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.

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.

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.

Randall Hicks is a creative and results-oriented economist with more than 25 years of international experience in management, communications, social responsibility, sustainability and community engagement.

As a business strategist for extractive resource and development companies, Randall specializes in economic and social development, stakeholder engagement, and crisis management on projects that require exceptional communications skills, facilitative leadership expertise, operational excellence, strong tactical execution and first-rate project management.

Randall is recognized for his international work designing and implementing state-of-the-art grievance mechanisms, social performance management, capacity-building programs, social media initiatives and guidance on EPC engagement. He produces strategic communications and issues-management initiatives that support client business objectives while building effective communications and engagement with all stakeholders.

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.

For Neyza, effective social performance management systems need robust reporting systems and documentation of company-community interaction to ensure transparency and build trust. She leverages her diligence and capacity for organization to design and implement community engagement system administration tools based on international standards.

Neyza’s background in stakeholder engagement and risk management for various projects in Southeast Asia, West Africa, and Europe informs her design of community relations and enterprise development programs. She also trains social performance teams at building strategic partnerships with stakeholders to improve program outcomes. Neyza is a specialist with MFC, where she builds administrative tools that underpin social performance management programs.

Ben has more than 20 years’ international experience managing multicultural teams in the private, non-profit and public sectors. His skills and experience have helped resource projects achieve broad community support in the communities in which they operate. He has a proven track record in project and team management, community and relationship management, social and corporate risk management, crisis management, impact mitigation related to construction and operations, resettlement and livelihoods restoration, grievance management, and strategic social investment. By exchanging information through dialogue with communities, Ben addresses corporate impacts so benefits from the company’s presence are shared and community acceptance supports a sustainable operation.

From 2016-2018, he was Site Manager for social performance activities during the construction phase of the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical project in northern Vietnam. Ben also worked for four years at the Ambatovy nickel & cobalt mining and processing and refining operation in Madagascar, finishing in the role of Director of Sustainability. Before then, he worked with the International Federation of the Red Cross for the Haiti earthquake response and an almost 20-year involvement with Nobel prize winning, medical humanitarian organization, Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders, where he had many roles in numerous countries. At present, Ben is the Resettlement Project Manager overseeing the resettlement and livelihood restoration activities for the Tilenga upstream project in Uganda.

Dana has more than 14 years’ experience working with the private sector and international organizations on social performance issues. She guides clients through strategic planning and delivers effective, on-the-ground support across a range of industries including mining, oil and gas, energy and transport. Her expertise includes social risk management, strategy development and implementation, and hiring and coaching social performance teams.

Dana’s technical expertise includes stakeholder engagement, community investment, and social impact management. She works closely with corporate and site-based management and social performance teams to help them manage their risks and create value together with stakeholders. Dana has worked in Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Ahmed is a social development sociologist and a Professor at the University of Fes in Morocco where he directs a research team on “city policies and social development”. While conducting his academic activities, he has also consulted for several international organizations since 1994. Through his academic work and conferences, he has presented in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. He has worked on contracts with the World Bank, EBRD, USAID, UNICEF, UNESCO, European Commission, MCC, GIZ, AFD and national entities such as the ministries of solidarity, artisanal, housing, and the Agency of Development for Preservation of the Fes Medina.

Through this consulting work, Ahmed has gained invaluable, international experience in analyzing social impacts and identifying gaps in social performance of both urban and rural projects. His experience in social performance focuses on stakeholder engagement, participation and partnership, as well as on resettlement of involuntarily displaced people, local governance and human rights. He is a member of the MFC team for the Nador West Med Project for EBRD. In addition to his expertise as a resettlement practitioner, Ahmed also has robust experience designing and implementing qualitative and quantitative data gathering approaches for community social studies.

Diane is a development, humanitarian and private sector professional whose track record in business development and client relations has informed her work as a risk & insurance manager in the construction and engineering sector where she focused on domestic and international projects and operations. Her background in financial and contractual risk transfer in construction and engineering for mining/extraction, power/energy, water, infrastructure supports her work for MFC related to strategic social investment programs as well as compliance requirements for financing entities and partners, including international banks and institutional donors.

Diane’s deep experience in training and capacity building helps her thrive in a multicultural environment. She understands that strategy and vision are essential elements for success, whether working with local economies through emergency market mapping analysis (EMMA) training or in re-establishing livelihoods through cash transfer programming. She believes that effectively exchanging information with resettled and vulnerable populations empowers communities to move toward sustainable and resilient livelihoods.

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.

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. 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 manager of International Alert’s thematic programs and a former Research Fellow at the Institute for Human Rights and Business.

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.

Hai Anh is a dedicated, talented graphic designer. Professionally trained in multimedia, Hai Anh has honed her graphic skills through years of working for various clients both as an in-house and free-lance designer. She is adept at producing visually appealing, audience-minded, and outcome-oriented materials under strict time pressure. Joining MFC, Hai Anh is eager to make her contributions to the community by helping improve their understanding and visual experience of the projects’ information, education and communication materials.

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.