga Fund in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Mugie Conservancy in Kenya.

Brett Stewart

Brett Stewart has extensive private equity and investment banking experience in both emerging and developed markets. He currently serves on Visa's Corporate Development Team executing acquisitions and divestitures across the company’s global footprint.

Before joining Visa, Brett was the Head of Financial Institution Partnerships at Plaid, a company which provides the technology that enables bank customers to connect to thousands of Fintech apps and services. Prior to that he was the Head of US Fintech Banking at Standard Chartered Bank, and before that he was responsible for coverage of the bank’s global private equity practice.  He also spent over 6 years on the bank’s direct private equity investment team in Johannesburg, and coordinated their investment activities in Southern and West Africa.

Previously, Brett was an investment banker in London and New York, initially with Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, and then with Moelis & Company. At Goldman Sachs and Moelis, Brett covered the consumer and retail sectors for both M&A and financing transactions.

Brett started his career at Deloitte’s Southern California audit and tax practice. He has an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BBA from the University of Georgia. He was raised in South Africa and is a dual US-South African citizen.

Christopher Bradford

Christopher Bradford is the President of Morehead-Cain, a foundation which manages the first merit scholarship program established in the United States, founded at the first public university in the United States. The Morehead-Cain Scholarship is a four-year, undergraduate merit scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a lifelong challenge to make a positive difference in the world.

Chris is also Founder and former CEO of African Leadership Academy, a world class pan-African boarding high school located in Johannesburg, South Africa.  Prior to becoming CEO, Chris served as Executive Vice-President of African Leadership Academy and was the President of African Leadership Foundation, whose mission is to fund leadership initiatives on the African continent.

Chris previously worked in brand management at The Procter and Gamble Company and as a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. He has also consulted to the Broad Foundation, one of the leading educational foundations in the United States, and taught economics and physics at Oundle School, one of the leading coeducational boarding schools in England.

Chris holds a BA degree summa cum laude in Economics from Yale University and an MBA and MA in Education from Stanford University.

Chris McTammany

Chris McTammany is Founder and CEO of McTammany Partners, a New York City based strategic advisory and recruiting firm that caters to the alternative investment community.  He has over a decade of experience placing long/short, fundamental and systematic, public equity investing professionals within global hedge funds and family offices.  In addition to managing McTammany Partners, Chris actively raises capital through a broker dealer for a myriad of investment opportunities including hedge funds, private equity funds, special purpose vehicles, and other esoteric ventures.

Prior to launching McTammany Partners, Chris was one of the founding members of CB Global Search, where he individually built and ran their Alternative Investments division.  Before joining CB, Chris worked at a family office in Southern California that had over 5 million square feet of office, industrial and retail properties, making it one of the largest single owner operators of private commercial real estate in California. Chris was the apprentice to the CEO and General Counsel, working on all aspects of acquisition and disposition diligence, portfolio management, and operations.

Chris graduated from the Undergraduate Carroll School of Management at Boston College with a concentration in Marketing.

Claudette Lavallee

Claudette Lavallee is Founder and General Manager for PROWATER Consultores, a Mozambican consultancy that specializes in Water and Sanitation. She also serves as the embedded adviser for the National Directorate of Water and Sanitation of Mozambique, and manages the Water portfolio for the SPEED+ project, which is financed by USAID.

Previously, Claudette was Team Leader for the Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Africa (SUWASA) program, which works to improve access to safe, reliable, affordable, and sustainable water/sanitation services for unserved and underserved urban populations in sub-Sahara Africa. She was also Program Manager for the Inhambane Rural Water Development Programme, where she led the planning efforts for a pilot implementation of Rural Water programme, and developed the management model for Demand Responsive Approach (DRA). This role was conceptualized through Claudette’s work with the Canadian International Development Agency(CIDA), where she was responsible for building the new investment development program for all CIDA projects in the Health, Education, and Water sectors in Mozambique.

