WATSAN - Key Persons

Virgilio "Perry" Rivera, Jr was employed by Ayala Corporation, one of the Philippines' largest and leading conglomerates, for over 34 years where he held various appointments with the highest position of Managing Director. He was seconded to Manila Water Company, Inc. (MWCI) in 1997 and held key leadership roles including the position of Chief Operating Officer for New Business/Subsidiary Operations and Business Development through 2021. His expertise includes design and implementation of large-scale water PPP with focus on BOT/Concession and Management Contract models, corporate strategy, public policy and regulation, conduct of price reviews over span of 25 years, preparation of master plans for city-wide utility operation, international business development and general management in a highly regulated water utility setting with P&L accountability. Mr. Rivera served as President and CEO of Manila Water Philippine Ventures (MWPV) and Manila Water Asia Pacific (MWAP), subsidiaries of MWCI. Mr. Rivera led MWCI's expansion in other cities in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. He led a leadership team (workforce: 950) which has oversight in 18 subsidiaries in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia with served population of nearly 10 million. He advised MWCI on policy, institutions and regulation for the period 2021 to 2023. He was an Independent Director of the Toilet Board Coalition (TBC), a Founding Member of The Academy of Regulatory Professionals, and an Adjunct Professor at the Global Change Institute at University of Queensland. He served as a Board Member from 2018 to 2022 and an active Fellow of the International Water Association (IWA) and member of the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) and its advisory council on Mutual Accountability Mechanism program. He earned his degrees in Economics and Behavioral Science at the University of Santo Tomas (Philippines) and completed his graduate-level coursework in Economics at De La Salle University (Philippines). In 2011, he completed the Advanced Management Program of Harvard Business School. His book Tap Secrets: The Manila Water Story - An Exercise in Successful Utility Reform in Urban Water Sector, was published by the Asian Development Bank in 2014. In 2021, he established WatSan Analytics, a management consulting firm catering to the water and sanitation sector.