Gary MacDonald

Gary MacDonald

Conflict and Engagement

Gary MacDonald, Chair & Founder

 

With over 25 years working with communities undergoing complex social change, Gary MacDonald is at the vanguard of social performance management.

Combining line management experience on billion-dollar mega-projects with multinational director-level experience, Gary brings a proven field-to-boardroom perspective to MFC’s social performance management practice.

Drawing on more than a decade as one of the leading social assessors of extractive and agro-forestry projects, Gary oversees MFC’s assessment practice as it guides investors and managers through the international social performance standards that opens access to funding.

His experience resolving community-project conflict prompted his involvement in groundbreaking UN Global Compact work on conflict and revenue transparency. As a thought leader and public speaker, he constantly pushes the boundaries of the social performance community of practice; his deft touch brings in skeptics and creates space for dialogue. He is one of MFC’s principals and founders.

Trevor Kalinowsky

Trevor Kalinowsky

Social Investment and Resettlement

Trevor Kalinowsky, Specialist

 

 

Trevor Kalinowsky is focused on client and lender relations and developing and managing all aspects of social performance on natural resource projects. Trevor brings a cross-cultural, pragmatic approach to social impact, risk, and opportunity assessment and management informed by experience in 15+ countries and tested in multiple sectors. He works hand in hand with lenders, corporate offices and site teams to study the project context, identify pragmatic solutions, and develop efficient mitigations that comply with lender standards, and build community acceptance.

Trevor’s recent projects include developing social performance standards and guidance for two major mining companies, providing technical leadership for resettlement implementation at an oil and gas project in Uganda, and supporting a client in rural Vietnam to design and implement all aspects of a compliant social management system at a 9 billion USD refinery construction project. Trevor meets regularly with international finance institutions in Europe on behalf of MFC to discuss the latest trends and issues in social performance, including regular participation at OECD ECA and DFI Practitioners Group meetings.

Trevor is a specialist with MFC, where he supports partnership development and client outreach functions from his home in Budapest, Hungary.

 

Kathy Adams

Kathy Adams

Due Diligence, Environmental and Social Management Systems

Kathy Adams, Specialist

 

 

Kathy has over 16 years of environmental consulting and banking experience in the application of environmental and social safeguards, impact assessment, and international standards to projects in developing countries.

Having worked at Canada’s Export Credit Agency for seven years, Kathy has extensive experience providing export advice to international financing institutions in order to help manage and monitor environmental and social risks.  Kathy has worked in a variety of sectors including forestry, power, infrastructure, extractive, petrochemical, and transportation.

 

 

Neyza Linsangan

Neyza Linsangan

SMS Design and Implementation, Security Risk Assessments

Neyza Linsangan, Specialist

 

A social performance specialist with more than 15 years’ experience, Neyza establishes social management systems and builds national team capacity to work to international standards. With a deep track record of effectively advising senior corporate management on social risks and issues, she helps social performance teams build strategic partnerships with stakeholders to build broad community support and acceptance.

Neyza’s experience in large-scale projects in Africa, Asia, and Europe has given her a thorough understanding of the unique cultural characteristics and social dynamics that support creating effective engagement strategies that work for companies and communities in local contexts. Her expertise includes designing effective social management systems that are fit-for-purpose, have robust reporting and documentation of company-community interactions and that create transparency and trust.

Neyza’s people skills, combined with her extensive project resourcing experience, underpins her effective project management of MFC’s implementation support services in complex environments. She also supports MFC’s work on due diligence reviews of conformance with IFC PS, WB ESS, EBRD Performance Requirements, among others. Neyza is based in the Philippines.

Sylvie Charland

Sylvie Charland

SMS Design and Implementation, and Frontline Communications

Sylvie Charland, Specialist

 

 

An international consultant with more than 20 years’ multi-sector experience in social performance, Sylvie specializes in stakeholder engagement and communications. She has worked in North America, Europe and over a dozen African countries. Known for providing support that is strategic yet pragmatic, she often helps on-site teams align programming with international standards and good practice in challenging environments.

Sylvie’s implementation experience spans due diligence assessments and risk analysis to management planning, through to implementation and capacity-building. She has helped teams succeed in mining, nature conservation, agri-business,  forestry, oil & gas, electric power and renewables. As well, she brings deep experience in reputation management, media relations and crisis communications, including in non-profit organizations.