While living in Canada and managing her own law firm, Claudette also served as President of the Chamber of Commerce in Mascouche, Quebec, the Founding President of the Development Counsel for the Des Moulins Regional, and the Founding President of the Tourist Development Society, among various other roles.Claudette received her undergraduate (LLL) and post-graduate (DDN) degrees from the University of Montreal, Canada, and earned an MBA from De Montfort University in Maputo, Mozambique. Claudette serves as a Board Member for the Canada-Mozambique Chamber of Commerce and for Aguashare.

Claudio Pedretti

Claudio Pedretti is an Italian entrepreneur, industry leader and expert in solar off-grid, mini-grids and DRE generation (Distributed Renewable Energy). He is the Founder & CEO of Green Climate Ventures, which provides expertise and patient capital to the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in the areas of rural electrification, renewable energy, agribusiness, and cooling. Additionally, Claudio is Founder and CEO of the Club of Florence, a think tank that puts Florence at the center of the global debate on Climate Action and Climate Finance. He is also serves as a board member of the Alliance for Rural Electrification, the largest worldwide industry association representing 190 companies in the sector, where he previously served as President and Chairman.

Claudio sits on the board of several private companies and non-profits.

Daniel Lambert

Daniel Lambert is a pioneering figure deeply committed to water and energy sustainability, dedicated to fostering positive social, environmental, and economic progress in communities. Currently, he holds the role of CEO of WaterStart for Australia and New Zealand. In his previous role, he was Executive Manager for Sustainable Infrastructure Solutions at Unitywater. Daniel thrives on collaborating to devise strategic, community-centric solutions in water, environmental, and infrastructure domains. In addition to his managerial duties, he serves as an Adjunct Professor in Humanitarian Engineering at UNSW in Sydney and is a distinguished Fellow at the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering.

With a track record spanning Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the Pacific Islands, South America, and Africa, Daniel has spearheaded many successful projects. He channels his passion into driving transformative change in water management, both in developed and developing regions. His motivation stems from firsthand experience witnessing the life-altering impact of improved water and sanitation on families and communities.

Daniel’s contributions have earned him acclaim, named Professional Engineer of the Year by Engineers Australia and recognized as one of Australia's 'Most Innovative Engineers'. The Australian Water Association also lauded him as the NSW Water Professional of the Year. An esteemed keynote speaker, he has graced conferences and industry events across Australia, Asia, and Europe.

Deeply involved in championing water-related causes and nurturing emerging talent, Daniel holds advisory roles at RedR Australia, Engineers Australia, Engineers Without Borders Australia, Carbon8 Fund Ltd, African Leadership Academy, UNSW Global Water Institute, Australian Water Partnership, Infrastructure Partnerships Australia, Alliance for Water Stewardship, Australian Water Association, and WaterAid Australia. He serves as an Executive Member at Unitywater and Chairs the Queensland Ambassadors Committee at WaterAid Australia.

David Nastro

David Nastro joined Morgan Stanley in 1992 and is Head of the Global Power & Utility Group. The Global Power & Utility Group works with the Firm’s electric, gas, water and clean energy clients on mergers and acquisitions, strategic advisory assignments and public and private capital markets transactions. He has worked in both Hong Kong and New York on a range of corporate finance and advisory assignments for domestic clients, multinational conglomerates and local governments.

David has been actively involved in many of the industry’s leading mergers and acquisitions, including the following recent transactions: Duke Energy’s minority stake sale in its renewables business to John Hancock, Aqua America’s acquisition of Peoples Gas from SteelRiver, the sale of ITC Holdings to Fortis, Teco Energy’s sale to Emera, Duke Energy’s sale of its Midwest Generation assets, Teco Energy’s acquisition of New Mexico Gas, Dominion’s sale of selected merchant generation assets, National Fuel Gas’ defense against Activist Shareholders, Duke Energy’s spin-off of Spectra Energy, RWE’s acquisition of American Water Works, UIL’s acquisition of Iberdrola’s Gas LDCs, and the formation of Pantellos Corporation (the utility industry’s B2B procurement exchange). He has also worked with several sovereign and local governments, public power and municipal utilities in evaluating privatization alternatives and other strategic assignments.

