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WaterAid has expertise in, and can offer spokespeople to talk about, most water and sanitation issues. Please contact the media team for more information.

WaterAid America's President & CEO

Dr. David Winder became WaterAid America's President & CEO in January 2010.

Dr. Winder’s career has spanned the non-profit, foundation and academic spheres. He started his career in international development as a United Nations volunteer in Chile and then managed graduate programs, taught courses in public administration, social development planning and rural development policy and planning, and conducted research at the University of Manchester's Institute for Development Policy and Management in England.

For over a decade he served the Ford Foundation as Regional Representative for Mexico and Central America and as Regional Representative for Southeast Asia focusing attention on developing new programs in human rights and social justice, maternal and child health and community natural resource management.

WaterAid's International Operations Director

Girish Menon heads WaterAid's International Operations Department which oversees WaterAid's programs in 15 countries through four (Asia, West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa) regional teams.

Girish joined WaterAid in January 2005 from the Department for International Development (DFID) India, where he worked as a Social Development Adviser for two and a half years.

Prior to this, he worked with international NGOs - Plan International and ActionAid for four years and 10 years respectively.

He is currently WaterAid-UK's representative on the Board of Water and Sanitation for Urban Poor (WSUP), an international alliance of NGOs, private sector and academic institutions. He is also on the Program Advisory Committee of WaterAid Australia.

WaterAid's Head of Policy

Henry Northover has worked on international development policy issues for 20 years. His posts have included working in the UK parliament as researcher and speech-writer for front bench spokespersons on Africa and international development, and as a television researcher.

Prior to joining WaterAid, Henry was CAFOD's senior policy analyst, specializing in development finance issues. His role included managing economic advocacy programs in Africa.

Henry originated the 'human development approach to debt sustainability' that became a core policy of the Jubilee 2000 campaign and was adopted by the AU, NEPAD and the UN.

At WaterAid, Henry leads the Policy Team and specializes in governance.

WaterAid's Asia Regional Manager

Tom Palakuyidil joined WaterAid in November 2005 as Asia Regional Manager. Prior to this, Tom worked for Christian Aid for eight years; the last two years as Regional Manager for South Asia (2003-05) and before that as India Country Director.

Tom has considerable experience in managing development projects in South Asia and coordinating major emergency responses (including the Orissa cyclone, Gujarat earthquake, Bangladesh floods in 2003, and the Asian Tsunami).

Tom has a PhD in Development Economics and was a Lecturer in Economics and Rural Development Management in India from 1989-1992.