A Canadian citizen and resident, Sylvie is natively bilingual in English and French.

 

Jennifer Burt Davis

Jennifer Burt Davis

Due Diligence and Resettlement

Jennifer Burt Davis, Specialist

 

 

Jennifer Burt Davis is an extractive industry social performance professional with over tens years’ experience in systematic social performance engagement, including stakeholder engagement, livelihood restoration, strategic social investment, resettlement, and social planning and program development. Jennifer has been working with MFC for over five years and during this time has conducted two monitoring visits for lender banks, drafted two environmental and social plans, drafted and guided teams in complex resettlements and oversaw an eight country capacity building workshop for EBRD.

Prior to MFC, Jennifer worked for the Ambatovy nickel cobalt mining and refinery joint venture in Madagascar during the construction phase, transitioned from Construction to Operations and spearheaded the long-term sustainability planning for the 29-year Operations phase.  She is experienced in advising and directing teams carrying out complex resettlements or their components and managed an independent review of a complex resettlement process from its inception, through design and final report.

She has designed grievance mechanisms, implemented IFC-conforming social performance programs as well as assessed stakeholder engagement activities, ecosystem services, strategic social investments and social management systems. She has experience in drafting at least two resettlement action plans, which required collecting data, analyzing data and drafting RAP.

A strong international development background informs Jennifer’s extractive industry work, with 16 years experience in natural resource management, agricultural extension, microcredit, and environmental and adult education. She has competencies in project planning, training, facilitation, and human resources management.  Team building and networking are key strengths. She also has significant experience in monitoring and evaluation, as well as applied research.

Diane Rachiele

Diane Rachiele

Risk Management and Implementation

 Diane Rachiele, Specialist

 

 

Over the last 20 years, Diane has managed and implemented integrated programs focused on health, education, employment and capacity building with affected populations to support their return to sustainable and resilient livelihoods.  Focused on the more-vulnerable, these programs involved extensive interface with internal and external stakeholders to help minimize or manage related risks on the corporate risk register.

Working in French, Spanish and English across the private, humanitarian and development sectors, Diane has led finance, human resources, and administration departments to ensure compliance with international standards, national legislation and standard operating procedures. Her familiarity with work and labour conditions in Africa, SE Asia and the Americas serves her well as a human resources advisor, including on due diligence and start-up work related to IFC Performance Standard 2.

A former risk & insurance professional, her background in contract review and risk transfer on large, international projects underpins much of her work in developing economies, emergency, and hardship contexts.

Rebecca Reiber

Rebecca Reiber

Social Investment and Engagement

 Rebecca Reiber, Specialist

 

 

Rebecca joins an economist’s eye for business with an anthropologist’s understanding of society to create stakeholder engagement and social investment programs that deliver sustainable social acceptance.

Trained in commerce and applied anthropology, Rebecca combines perspectives from corporate, NGO and government sectors and experience from extractive, agro-forestry and infrastructure projects when designing programs for MFC’s social performance management practice. Her keen sense of organization, assessment experience and skill in project management ensures that the programs she designs deliver results.

Rebecca is a tri-lingual specialist (English, Spanish and Portuguese) with MFC, where she provides program design support in and resource management from her perch in Antón, Panama.

 

Jorge Acosta

Jorge Acosta

Security & Human Rights

Jorge Acosta, Security Specialist

 

 

 

Jorge is a seasoned security expert with practical experience in implementing the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and helping companies come into compliance with IFC Performance Standard 4 – Security.

He works with MFC and its clients to develop security training programs, undertake security risk assessments, develop security management plans, and provide technical assistance to companies to implement and monitor their security management system. Jorge served a decade in the Honduran army as an infantry officer, Security Detail Officer to the President of Honduras, Special Detail (VIP) First Special Forces Battalion, and as Platoon Leader, XI Infantry Battalion and liaison officer for the U.S. Army Engineer Battalion.