David has worked on several high-profile equity and debt financing transactions. He was recently involved in equity and equity-linked offerings for: Duke Energy, Dominion Resources, Consolidated Edison, Southern Company, Xcel Energy, Entergy Corporation, UIL Corporation, Teco Energy, CMS Energy, Hawaiian Electric, PG&E Corp., and American Water. In addition, he also worked on multiple public and private investment grade debt, high yield, securitization and project finance transactions.

David received a B.A. in Political Science (with honors) from Amherst College and a Masters degree in International Relations (with distinction) from Cambridge University. David has also been a Board member at Water For People and Freedom House, serving as Treasurer and chairing the Finance Committee at both organizations.

Denise Cortês-Keyser

Denise Cortês-Keyser is an award winning Entrepreneur, Motivational Speaker, Finance and Investments Adviser, former TV Macroeconomic Analyst and Philanthropist. She founded DCK GLOBAL (DCK Africa), an online platform that empowers women and African entrepreneurs, by promoting intra-Africa trade and investments and created DCK GLOBAL Master Class, a series of interviews on different topics related to “Doing Business”. Several African personalities, including politicians, investors, entrepreneurs and philanthropists have participated and shared their knowledge through the platform. Denise is also a non-executive Board Member of New Faces New Voices in Mozambique, an organization chaired by Mrs. Graça Machel, aiming to empower women working in the Financial Sector and promote Financial Inclusion.

Previously, Denise served as the Former Vice-President for Studies, Projects and Marketing Board of the Mozambique Football Federation. From 2013-2015, Denise was the Executive Director of ACIS – Association of Commerce, Industry and Services of Mozambique. ACIS is the biggest Business Association in Mozambique, comprising 400 companies with a combined investment of USD 70 Billion and a workforce of more than 75,000 employees. Under her leadership, ACIS was awarded as the Best Business Association in Mozambique in 2014. While she was ACIS Executive Director, Denise was also one of the key people taking part in the Public-Private Dialogue in Mozambique.

Denise is currently an Advisory Board Member of the African Council of Trade, Tourism and Investments (AfCOTTI). She is a Certified Accountant, with an honors degree in Management from Instituto Superior de Ciências e Tecnologia de Moçambique and a post-graduate qualification in Corporate Finance from ISCTE Business School in Portugal.

Efe Ukala

Efe Ukala is a Nigerian US based investment lawyer, philanthropist, and Founder of ImpactHER; an organization that works to bridge the $42 billion entrepreneurship funding gap experienced by African female entrepreneurs. She connects African female entrepreneurs to sources of funding for their businesses, and has provided free entrepreneurship training to over 4,500 African women entrepreneurs across 28 African countries.

Efe also serves as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at JP Morgan where she advises institutional investors. She has extensive experience in private and public investments arising out of frontier markets, inclusive of Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and Rwanda.

Previously, Efe served as a Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer at Kuramo Capital Management, an independent investment management firm focused on alternative assets in emerging and frontier markets, where she advised on numerous cross-border investments deals across Africa and managed the firm’s fund formation processes. At Kuramo, she participated in the firm’s Investment Committee meetings, advised on structuring cross-border private equity transactions, negotiated transactions, and drafted agreements. She managed the legal transaction processes from inception to close and worked on diverse deals ranging from consumer goods to financial services. In addition, Efe also advised the firm and its portfolio companies on compliance and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters.

Efe received her A.B. from the University of Chicago where she was a Jeff Metcalf Fellow and her J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law. Efe is a member of the New York State and New Jersey State Bars. She was an elected member of board of the University of Chicago Black Alumni Association and Vice President of the Association of Black Women Attorneys NYC.

João Grilo

João Grilo is the Managing Partner at Five Ducks Lda, a unique real estate investment company specializing in the revitalization of distressed properties in Portugal.

