Our People
The effort, commitment and skills of our people and partners drive everything we do.
People
WaterAid Canada has 15 full-time staff, who are supported by a team of dedicated volunteers. Globally, WaterAid employs more than 900 people in 37 countries. We are committed to being an inclusive organization and take pride in investing in our staff to maximize their potential. See our valuable staff members
Partners
Our work is carried our in partnership with more than 400 local organizations in the countries where we work. These local partners; usually non-governmental organizations (NGOs), local government departments and sometimes private companies; undertake the direct day-to-day management of projects. In return we offer financial support, training and technical advice as well as assistance with planning, budgeting and institutional development.
WaterAid’s partners are recognized and respected locally. They have a wealth of essential skills and knowledge, ranging from speaking local dialects and knowing local customs to understanding how the government functions. By working through partner organizations we are able operate more cost effectively than we could alone.
As partners grow stronger they become less reliant on WaterAid’s technical and financial support and can seek funds from other sources. When this happens, we often start working with newer or less well-established partners and so the cycle of training and development continues.
In addition, we have partnerships with institutions and companies that fund our work.
Find out more about how and where we work using the following links:
Board of Directors
David McInnes, Chair
Principal, DMci Strategies; former CEO, Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute
V.G. (Vic) Kariappa
Managing Director. RBC Royal Bank: Government, Crown Corporations, Insurance and Financial Markets.
Poya Kherghehpoush
Director, Movement Transformation, United Way Canada
Martin Munro
Vice-President, Strategy and Business Development, DRS Technologies Canada Ltd.
Susan Murray
Vice-President Public Relations, Forest Products Association of Canada, Ret.
Annette Nicholson
International Development Research Centre, Ret.
Wayne Wadley
President and Director of TEAJA Office Beverages North American Ltd. and Co-Founder, Virginia Stone.
Advisory Board Members
Chris Koski, Managing Director and Global Head of Investment Strategy, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure
Chris has more than 20 years of investment experience and has served on the Board of several infrastructure companies including Anglian Water Group, Gatwick Airport and Chicago Parking Meters.
Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Chris was Global Head of Infrastructure at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and previously was a senior member of the infrastructure team at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
Chris received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Yann Robard, Managing Partner, Whitehorse Liquidity Partners
Yann Robard has over 15 years of private equity and investment banking experience. In 2015, he founded Whitehorse Liquidity Partners, a firm focused on making preferred equity investments in private equity portfolios.
Prior to founding Whitehorse, Yann spent 13 years at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (“CPPIB”), most recently as Managing Director, Head of Secondaries and Co-Investments. During his 13 years at CPPIB, Yann held several roles and positions, all focused on private equity, namely in its private equity funds, secondaries and co-investments activities, including roles on several investment committees of the firm. In 2007, Yann was provided the mandate to establish a principal secondary program within CPPIB, which was later expanded to include co-investments. Under Yann’s leadership, the Secondaries and Co-Investment program grew to a team of 15 professionals in Toronto and London that invested over C$7.5 billion in 49 transactions.
Yann holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Dalhousie University and is a CFA charter holder.