Enabling Better Infrastructure International Conference

Prof Jim Hall

Prof Jim Hall is a trustee of the ICE and until recently, held the carbon and climate portfolio.

He’s a professor of climate and environmental risks at the University of Oxford.

His research specialises on risk analysis for water resource systems, flooding and coastal engineering, infrastructure systems and adaptation to climate change.

Prof Hall is a member of the UK prime minister's Council for Science and Technology and is a commissioner of the National Infrastructure Commission.

He was a member of the UK independent Committee on Climate Change Adaptation from 2009 to 2019.

He led the development of the National Infrastructure Systems Model (NISMOD), which was used for the ICE’s influential National Needs Assessment and for the UK’s first National Infrastructure Assessment.

Prof Hall invented, and now chairs, the UK Data and Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure (DAFNI).

Among various distinctions, Hall was awarded the ICE’s George Stephenson Medal in 2001 and the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water in 2018.

He was a contributing author to the Nobel Prize-winning Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Haward Wells

Mr. Haward Wells is Saint Lucian licensed architect with over 19 years of professional experience. He holds a BA in architecture, Msc. in project management and evaluation, post graduate diplomas in blue and green economy, disaster risk management and infrastructure planning.

He is the current director of the National Integrated Planning and Programme (NIPP) Unit, within the Ministry of Finance. The unit he leads is tasked with the sustainable assessment of the island infrastructure to determine current needs and future grow scenarios as well as the actions necessary for the achievement of each scenario, including the corresponding investment strategies. Mr. Wells also leads the coordination of Saint Lucia’s World Bank Financed “Unleashing the Blue Economy of the Caribbean (UBEC)” project and he is the current vice chair of the islands Central Public Procurement Board. Mr. Wells is a member of the Expert Group for the Coalition of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure’s (CDRI) Global Infrastructure Resilience Survey (GRIS).

He was the chairman of the Planning Team for the Castries Vision 2030 exercise as well as the lead local coordinator for the National Infrastructure Assessment exercise undertaken with the joint assistance of the United Nations Office for Projects Services (UNOPS) and the University of Oxford. Mr. Wells is the current vice president of the St. Lucia Institute of Architects and he also served in the capacity of senior architect at that Department of Planning and was the lead designer on the Gros-Islet and Soufriere Town Redevelopment Projects.

Richard Threlfall

Richard is Global Head of Infrastructure, Government and Healthcare – a group of sectors that also includes Transport, Construction and Business Services and represents almost 25 percent of KPMG firms’ global revenues.

Richard is motivated by the understanding that the world is facing both a climate and a social emergency. He is committed to doing everything he can to support public and private sector organisations to play their part in averting those disasters and support the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to enable sustainable quality of life for everyone, everywhere.

Richard is Chair of the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure, and KPMG’s representative on the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a member of the Infrastructure Board of the Confederation of British Industry. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He chairs the Advisory Council of The Infrastructure Forum, which is an independent think-tank which brings together organisations with involvement in UK infrastructure from public, private and regulatory perspectives. He is a prolific writer on infrastructure, transport, sustainability, and organisational purpose, and is quoted regularly in the media.

Geoff Cooper

Geoff Cooper has a background in global policy having worked for the United Nations, the United States Treasury and the Federal Reserve.

He is a former chief economist for both PwC and Auckland Council, where he worked on infrastructure, housing, regulation and financial policy, including business case development for Auckland’s City Rail Link.

At Te Waihanga, Geoff has purview over research, strategy and the Infrastructure Pipeline. He led the development of the New Zealand Infrastructure Strategy in 2022 and is now working on the National Infrastructure Plan.

He holds a Master of Economics with First Class Honours from the University of Auckland and a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton University.

Dr Simon Lucas

Dr Lucas is responsible for the delivery of infrastructure, energy, climate and environment expertise in the FCDO. This includes work on infrastructure, urban development, climate, energy transitions and green finance.

Simon has over 25 years’ experience in infrastructure, urban and energy projects around the world including in the Middle East, and North Africa, Zambia, Pakistan, Botswana, Vietnam, Kenya, Uganda, India and Nepal, as well as leading policy work on infrastructure and climate for the UK government, including UNFCCC negotiations.

He holds a degree in mechanical engineering and development, a masters in renewable energy and a PHD in hydropower.

Bridget Rosewell CBE

Bridget Rosewell is an experienced director, policy maker and economist, with a track record in advising public and private sector clients on key strategic issues. She chairs Atom Bank and the M6 Toll Company and is a non-executive for the UK Infrastructure Bank and Northumbrian Water. She is also currently a Commissioner for the National Infrastructure Commission. Among other roles, she has chaired DVSA, been Senior Independent Director for Network Rail and Chief Economic Adviser to the Greater London Authority.

She was appointed CBE in December 2018 and is also a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Academy of Social Science and the Society of Professional Economists. She writes on finance, risk and uncertainty as well as infrastructure and modelling validation.

She has worked extensively on cities, infrastructure and finance, advising on projects in road and rail and on major property developments and regeneration. She has advised on changes to planning regulation and TfL’s finances and has appeared at planning Inquiries.

Dr Paulo Magina

Paulo Magina is the head of the infrastructure and public procurement division in the Directorate for Public Governance at the OECD, which he joined in 2014. In this division, he leads the working groups in charge of establishing and implementing international standards and promoting a global vision and good practices in infrastructure governance and public procurement.

With more than 20 years of experience in the public sector, he was previously a member of the board of directors and CFO of the Portuguese Shared Services Agency of the Central Government of Portugal. Before that, he served as President and CEO of the National Public Procurement Agency of Portugal between 2010 and 2012, and previously was the CFO of the national Portuguese railways (CP) between 2006 and 2010, and before a senior advisor to the Secretary of State for Transport of the Government of Portugal.

He was also an advisor to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) supporting regulatory and public policy reforms in the CIS region. He also has more than 15 years of experience in the private sector, namely in the financial, infrastructure and transport sectors.

Paulo Magina holds a Master's degree in Business Administration and Management from the Católica Business School in Lisbon, was a visiting professor in MBA programs at the same university and is also a visiting professor at European universities on topics of strategic public procurement and sustainability.

Sean Keenan

Sean is responsible for overseeing the economic analysis, research, data and analytics and results reporting done by the department.

Prior to joining Infrastructure Canada in 2018, Sean spent 17 years working at the Department of Finance in the areas of federal-provincial fiscal arrangements, personal income tax policy and sales tax policy. From these experiences, he has gained a solid understanding of the tools available at the federal level to affect policy change – be they through spending, introducing fiscal incentives, or working through and with other levels of government.

Dr Jenifer Baxter

Dr Jenifer Baxter is the chief executive officer at Industry Wales, deputy chair of the National Infrastructure Commission Wales and a non-exec at Newport City Homes. Jen was previously the engineering eirector for Protium Green Solutions and chief engineer at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Jen is an internationally recognised expert engineer advising the media and government covering all mechanical engineering subjects and specialises in energy, transport and the environment.

Jen has written several reports for IMechE, including decarbonising transport, train engines and fuels, hydrogen trains, fashion waste and gas use in the energy sector, with further short reports on Leaving the EU: Euratom Treaty as well as academic papers covering subjects as diverse as engineering out food waste, to perceptions of hydrogen futures and technological innovation systems.

Jen has a PhD from Cardiff University examining hydrogen from waste technologies, an MSc in Sustainability, Planning and EnviroEnvironmental Policy and a BEng in Environmental Engineering also from Cardiff University. Jenifer is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a member of IOM3 and is a chartered engineer and scientist.