Previously, João served as a Constituency Engagement Specialist at Sanitation and Water for All, a global multi-stakeholder partnership hosted by the United Nations. With a vision for universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene, João played a key role in engaging partners from External Support Agencies, Research & Learning institutions, Private Sector, and Utilities & Regulators. His role was fulfilled in close cooperation with a host organization in Portugal, LIS-Water – Lisbon International Centre for Water. Prior to that, João spent seven years at the International Water Association (IWA). IWA is a leading global organization representing water professionals and partners to devise sustainable solutions for global water challenges. During his tenure, João had multiple roles, including international responsibilities in the programmes of “Cities of the Future”, and “Water, Climate and Energy”. His role evolved and he became the Director responsible for IWA’s global portfolio of technical congresses and awards, based in The Hague, Netherlands.

João earned a BSc in Environmental Engineering from the Instituto Superior de Agronomia and an MSc in Environmental and Management Systems from Universidade Nova de Lisboa. He also holds a Post Graduate degree in Climate Change and Sustainable Development Policies from the University of Lisbon.

Johan Oelofse

Johan Oelofse co-founded Operation Water, and specializes in innovative structuring techniques, which is often required to mitigate risks to secure finance for projects in Africa. Johan is currently a Director at OSK International, a South African company that delivers fully managed projects, a design and build service, covering every aspect of commercial office interiors.

Prior to joining OSK, Johan was Founder and Managing Director of Capital Lite Finance (Pty) Limited, and also worked as a sole proprietor, where he advised and arranged finance for infrastructure projects across the African continent. Representative completed projects include a bulk water treatment plant in Sudan, water and sanitation projects in Seychelles, and rural electrification projects in Ghana. The financing structure he created for the bulk water treatment plant in Sudan won Euromoney’s Trade Finance Deal of the Year award in 2008, and is the structure used by Operation Water.

Johan has over 30 years of experience in assessing and executing infrastructure projects on the African continent. He has worked for ABSA Bank, Nedbank Africa, Nedcor Investment Bank, and Societe Generale in South Africa as well as Credit Guarantee Insurance Corporation of Africa Limited where he was responsible for their projects division.

Kunal Shah

Kunal Shah is a seasoned Global Water and Waste and Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Executive, bringing over 12 years of hands-on expertise in International Business Development, Corporate Strategy, Marketing, M&A, Investments, Technology Commercialization, Project Financing, and PR. Currently serving as Chief Growth Officer at Anaergia, a leading waste-to-renewable fuel company, Kunal leads the global charge in Corporate Strategy, Marketing, Branding, and Partnerships.

With a track record of successfully executing water and waste projects in India, China, and ASEAN, Kunal excels in comprehending the complete "water and waste value chain." This includes liaising with consultants, managing EPC, operating plants, and facilitating the adoption of cutting-edge technologies. His experience encompasses project financing, BOT/PPP consortiums, JV/Partnerships, and engagement with various industries, from power to oil and gas, F&B, and petrochemicals.

Academically, Kunal holds a degree in B2B Marketing from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, complemented by a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from Pune University – SCOE.

In addition to his professional roles, Kunal actively contributes to various industry associations and committees. He chairs the Young Water Professionals for the Singapore Water Association, serves on Bioenergy Australia's Biomethane and Digestate Management Committee, and holds advisory positions at Imagine H2O Asia and the Urban Water Challenge. A sought-after speaker at global forums, Kunal generously offers pro bono mentoring and guidance to water and waste management startups.

Laura Korčulanin

Laura Korčulanin is a pioneering design anthropologist and fervent water advocate dedicated to catalyzing genuine global transformations for positive impact and regenerative solutions. Her ethos centers around an ecosystemic vision and a holistic approach to addressing the world's challenges, with nature as the ultimate guiding force. Laura's passion is evident in her commitment to projects that contribute to the well-being of all living beings, as she collaborates on innovative research and educational frameworks with diverse stakeholders.

Laura has left an indelible mark with over 12 years of experience in quality research, six years of teaching at the university level using holistic educational models, and a decade of collaboration with private and public sectors. Her contributions span design consultancy agencies, municipalities, decision-making bodies, NGOs, and academia. Laura has authored over eight academic publications on sustainability, total environment, built environment innovations, and green society water management.

As Founder and Sustainable Innovation Consultant of GIVE A SHIT, based in Lisbon, Laura leads an interdisciplinary platform and action group focusing on sustainable urban water management and sanitation. Additionally, she freelances as a sustainable and regenerative innovation coach and serves as a Design by Nature speaker for Ironhack.

