Bereciartua is a former Secretary of Infrastructure and Water of Argentina from 2017 to 2019. He was responsible for one of the main federal investment areas (water supply and sanitation, adaptation to climate change, expansion of the agricultural frontier, and large scale infrastructure including dams and aqueducts) and the implementation of national water policies.
Prior to that, he was Undersecretary of Water Resources of Argentina (2015 to 2017); President of the Water Planning Agency of the Buenos Aires metropolitan area (2015-2019), in charge of defining the water supply and sanitation service for 14 million people; and Director of Infrastructure of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires (2007-2009).
“Pablo is a practical, business-like decision maker as well as a visionary,” said Jerome Delli Priscoli, Chair of GWP’s Nomination Committee, which unanimously recommended Bereciartua for approval by the Sponsoring Partners. “He brings a combination of senior political and diplomatic responsibilities along with high levels of technical expertise. With his professional worldwide networks, he brings considerable political and social capital to establish international partnerships,” said Priscoli.
The outgoing Chair, Mr. Howard Bamsey, after four years at the helm, announced earlier this year his intention to step down.
Bereciartua is a Professor at the University of Buenos Aires and former Dean at the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology (ITBA). He is a member of the Advisory Board of the EIT Climate KIC and a member of the Steering Committee at the International Symposium on Next Generation Infrastructures (ISNGI).
In accepting the position, Bereciartua said, “I’m looking forward to serving a global network that has a lot of reputational capital because of the unusual nature of the way it works – ensuring that the voices of water at local level links to and informs global insights.”
Among other degrees, Bereciartua has a M.Sc. in Engineering and Economics from the University of California at Berkeley, California, USA. He graduated with honors in Civil, Hydraulic, and Transportation Engineering from the Universidad Nacional de la Plata, Argentina. He has a MBA from the Universidad de San Andres in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Bereciartua is a Yale World Fellow.
“Pablo has significant experience in financing, stakeholder engagement, and private-public partnerships,” said Darío Soto-Abril, GWP’s Executive Secretary. “Having been on the Steering Committee and heading the GWP innovation working group, he knows GWP and is prepared for immediate engagement.”