Water, Adaptation & Climate

Helping Clients Build Sustainable Water Access

Led by industry experts. Trusted by international organizations

At GBPG, our strength lies in the exceptional depth and breadth of our team’s experience. Our experts bring decades of leadership in public and private sector water management and financing, sustainability, climate adaptation, public private partnerships, and digital transformation—helping governments, international bodies, utilities and operators build a sustainable water future.

Water Security, Climate Adaptation

Institutional, Policy, Sector Reform and Strengthening

We offer comprehensive advice and expertise on water sector strategies, programs, projects and strengthening. Water is a key component of many climate adaptation strategies, and our team provides advice and review of national, regional, and sub-regional climate adaptation plans, including specific strategies and practical and pragmatic advice on PPPs, investment program reviews, management assistance and strengthening, non-revenue water management, and digital strategies. Our team’s advice is based on decades of experience in both industrialized and developing countries, with an approach to develop the most appropriate and suitable design and implementation options.

Water Supply & Sanitation

Comprehensive advisory and operational services from sector and governance reform, to design and strengthen water policy to support strong institutions to deliver water and sanitation services.

Institutional Strengthening

We deliver capacity building and training for sector professionals in management, planning, investment, asset management, operations, HR development, inclusion, and customer engagement to improve overall performance.

Public Private Partnerships

We support public and private institutions to enhance water service delivery through SOE reforms, climate-safe infra design, and focused capacity investments for better results and efficiency.

Innovation & Digital Transformation

Modernizing water services to improve performance, capacity, and delivery. Develop innovation strategies and implement them, including smart meters, drones, AI-related monitoring and operations.

Climate Adaptation

Water is the most significant sector for the success of climate adaptation. Investment design, preparation, and implementation of well-designed and effective climate adaptation projects.

Gender & Inclusion

Design, implementation, and evaluation of gender and social services and inclusion for water sector organizations to reach existing and potential customers. Design strategies to engage hard to reach customers.

What We Deliver

Building sustainable pathways through an efficient and effective water sector

GBPG is globally recognised for supporting institutions that drive water security, sustainability, and inclusion.

Sector structure, governance, policy & regulatory reform support

Investment strategy, design,
& preparation

Innovation & digital
transformation

Public private partnerships strategy, structures, & transactions

Climate adaptation plans
& policy evaluations

Capacity building, institutional
strengthening services

Gender & inclusion policies, practices, monitoring & evaluation

Climate Action &
Empowerment

Water Utilities & Water Operators
strengthening & support

What We Deliver

Building sustainable pathways through efficient and effective water sector

GBPG is globally recognised for supporting institutions that drive water security, sustainability, and inclusion.

Sector structure, governance, policy & regulatory reform support

Investment strategy, design,
& preparation

Innovation & digital
transformation

Public private partnerships strategy, structures, & transactions

Climate adaptation plans
& policy evaluations

Capacity building, institutional
strengthening services

Gender & inclusion policies, practices, monitoring & evaluation

Climate Action &
Empowerment

Water Utilities & Water Operators strengthening & support

Our Experts

Empowering Water Sector Institutions & Companies to Perform with Purpose

Jaehyang So

Lead Water adaption & Climate team

Jaehyang So

Jae leads GBPG’s Multilateral & Bilateral Partnership and Resilience portfolio. With over 30 years of experience in World Bank–led global programs, multilateral and bilateral partnerships, she has designed and implemented capacity-development and institutional-reform initiatives that improved sustainability, governance, and inclusion across water, infrastructure, PPP and gender sectors. Jae is sought after for her expertise in leading strategy development and monitoring of sustainable infrastructure organizations, in water, infrastructure, and climate. Her leadership integrates organizational learning and mutual accountability, ensuring that reforms deliver measurable results and enduring impact. Jae mobilizes financing, facilitates high-level partnerships, and guides complex institutions through adaptive management and performance-based planning. Guided by GBPG’s CDML ethos, she transforms multilateral cooperation into a platform for shared learning, institutional capability, and global resilience.

Steven Schonberger

Lead Sustainability

Steven Schonberger

Steven Schonberger brings over 30 years of leadership experience in sustainability and international development, including senior roles at the World Bank as Global Director for Water and Regional Director for Sustainable Development, as well as work with UN agencies, NGOs, and the private sector. He has led country and regional programs, policy reforms, and strategic initiatives across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe, supporting governments and development partners in addressing complex challenges in natural resource management and climate change, water and sanitation service delivery, access to financial services, and public–private partnerships, with a strong focus on implementation and results. Steven combines results-based institutional and technical innovation, the effective use of digital and emerging technologies, and practical stakeholder engagement to help build transparent, accountable systems that deliver measurable, scalable, and sustainable financial, social, and environmental outcomes.