Laura is currently completing her Ph.D., focusing on Integrated Sanitation Solutions and Urban Water Management at IADE, employing Lisbon as a case study. Her academic journey includes a bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, an integrated MA and BA in Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Ljubljana, and a Masterclass certificate in Circular Systems Design and Environmental Design and Architecture from The UnSchool of Disruptive Design. Laura has also led the organization of cultural events for the Portuguese Slovenian Cultural Center CCLE and Faculty of Letters.

Dr. Luka Powanga

Dr. Luka Powanga is a distinguished professor and seasoned economist, globally recognized as a creative problem solver, a visionary, and a thought leader. He is a Professor of Economics and Finance at Regis University, and has developed and taught courses in international logistics, economics, finance, international business, strategy development, implementation, capstone, and commercialization, including incubating student businesses and entrepreneurship. Dr Powanga was also part of the team that pioneered the Online MBA Program, which grew from zero to over 4,000 students worldwide. He also implemented the Physicians MBA program and the MBA degree in the Business of Government, and was the founding board member of the Sullivan Center of Entrepreneurship at Regis University.

Dr. Powanga has chaired, keynoted, and organized numerous academic and business conferences, and is a regular contributor to the Renewables Global Status Report and the Renewables in Cities Global Status Reports. He is the founder and Executive Director of the Energy Africa Conference, the premier energy conference on Africa. He leverages the conference's vast network of investors, EPCs, project developers, and other professionals to form partnerships that actualize energy, agricultural, and healthcare projects in Africa.

Dr Powanga is also the Executive Director for MALK Management Consulting, an advisory firm that provides project development, finance, management, corporate and business strategy, technology and marketing services. His business experience encompasses international transportation and logistics, mining, energy, health, agriculture, and entrepreneurship. Dr Powanga is also a founding member of the Denver Chapter of the Angel Capital Group, which organizes angel funds to invest in innovative business models.

Dr. Powanga earned a BSc with distinction in Mineral Sciences, Metallurgy and Mineral Processing from the University of Zambia, an MSc/PhD in Mineral Economics from the School of Mines, and an MScIT in Network Technologies and Database Administration from Regis University in Colorado.

Manuel Alvarinho

Manuel Alvarinho is the President and Founder of the Aquashare Association, a non-profit network of water sector professionals from Mozambique. Alvarinho is also on the board of Trustees of WaterAid, which has reached 28.8 million people with clean water, transforming the lives of women for more than 40 years.  He also has extensive international water sector experience through his work with the World Bank, WHO, and UNICEF.

Alvarinho recently retired as President and Founder of the Water and Sanitation Regulatory Council (CRA) of Mozambique, an independent regulator of urban water supply and sanitation services, now known as AURA.  While leading CRA, he drafted and implemented a cost recovery strategy for metropolitan water utilities, engendering sustainable operations in major cities and impressive growth of national coverage, which promoted a pro-poor strategy to expand affordable services to the urban poor. Under his leadership, CRA also developed a benchmarking system to evaluate and compare the performance of water utilities.

Prior to CRA, Alvarinho held numerous instrumental roles in the water sector in Mozambique.  As the UNDP Project Coordinator within the National Directorate for Water Affairs, he led a team of advisors to support the implementation of the National Water Policy as well as enhancing the Sector Investment Planning and Project Portfolio. The project made a crucial contribution in reinforcing Mozambique’s positioning on issues pertaining to international rivers within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the adoption of the SADC Protocol on Shared Water Courses, and the Transboundary Agreement for the Incomati and Maputo Rivers, which involved South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique. His previous roles also include: Head of Department of Water and Sanitation at the National Directorate for Water Affairs, Mozambique; General Manager of the National Water Supply and Sanitation Board, Mozambique; and Senior Water Expert in a UNDP Programme for the Southern Region of Angola.