Following his military career, Jorge worked in senior security positions in private businesses and as Director of the Strategic Intelligence Center to the Presidential Palace and Chief Security Advisor to former President of Honduras Mr. Ricardo Maduro. Fluent in English and with Bachelor Degrees both in Business Administration and Military Science, Jorge brings a deep understanding of security issues combined with an understanding of the drivers of business and security issues affecting communities. He is based in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Nick Killick

Nick Killick

Security & Human Rights, and Implementation of SDGs

Nick Killick, Associate

For two decades, Nick has worked with companies, communities, governments and multi-lateral institutions on business, conflict, and human rights in fragile and high-risk areas, as well as on how they can effectively implement the SDGs. He has worked at conceptual, policy and practical levels and has produced extensive written guidance on how companies can navigate complex social challenges, including From Red to Green Flags: the corporate responsibility to respect human rights in high-risk countries and; Conflict-Sensitive Business Practice: Guidance for the Extractive Industry. He has deep experience promoting change through multi-stakeholder forums such as the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and, at a practical level, has worked on social and community issues in countries worldwide.  He was part of the Independent Panel reviewing Cerrejon Coal in Colombia and has developed numerous projects designed to support businesses in addressing social, economic and political challenges.

Nick’s background is in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. He is a former Research Fellow at the Institute for Human Rights and Business.

 

 

Riaan Barnard

Riaan Barnard

Environmental and Social Impact Assessments

Riaan Barnard

Riaan uses data collection and analysis to tailor programs to specific community or individual needs, helping build foundations for strong management systems that address project risks and impacts.

For more than 10 years, working hand in hand with local consultants and organization representatives, he has developed and implemented social performance programs in-line with internationally accepted good practice and standards in complex rural environments, particularly in Africa.

Founded on numerous environmental and social impact assessments and resettlement and livelihood planning and implementation projects in Africa and the Middle East, his data-collection experience fuels systematic solutions to complex data collection and management problems. Based in South Africa, Riaan works in Afrikaans and English.

 

Thalia Konaris

Thalia Konaris

Social Performance

Thalia Konaris

 

 

 

Nilo Brucal

Nilo Brucal

Community Engagement Programs

Nilo Brucal, Specialist

 

 

Nilo brings a multisector approach to social performance management at mega-projects in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

 

For Nilo, community development programs must work hand-in-hand with natural resource management to deliver social acceptance for a company or project and to meet community aspirations.

Nilo, arguably one of the best community organizers in the Philippines back in his civil society days, co-wrote the book Mining Revisited: Can an Understanding of Different Perspectives Help? and contributes a deep understanding of company-community interaction to Monkey Forest’s social performance practice.

Nilo is a specialist at Monkey Forest Consulting, where he supports the design and implementation of effective community engagement programs.

 

 

Antonio Matos

Antonio Matos

Community Relations

Antonio Matos, Specialist

 

For more than 14 years’, Antonio has developed and implemented stakeholder engagement and communications plans in mining, agribusiness, pharmaceutical and healthcare.

Based in Portugal, where he was responsible for grievance management and strategic social investment programs, his experience in community relations underpins a deep understanding of differing environments, cultures and social risks. A fluent Portuguese, Spanish and English speaker, Antonio has supported projects and programs in Latin America and Africa, providing training and guiding local teams on engagement activities, communication strategy, community investment and good social performance practice.

He has completed training courses on Gender & Mining Management and Social Impact Assessment.



 

 

Terra McKinney

Terra McKinney

Social Performance

Terra McKinney, Editor

Terra is a technical writer based in Portugal who has communication and research expertise in the public health, conservation, and international development sectors. Terra works with national and international technical experts to build MFC documents.

 

 

 

Nestor Castro

Nestor Castro

Indigenous Peoples

Dr. Nestor Castro, Senior Specialist

 

 

As  a former chair of the Department of Anthropology at the University of the Philippines and as an advisor to extractive companies across Southeast Asia, Nestor blends theory with practice when tackling challenges at the nexus of company, community and culture.

Nestor’s deep expertise in indigenous issues and inter-ethnic relations, coupled with his research throughout southeast Asia and Melanesia, inform MFC’s social performance management work for clients in the region. With a PhD and a Master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of the Philippines, Nestor instructs students on applied anthropology. He is constantly expanding his knowledge of issues facing communities undergoing complex social change and of solutions that earn lasting social acceptance. He regularly publishes material on this topic and speaks frequently at seminars, conferences and workshops. Nestor is a specialist with MFC, focusing on social performance management in the Southeast Asian context.

 

Doudou Kalala

Doudou Kalala

Social Performance

Doudou Kalala, Associate

Doudou has worked for more than 15 years across Africa on issues including community rights, social performance, indigenous peoples, human security and peacebuilding, climate change and environmental justice. He is a leading practitioner in community participation and engagement, organizational development, human-centred learning design, monitoring and evaluation.