Philippe Huc

Water, Public Private Infrastructure and Management

Philippe Huc

Philippe brings over three decades of international experience at the intersection of public and private infrastructure investment. His career spans senior roles at Veolia Group, the World Bank, and Pearl Infrastructure Capital, giving him a unique ability to bridge the priorities and constraints of both government and industry stakeholders. At the World Bank, Philippe advised national governments on infrastructure development, institutional reform, and the restructuring of state-owned enterprises in the water and sanitation sector. In the private sector, he led performance improvement and digital transformation programs for Veolia Morocco, a business unit of 4,000 staff and operations generating €700 million in annual turnover. Drawing on this dual perspective, Philippe designs strategies & solutions that are pragmatic, actionable, and aligned with stakeholder expectations-ensuring that investment and reform initiatives are both technically sound and operationally viable.

Dr. Younsung Kim

Climate Adaptation & Sustainable Development

Dr. Younsung Kim

Dr. Younsung Kim is Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason University, specializing in environmental policy, climate adaptation, and water-related resilience. She has more than 25 years of experience designing and evaluating policies and programs that help communities manage climate and water risks across Asia, Africa, and the United States. Dr. Kim has led or co-led major research and capacity-building initiatives funded by KOICA, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other partners, focusing on adaptation planning, green infrastructure, and resilience mapping. Her work bridges science, policy, and practice, advising governments, multilateral institutions, and city authorities on low-carbon, climate-resilient development. She has authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications and a leading textbook on environmental policy and management.

Daniel D. Snow

Water Quality & Environmental
Expert

Daniel D. Snow

Dr. Daniel D. Snow is a Research Professor and Director of the Water Sciences Laboratory, a part of the Nebraska Water Center and Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska. He has advanced degrees in geology, with extensive experience in hydrogeology, environmental science and analytical chemistry. He specializes in developing methods for improved assessment of water quality and environmental contamination across the globe. His international work has focused on occurrence and potential effects of a variety of new and legacy contaminants in surface and groundwater, with capacity building projects in Asia and Africa. He has led and co-led projects funded by the US National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, Geological Survey, Department of Agriculture, US State Department, and a variety of state, local and international collaborators. He presently directs staff and students who use chemistry and mass spectrometry to better understand and protect water resources. Over the past 35 years he has coauthored over 200 journal articles, books, and book chapters helping shape perspectives on water quality and environmental chemistry worldwide.

Dr. Aditi Thapar-Grohe

Climate Action, Equity &
Sustainability Expert

Dr. Aditi Thapar-Grohe

Aditi leads GBPG’s Climate Action and Sustainability Capacity-Development portfolio, applying the CDML framework to integrate equity, learning, and systems change into climate governance. With deep experience designing emissions-reduction and resilience projects aligned with the Paris Agreement, she partners with governments, NGOs, and private sector actors to co-create scalable climate solutions. As a trustee of The Nature Conservancy (Ohio) and lecturer at Columbia University and Ohio State University, Aditi translates policy into practice through mutual learning and mentorship. Her programs build institutional capacity for carbon accountability, adaptation planning, and inclusive climate finance. Guided by GBPG’s CDML ethos, she bridges evidence, education, and empowerment—transforming climate initiatives into sustainable systems that deliver measurable environmental and social impact.

Costanza Matafù

Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Specialist

Costanza Matafù

Costanza is a Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) Specialist with over a decade of experience advancing gender equity and women’s empowerment (GEWE), and inclusive development across West Asia, Africa, and Europe. She has partnered with international agencies, governments, and civil society on GBV prevention, women’s economic and political participation, and gender-responsive budgeting (GRB), integrating climate-sensitive strategies to strengthen livelihoods. She applies her expertise in research, training, M&E, multi-stakeholder engagement and coordination, intercultural mediation, policy reforms, and deep knowledge of Arabic language and local cultures, supporting migrant women in Italy and informing the 2021 Italy-Iraq country strategy. As Team Leader of the EUTF-funded WE-RISE! Programme with the Italian Cooperation in Sudan, she led strategies for women’s resilience, inclusion, and leadership – promoting gender-sensitive climate adaptation. She also contributed to evidence-based advocacy with UN Women, EU, USAID, CARE, and Plan International in Jordan.

Consultants

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