Alvarinho began his career as an Engineer at the National Directorate for Water Affairs, Mozambique. He received his Degree in Civil Engineering, specializing in hydraulics, at Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, and his Postgraduate Diploma in Water Resources Planning and Management at Università per Stranieri, Perugia, Italy. Alvarinho recently attained his Doctor Honoris Causa in Technological Sciences, by University of Technology of Delft, Netherlands, in 2017.

Mikael Jansen

Mikael Jansen has over 20 years of business development and project management experience across Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.  Currently, Mikael serves as Sales Director at Babcock & Wilcox Vølund, which manufactures, constructs, maintains, and operates renewable energy plants, with a focus on waste-to-energy.

Before joining B&W Vølund, Mikael was the Business Development Manager for Haldor Topsoe for over 10 years, contracting large-scale fertilizer projects from corporate headquarters in Denmark and overseas offices in Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa. In this capacity, he met with political and business leaders to develop strategic projects that aimed to alleviate food shortages in developing nations.

Prior to Haldor Topsoe, Mikael served as a Sales Project Manager at Burmeister & Waine Scandanavian Contractors, structuring turnkey power plant projects in undeveloped regions. He also previously worked with environmental technology firms, Oreco and FLS Airtech, overseeing the financing of air pollution control and oil spill control projects in close cooperation with export credit agencies and other funders.

Mikael began his career as a Sales Manager at Maersk Industry. He graduated with a BS in Production Engineering from the Technical College of Odense.

Dr. Mima Nedelcovych

Dr. Mima Nedelcovych is Founder and CEO of Africa Global Partners, a consulting firm which focuses on trade facilitation, project development, project finance, and public-private partnerships in Africa, and is Executive Chairman of Schaffer International Services, a project developer of agro-industrial and renewable energy projects in Africa and Central America. He also serves as the President Emeritus & Senior Advisor of the Initiative for Global Development (IGD), an NGO that engages corporate leaders to reduce poverty through business growth and investment in Africa.

Previously, Dr. Nedelcovych was the lead Partner for the Schaffer Global Group in the establishment of the Markala Sugar Project in Mali. He has also served as Country Director in Liberia for Buchanan Renewables, and in the Administration of President George Bush as the U.S. Executive Director to the African Development Bank. Dr. Nedelcovych started his work in Africa as the Peace Corps Country Director for Gabon.

Dr. Nedelcovych serves on the Boards of Vista Bank, Marathon International Bank, and the Advisory Board for Millennium Challenge Corporation. He received a BA from Yale University, an MA in International Relations from George Washington University, and a PhD in Comparative Political and Economic Development from Florida State University.

Dr. Nathan Barasa Wangusi

Dr. Nathan Basara Wangusi is a Water Resources Scientist, Environmental Sustainability Professional and Digital Government Expert who has focused his career on using technology to solve water challenges - particularly as it relates to risks to undeserved communities, and has published and patented extensively in this area. He currently serves as the Water Sustainability Program Manager at Amazon Web Services where he leads global water stewardship initiatives in the watersheds and communities where the firm operates data centers. Nathan also sits on the Scientific Committee of the UNESCO Technology for Development International Conference, the Urban Water Working Group of the 2030 Water Resources Group, and the Digital Water Program Steering Committee of the International Water Association.

Prior to joining Amazon, Nathan served as a Senior Water Resources Scientist with the Balmoral Group, an engineering consulting group focused on delivery of engineering solutions which includes highway drainage design, complex hydraulic analysis and flood studies for water management districts, FDOT, and road agencies in Florida. Before the Balmoral Group, Nathan worked at IBM and consulted considerably with bilateral partners in the water sector such as the World Bank, USAID, and Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation, as well as the governments of Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, and the United States. He led the Ease of Doing Business Transformation work in Kenya between 2014-2018 that saw Kenya improve in rank from 137 to 61 and the creation of online government services portals such as the Business Registration Services on eCitizen, the Movable Property Collateral Registry, the Land Information Management System, the Integrated Court Management System, iTax with the Kenya Revenue Authority, and the Kenya Single Window System for port clearance. In digital water, he led a team that created the Water Management as a Service Platform that is used to monitor water supply and assets in Northern Kenya.

