We partnered with Safe Water Network on the search for a CEO. Safe Water Network works for sustainable access to safe water globally by partnering with local leaders, institutions, implementers, and community members.
Our work resulted in the recruitment of Christopher Williams to the role.
Williams has a wealth of experience working in Africa, Asia, and the Americas with community organizations, local and national governments, academic institutions, and private industry. He will provide the network with extensive practical knowledge on water supply, sanitation and hygiene, peri-urban development, land tenure security, affordable housing, and development finance.
Williams is the outgoing Director of the New York Office of UN-Habitat, the agency of the United Nations responsible for affordable housing and sustainable urban development.
Prior, he served as the Executive Director of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) in Geneva empowering 20 million people to end the practice of open defecation and invest in sanitation.
Earlier he held senior positions at UN-Habitat in financing, political affairs, policy advocacy, and applied research.
Williams has worked in cities in East Africa and the United States promoting community economic development. His work with homeless shelters, community organizations, financial intermediaries, and commercial lending institutions provided him a wide range of institutional perspectives.
Williams holds a BA in Economics from Tufts University. He received his MA in Public Policy Studies from the Harris School at the University of Chicago He earned a PhD in Sociology from the Graduate Faculty of Political and Social Science at the New School for Social Research.