CoST International Secretariat
The International Secretariat is responsible for the management of CoST and for supporting the participating countries by providing technical, managerial and administrative assistance. The International Secretariat is hosted by Engineers Against Poverty who draw upon a number of part-time advisors from PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Tiri, the Communications Hub and British Expertise.
Director: Petter Matthews is a senior international development and built environment specialist with over thirty years’ experience. He is the Executive Director of Engineers Against Poverty, an independent NGO that works with government, industry and civil society to fight poverty and promote sustainable development. His early career involved periods as a building sub-contractor and construction manager. He has worked for Government, international agencies and NGOs in many parts of Africa, Asia and Oceania. Petter on the Advisory Board of the ‘Engineering, Social Justice and Peace’ Journal.
Senior Private Sector Advisor: Graham Hand is the Chief Executive of British Expertise, a newtork of professional organisations among whose members are large construction companies, engineers, and architects. The British Expertise is an institutional member of the Anti-corruption Forum; and Graham personally sits on the Board of the forum. Previously, Graham was a diplomat and his career included long- term senior positions in Algeria, Nigeria, and elsewhere.
Senior Policy Advisor: Dr. Jill Wells currently works with Engineers Against Poverty, a London-based NGO. Jill is a social scientist with many years of experience in research and development work focused around the construction sector. She has spent at least two years working in each of the main stakeholder groups – a private building contractor, a government Ministry of Planning, an international organisation (the ILO), various research and academic institutions, and most recently in an NGO.
Programme Manager: John Hawkins is a specialist in UK and international procurement policy and governance in the construction sector. He has extensive experience in researching the interaction between infrastructure procurement and social development, and in developing transparent procurement and contract policy for construction. John joined the EAP team in November 2011 to take on the role of Programme Manager, before this he was responsible for knowledge creation and transfer in civil engineering best practice at the Institution of Civil Engineers.
Civil Society Advisor: Claire Schouten is a Programme Director at Integrity Action, coordinating a network of civil society organisations monitoring aid and reconstruction in post-war countries. Prior to that, Clair worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as researching corruption and humanitarian assistance as a consultant with the Overseas Development Institute.
Strategy & Funding Advisor: Zlatina Loudjeva is a social scientist with years of experience working on governance and social development issues, including private public partnerships and multi- stakeholder initiatives. Zlatina was the Managing Director of CoST during the Pilot phase and is currently Chief Operating Officer Climate and Development Knowledge Network at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Zlatina has worked in Zambia, Malawi, Uganda, and Ghana and has a close knowledge of other transparency initiatives.
Communications Advisor: Lara Samuels is the Director of The Communications Hub, a communications consultancy which specialises in strategy and planning. Having begun her career at a global advertising agency, Lara went on to develop particular experience across the charity and public sectors. Her roles have included running public-facing Government information campaigns at the Central Office of Information, leading work on volunteering as Campaigns Director at Media Trust, and working with charities to improve awareness and understanding.
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