Nathan earned his PhD from the University of Florida in Agricultural and Biological Engineering with a focus in Water Resources Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He also earned his Masters in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Water and Wastewater Resources Engineering and Information Systems, and his BS in Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, and International Studies in Agricultural & Life Sciences from the University of Florida. He has also been the recipient of prestigious awards such as the Rotary Ambassadorial Fellowship, the National Research Foundation Award of South Africa, and IBM’s Outstanding Technical Achievement Award.

Nyananso Gabriel Ekanem

Nyananso Gabriel Ekanem is Founder and Managing Consultant at Weircapacity Ltd, an infrastructure and management consultancy that provides advisory services for the Water, Environment, and Infrastructure sectors.

Prior to founding Weircapacity, Nyananso was responsible for PPP contract management for the Federal Government of Nigeria Regulatory Agency for Public Private Partnerships. As an independent consultant, he worked on a number of Government and Civil Society partnership projects, including a European Union supported Water and Sanitation sector reform programme; this comprised Policy and Legal Reform, Institutional Reform, Financial Sustainability, Technical Capacity Assessment, Community Water Management, and Monitoring and Evaluation.

Nyananso earned a Masters Degree in Water and Environmental Management from the Water, Engineering, and Development Centre at Loughborough University in England.

Peter Macy

Peter Macy has 40 years of experience in all aspects of water supply, sanitation, and wastewater engineering, and is Founder, President, and CEO of ROCKBlue. ROCKBlue is a social enterprise that partners with public utilities to collaboratively solve the management and institutional challenges of providing reliable and high-quality potable water and sewerage to urban customers.

Prior to founding ROCKBlue, Peter served in multiple capacities with CDM Smith, and oversaw their management of over $2 billion in infrastructure operations across Africa. He has also worked within and for numerous public utilities, including utilities in Mozambique, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

Peter has lived most of his life in Africa and started his career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo and the Central African Republic. He earned a BS in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR) from Syracuse University.

Roger Jantio

Roger Jantio is an investment banker specializing in transactions within emerging economies, and serves as the Senior Managing Director of Sterling Merchant Finance Ltd. His expertise includes structuring financial packages as well restructuring and privatizing corporate enterprises in Africa. Over the last 30 years, he has structured the financing of dozens of projects, ranging from telecommunications, to airport, airlines, power plants, mining, agriculture, private universities, roads and bridges, water and sanitation, energy (including renewables), and healthcare, to name a few. Roger also acted as investment adviser for the launch of the Sterling Africa Growth Fund and Condona Private Equity unit investment trusts, which invest in matured and maturing business opportunities across Africa. 

Previously, Roger was a Senior Consultant at J.E. Austin Associates in Cambridge, Massachusetts, an investment officer at C.S.E. Finance Corporation in San Francisco, and an Assistant Vice-President at Meridien International Bank in New York. 

Roger holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Masters Degree in Economics and Political Studies from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques of Paris, as well as a Masters Degree in Insurance and Applicable Laws from the Institut des Assurances of the University of Paris/Sorbonne.

Satish Menon

Satish Menon is the Founding Partner of Atethemis Inc, an international development consultancy that provides program planning, design, implementation, and management support for global development projects. Atethemis has a track record of successfully executing development projects that deliver sustainable water & sanitation service, with a focus on environmental integration, and social and gender inclusion. Satish also serves as a board member for ROCKBlue, and is a director and film producer.

Satish has extensive experience in leading projects in water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and storm water collection and detention. He also has experience in master planning and feasibility studies, and conducting risk assessment and mitigation exercises.

Satish earned a BA in Civil Engineering as well as a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from Michigan State University.

Simiso Velempini

Simiso Velempini is Founder and Managing Director of Vele Africa Advisory, an Africa-focused strategic advisory firm that provides exclusive support to corporates, development finance institutions, donors, family offices and individual investors throughout the investment lifecycle. The company’s services include market entry assessments; political and policy risk analysis; pre-transactional integrity due diligence; ESG advisory; government and public affairs advisory; stakeholder mapping and engagement; reputation and crisis management guidance; and non-litigious dispute resolution support.