Doudou works with Indigenous organizations to build their capacity to engage more effectively with their people, stakeholders and clients in an inclusive manner and to conduct participatory analysis of local conflicts. He has worked with the Mbuti in DRC, the Baka in Gabon and Cameroon, the Batwa in Burundi, and the Borana and Rendille in Kenya.

He has worked as an organizational development consultant and technical assistant for international NGOs and local social development programs throughout the sub-Sahara Africa region. Based in Nairobi, and a trained lawyer with a Master’s in Human Security and Peacebuilding, Doudou is fluent in English, French, Swahili and Lingala.

 

Vladimir Russo

Vladimir Russo

Social Performance

Vladimir Russo, Associate

Vladimir has over 20 years of experience in environmental consulting in the southern Africa region. He has led numerous oil and gas impact assessment studies in Angola and took part in several IFC-based studies. Through these he has been responsible for stakeholder engagement, capacity building as well as public consultation meetings.

Vladimir has provided support to significant projects for the private and public sectors, including in the areas of oil and gas, energy, climate change and urban development, among others. A respected leader in regulatory processes as well as environmental expertise in Angola, he provided consultancy services for UNDP, UNEP, IUCN, SADC, SARDC, SAIEA, OKACOM, ZAMCOM and other international institutions working in southern Africa.

 

 

Krista Hendry

Krista Hendry

Security & Human Rights, Gender-Based Violence

Krista Hendry, Specialist

 

Krista is a specialist with deep experience in civil society and conducting human rights impact assessments for natural resource companies. She has developed innovative solutions to address the challenges of operating in conflict-sensitive environments, particularly regarding security and human rights.

Krista has worked with senior management teams and boards to create, support and lead effective programs to meet leading international standards. A former executive director of the DC-based Fund for Peace, Krista is adept at developing relationships and trust across sectors on complex issues, promoting dialogue and cooperation to develop solutions.

She has built successful partnerships between NGOs and the private sector and has experience in high-level negotiations and interactions with government and the private sector on multiple international security and human rights instruments. Krista has performed site assessments, developed training courses, and led implementation workshops on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPSHR) as well as performed and trained on conflict and human rights impact assessments at national, provincial, local and site/community levels.

 

Maurice Bridge

Maurice Bridge

Due Diligence and Strategic Communications

 Maurice Bridge, Specialist

 

 

Maurice Bridge specializes in crisis communications, rapid social-assessment reporting and stakeholder-engagement programs. Most recently, he assisted a major mining client in developing and implementing a community-liaison system to enhance the two-way flow of information and understanding between community and client.

This work includes creation of a grievance-management system and management of a staff of local foreign nationals. Maurice is a communications expert with an extensive background in news and news administration, and provides strategic and crisis communications counseling and hands-on support, specializing in extractive clients.

He produces videos for strategic communications and community engagement, and conducts media training. He brings excellent project-management skills and rapid turnarounds to a worldwide practice. He has developed ground-breaking programs for using video to expand the reach of consultation programs and to document them.

Christiansen (Chin) Pablo

Christiansen (Chin) Pablo

Senior Accountant

Chin Pablo, Senior Accountant

 

 

Chin is a Certified Public Accountant with more than 18 years’ experience in finance and accounting practices working with multinational companies. As MFC’s Chief Accountant, Chin provides daily financial oversight to the company’s financial records using international accounting standards to facilitate pragmatic decision making for stakeholders and directors.

With a deep knowledge of end-to-end accounting cycles, financial planning and risk analysis, profitability and cash-flow scenarios, subsidiary accounting, intercompany accounting, inventory accounting, period-end close, Chin is MFC’s contact point with external auditors and tax accountants and helps organizations review or develop and implement internal accounting controls and policies. A strong team player, Chin helps create and maintain MFC’s good working relationships with clients worldwide.

Jill Cacao

Jill Cacao

Accounting and Project Support

Jill Cacao, Accountant  

 

 

Jill has over 15 years’ experience in accounting and business continuity management. She gained her experience from local enterprises in the Philippines as well as international oil and gas and multi-national shared service companies. Her expertise include financial reporting, variance analysis, forecasting, cash management, and compliance audit of information risk management. She is part of MFC’s core accounting team and assists in effectively managing and controlling the company’s operational costs and expenses. Jill holds a Masters in Business Administration and is an IT Compliance Auditor.