WAPPP SMALL-SCALE PPPS 2024 | SESSION DISCUSSION 1

 

DISCUSSANTS

• Ziad-Alexandre Hayek, WAPPP President

Ziad-Alexandre is the President of WAPPP. He has 42 years of experience in investment banking, corporate strategy, technology, public policy, emerging markets, and government relations. In 2019, he was nominated to be President of the World Bank. 

Previously he was Vice Chair of the UN Working Party on PPP, Secretary General of Lebanon’s High Council for Privatization and PPP, CEO of Longbridge Associates, Senior Managing Director of Bear Stearns, President of Indosuez Mexico, Head of International Securitization at Citibank, and Vice President at Salomon Brothers.

He is and has been a member of the boards of multiple companies, banks, universities, NGOs, and tech startups. He was a member of the US Council on Foreign Relations and is a candidate for President in Lebanon.

Hayek has an MA in International Management from UT Dallas and is conversant with 11 languages. 

 

• Syed M. Ali Zaidi, Chairperson of UNECE, Bureau of the Working Party on PPPs

Dr. Syed M. Ali Zaidi is a distinguished Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) expert leading and managing multi-billion dollars PPP initiatives in Alberta, Canada.  With a Ph.D. degree in PPPs and a robust background, he brings a wealth of expertise and practical insights.

Dr. Zaidi is recently selected as Chairperson of UNECE, Bureau of the Working Party on PPPs, his international outlook, collaborative leadership, and innovative approach positions him to shape the global direction of PPPs and aligning them with the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

• Senida Mesi, Former Deputy Prime Minister and Member of Parliament, Albania

Senida Mesi, Albania’s former Deputy Prime Minister and Member of Parliament, is an esteemed development economist and policy advisor, bringing over 23 years of profound expertise to public-private partnerships (PPPs) and public procurement legislation. She has been instrumental in developing regulatory frameworks that effectively merge private sector participation with public accountability. A key figure in chairing numerous committees for Government and International Donors Projects, Senida’s collaborations span the EU, UN, major Development Banks (WB, KfW, EBRD), and agencies like SDC and GIZ. Her significant contributions have markedly influenced sustainable development and governance on a global scale.

 

• Marc Frilet, WAPPP Chair of the Legislative Framework Chapter

Marc Frilet, the General Secretary of the UNECE International Centre of Excellence in PPP Policies, Laws, and Institutions, and a key member of the WAPPP Steering Committee & Chair of the Legislative Frameworks Chapter, has over 35 years of experience in developing infrastructure, concessions, and PPP projects across more than 20 countries. A former managing partner at Frilet-Société d’Avocats and division head at Francis Lefebvre, he has been instrumental in shaping global PPP development and education. Marc, a prolific author, has published over 100 documents on infrastructure and mining, primarily on concessions and PPPs. He’s an active educator, teaching legislative science, infrastructure law, and PPP development at renowned universities. His significant contributions with IFEJI and CICA have established the UNECE PPP Centre as a cornerstone for resilient PPP frameworks meeting the SDGs.

 

• Nathaniel Munetsi, WAPPP Member & Ambassador of ImPPPact

Nathaniel is an investment banking professional, with more than 20 years of exposure in various facets of investment banking from corporate finance, project finance and lately infrastructure project preparation and finance of off-balance sheet infrastructure projects, through various mechanisms, including public-private partnerships (PPPs).

Currently, the Head of Structured Finance at the Gauteng Infrastructure Financing Agency, providing strategic financial input in the structuring and packaging of PPP projects. Handling a pipeline of 31 projects in different phases of development with a total value of ZAR 70 billion (USD 4,4 billion).

Academically a holder of a Master in Business Leadership (“MBL”), BBS majoring in Finance and Banking and a Diploma in Financial Management. He is a Certified PPP Practitioner, a Member of the World Association of PPPs (WAPPP) and an Ambassador of ImPPPact.

 

• Peter Kabuki, CEO at Streamstone Africa

Peter Kabuki is the Chief Executive Officer at Streamstone Africa, a Kenya based infrastructure advisory firm offering project finance, PPP, sustainability in Infrastructure and early stage project structuring solutions.

He holds a  Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, a post graduate certification in project finance from the University of Middlesex and is currently pursuing a Masters in Development Finance at the Strathmore Business School. He is also an Envision sustainability expert, certified by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.

With over 20 years experience in project development, Peter is cognisant of the role that infrastructure plays as a catalyst for the socio-economic well-being of communities. He is a strong proponent of the use of the PPP model  to accelerate the provision of infrastructure, housing and energy solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa through enhanced private sector engagement.

Peter is also an ImPPPact Global Alliance Ambassador and has also been involved in setting up East Africa’s first infrastructure Hub, the Miundo Misingi Hub.

 

• Jan van Schoonhoven, WAPPP Chair of the European & Balkan Chapter

Jan van Schoonhoven is an esteemed advisor at the National Centre for Privatisation and PPPs in Saudi Arabia, stands out as a foremost expert in infrastructure development, business cases, and Public-private partnerships (PPPs). His extensive tenure at the EBRD saw him leading policy development and capacity-building initiatives across over 57 countries, specializing in PPPs and Public Financial Management. Renowned for his advisory roles with the Netherlands Government and the World Bank, Jan has profoundly influenced PPP strategies and infrastructure projects globally. His pivotal contributions include transforming the PPP landscape in the Netherlands, establishing a PPP center in Aruba, and occupying influential positions with the UN and G20, significantly enhancing PPP frameworks and procurement processes on an international scale.

MODERATOR

• Jyoti Bisbey, WAPPP Executive Committee Member

Jyoti is a global expert with more than 20 years of experience in leading green infrastructure finance and public-private partnerships (PPPs) in developing countries. She has worked at the World Bank Group and at the United Nations with developing countries on supporting governments’ public investment pipelines, preparing PPP projects, and financing the decarbonization of infrastructure. 

Jyoti is an Executive Committee member of the World Association of PPP Units and PPP Professionals (WAPPP), the Sustainable & Innovative Financing Advisory Board member of InfraBlocks Technologies Pte Ltd, and the Associate Editor of the Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, part of the National University of Singapore. Jyoti holds an MBA from George Washington University and an undergraduate degree in mathematics from St. Stephens College in Delhi, India.