Prior to starting her own firm, Simiso was CEO of Africa Matters, where she led the company’s strategic direction and advised clients on mergers and acquisitions, stakeholder engagement, reputational risk management and non-litigious dispute resolution. Previously, she led the Africa practice at K2 Integrity, where she served as Managing Director, and led the Africa team’s investigations, intelligence gathering and dispute resolution work. 

Before joining K2 Integrity, Simiso was based in Johannesburg where, as Vice President of Reputation Management at Barclays Africa, she advised the business on reputation management for specific issues related to transactions and relationships across 12 African markets. Prior to joining the bank, Simiso worked as the Southern Africa analyst at Control Risks, where she provided bespoke political and policy analysis as well as risk consultancy for a range of clients across multiple sectors in Africa.

Simiso holds a BA (Languages), a BA (International Relations) and a BA (Honors) in International Relations from the University of Pretoria. She also holds a MA in International Security from Sciences Po, Paris and an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics.

Sundus Cordelia Ramli

Sundus Cordelia Ramli has over a decade of experience ranging from specialist engineering, project development, commercial management, business development and leadership experience across EMEA and APAC.  Sundus currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Power-to-X at Topsoe, a global leader in developing green energy solutions, and developing solutions for decarbonizing the hard-to-abate sectors, including steel, cement, chemicals, shipping, and aviation.  She also serves as a board member for Liquid Wind, which develops, finances, builds and manages facilities to convert carbon dioxide emissions and green hydrogen into eMethanol, and for the Ammonia Energy Association, whose member companies span the full value chain of clean ammonia energy companies, from decarbonized hydrogen and ammonia production, through safety, distribution, and trading, to power generation and energy storage.

Prior to joining Topsoe, Sundus served as Vice President of Business Development for Worley, a leading global provider of professional project and asset services in the energy, chemicals and resources sectors. Her role focused on the Renewable Energy and Water Sectors across Europe, Middle East and Africa.  Before working at Worley, Sundus had several roles at Ørsted, the largest energy company in Denmark which produces 90% of their energy from renewable sources.

Sundus graduated with a BSc in Astrophyiscs from Edinburgh University and an MSc in Renewable Energy from Oldenburg University.

Dr. Upmanu Lall

Dr. Upmanu Lall is the Director of Columbia Water Center, leading intellectual inquiry into the assessment, understanding and resolution of the most pressing global water issues. Through Columbia Water Center, he has led projects in multiple countries on water and climate sustainability, risk analysis and mitigation, infrastructure solutions, and the integration of financial instruments. He is also the Chair of the Department of Earth & Environmental Engineering at Columbia University, an Alan and Carol Silberstein Professor of Engineering, and a Senior Research Scientist at International Research Institute for Climate & Society.  Upmanu’s work has received the Henry Darcy Award from the European Geophysical Union, and the Arid Lands Hydraulic Engineering Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers, among others.

While at Columbia Water Center, Upmanu conceived of and has been pursuing the “America’s Water Initiative”, where he has been developing research and advocacy towards comprehensive national water, energy, agriculture planning informed by climate, and decentralized, “one water” solutions as the future direction for US and global water infrastructure. His work ranges from basic research on hydroclimatology and data science to applied research on systems design and optimization, policy analysis and innovation, and field engagement. Upmanu’s research and ideas have been published and aired in leading publications and networks, including: World Economic Forum, European Commission; CBS Marketwatch; Statistics Views; Business Insider; CSR Wire; Bloomberg News; The Mcbride Network; Environment & Energy News; Economist, National Geographic, NY Times, Washington Post, USA Today, CBS, ABC News, CNN, PBS, NPR, BBC, among many others.

Prior to joining Columbia University, Upmanu had an extensive career as a Professor in the Civil & Environmental Engineering department at University of Utah.  While at the University of Utah he led the Utah Water Research Lab, the oldest and among the largest university-based water research facilities in the United States.

Upmanu began his career as a Prestressed Concrete Development Engineer at ISMAL, Ranchi, India. He acquired his Bachelor of Technology degree in Civil Engineering at Indian Institutes of Technology, and his Masters and PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Texas.