Governing and Managing WASH Infrastructure in Decentralized Countries

Franziska Spörri

Co-Head, Macroeconomic Support Division, Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)

Franziska is the Co-Head of the Macroeconomic Support Division within the Swiss State Secretariat’s Economic Cooperation and Development department (SECO). The division promotes sound economic framework condition by assisting SECO partner countries in sound public financial management and a stable financial sector. She also headed SECO's Economic Cooperation and Development office in South Africa. Prior to SECO, she has held teaching and research roles at the University of Zurich, and worked as an economist in the private sector (real estate analysis and financial sector). Franziska holds a Master’s degree in Political Science, Economics and Social and Economic History from the University of Zurich as well as an Advanced Studies in Applied Statistics from the ETH Zurich.

Serdar Yilmaz
Practice Manager, Public Finance and Procurement Unit, World Bank

Serdar is the Practice Manager for the Public Finance and Procurement Unit at the World Bank. He has broad experience in the related areas of fiscal decentralization, public expenditure management, subnational governance, and governmental accountability. Throughout his twenty-five year tenure at the World Bank, he has provided technical assistance and contributed to policy reforms in low and middle-income countries in Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East and East Asia regions. In addition to his task management responsibilities, Serdar makes original contributions to the literature. Serdar holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy from George Mason University.

Richard Anthony Sutherland
Senior Governance Specialist and Program Manager, Financial Management Umbrella Program, World Bank

Richard is a Senior Governance Specialist in the Public Finance and Procurement Global Unit of the World Bank’s Governance Global Practice. He is also a member of the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Secretariat. Richard joined the World Bank in 2013. In his current role, Richard oversees the Financial Management Umbrella Program, a pivotal global initiative utilized by the World Bank to facilitate trust-funded reforms aimed at optimizing public financial management (PFM) in client countries. Serving as the global lead for Climate Change Governance, he leads initiatives to enhance expertise and collaboration in technical areas such as Climate-Responsive Budgeting, Climate-Smart Public Investment Management, and Green Public Procurement. He is the technical chair for the Bank’s Climate Change Governance Community of Practice and is actively contributing to analytical work to reimagine the role and impact of PFM. Before joining the Bank, Richard served as an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. He has a master’s degree in economics and is finalizing a Ph.D. in Public Administration.

Prof. Dr. Sandro Fuchs
Head, Center for Public Financial Management, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)

Prof. Dr. Sandro Fuchs leads the Center for Public Financial Management at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and serves as Deputy Head of the Institute of Public Management. His expertise lies in public financial management, financial resilience in the public sector, and digital public financial management. Dr. Fuchs has collaborated extensively with international organizations, including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, contributing to initiatives aimed at enhancing public sector accounting and financial planning. His research focuses on medium-term financial planning and data storytelling in the public sector, aiming to improve transparency and decision-making processes. Dr. Fuchs has also been involved in developing strategies for financial resilience in municipalities, emphasizing the importance of sustainable financial practices. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Management and has published several papers and whitepapers on topics such as digital financial administration and generational budgeting.

Esteban Eduardo Walteros Bello
Research Associate, School of Management and Law, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)

Albert van Zyl
Country Manager, South Africa, International Budget Partnership (IBP)

Albert van Zyl is the International Budget Partnership’s (IBP) South Africa Country Manager. van Zyl joined IBP in 2005 from South Africa where he established and managed the macroeconomic analysis and budget offices in the Western Cape Treasury. Before that he worked at the Budget Information Service (BIS) at the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa) and directed it from 2000-2002. Most recently he worked as IBP’s Director of Strategy and Learning. Van Zyl holds MA degrees in Politics, Philosophy, and Economy from the Universities of Stellenbosch and Bordeaux, France. He has been published on a range of public finance issues including CSO oversight of budgets, fiscal policy, social service finance, budget transparency, and subnational finance

Gustavo Saltiel

WSS Strategic Advisor

Water Global Practice

World Bank

Gustavo Saltiel is a Strategic Adviser on Water Supply and Sanitation. From 2019 to 2024, he served as the World Bank's Global Lead for Water Supply and Sanitation, where he directed global knowledge initiatives and operational guidance across regions and countries including on water and wastewater utilities, policies, institutions, regulation, digitalization, circular economy, innovative water solutions, and urban water security. He was also one the leaders of the "Water Security and Climate Adaptation Global Challenge Program." He was the the Global Lead for Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) and leads the WSS Global Solutions Group (GSG), which works to achieve universal access to safe, resilient, and sustainable water supply and sanitation services. Gustavo has more than 30 years of experience in the Water and Sustainable Development Sectors. Among his many responsibilities, he was the General Manager of Aguas Bonaerenses (Argentina), the State Owned Water Utility serving 2.5 million inhabitants in 70 localities in the Province of Buenos Aires. Previously, he had been Head of Planning and Regulatory Affairs of Azurix, the water and sewerage services concessionaire in the Province of Buenos Aires and Manager of the Quality of Service Department of ETOSS (Buenos Aires Water and Sewerage Services Regulatory Agency). He joined the World Bank in 2003 as Senior Water Engineer in the Latin America Region. He was then appointed as Sector Leader for Sustainable Development in Mexico and more recently, Program Manager in the Africa Region, leading the Nile Basin and Cooperation in International Waters programs, as well as the Water Program in Kenya and the “mega” Rural Sanitation Program for Results in Egypt.

Philippe Brügger
Program Manager, Macroeconomic Support Section, Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)

Philippe Brügger is a Program Manager in the Macroeconomic Support Section at the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). He oversees development programs aimed at strengthening financial sector development and public financial management, particularly in Ukraine and Indonesia. Mr. Brügger also leads SECO's work on FinTech and digital asset regulation. He holds a Master's degree in Economics and Behavioral Economics from the University of Zurich. His expertise includes designing and implementing programs that enhance economic governance and financial stability in partner countries. 

Griya Rufianne

Urban Specialist, Indonesia East Asia Pacific (EAP) Region, Urban, Resilience, and Land Global Practice, The World Bank

Griya Rufianne is an Urban Specialist in the World Bank Global Practice of Urban, Resilience, and Land, East Asia Pacific Region that is based in Jakarta. She has 18 years of experience in project management, local governance and decentralization, infrastructure urban financing, housing and community development. She has led and co-led several World Bank operations in the country, including the recently completed Indonesia Regional Infrastructure Development Fund for urban infrastructure financing. The extensive experiences have benefited her knowledge and familiarity with various delivery mechanism and innovations of infrastructure financing program, specifically in a decentralized country context. Griya is also leading the management of Pillar 2 of Urban PASA: Financial Solutions for Local Infrastructure, including the management of the local financing solutions component financed by IDSUN 1 and 2.