Hello

As a co-founder of Together, I've spent over 25 years working at the intersection of private-sector led, inclusive development and participatory natural resource/extractives governance. I've delivered bespoke, hands-on expertise to the highest levels of the public and private sectors, as well as to local communities, in over 50 countries - often in complex, politically charged, conflict-affected areas.

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I specialise in inclusive/participatory governance, multi-stakeholder dialogue and consensus-building, energy transition issues, business and investment climate policy, policy advocacy, and program design for governments, businesses, civil society groups, and international organisations.

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My expertise in critical raw materials, value chains, and ESG is informed by years of direct experience in international trade and materials transport, as well as my work as an advisor to business associations.

As a former Bureau Chief in Kyiv for The Associated Press, I understand how journalists think and work, and how the media can support resource governance. I also know how to recognize "media capture" and other practices that affect the authenticity of public dialogue on the demand and supply sides of natural resource governance.

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The World Bank profiled my work as a case study in best practices for stakeholder engagement, published in two books: “Governance Reform Under Real World Conditions” (2008) and “People, Politics and Change – Building Communication Capacity for Governance Reform” (2011). 

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I was among the first advisors selected by the U.K. Government's Stabilisation Unit as a Deployable Civilian Expert for state-building initiatives to help countries recover from violent conflict. I am on the Advisory Board of Heal Ukraine Trauma, a charity working with veterans and children to heal from conflict-related trauma.  I hold an honors degree in International Relations from Claremont McKenna College and a Masters degree in Journalism from Columbia University. 

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I appreciate life's contrasts.  I was raised in the scorching hot Arizona desert, home to many indigenous peoples, but I've lived for the past 20 years in icy cold Sweden, also home to indigenous peoples.  Before that, I lived and worked in Ukraine for three stints.  I married my life partner, a Russian, last year. I am the father of an aspiring veterinarian and an entrepreneur-in-the-making.  My family has all given a part of their heart to our dog Sila.