Team

Gavin is honored to be the Executive Director of Open Contracting Partnership, a silo-busting collaboration across government, business and civil society to open up and transform public contracting and procurement. Gavin plans to reinvent one of the largest markets in the world – covering 1 in every 3 dollars spent by government – as a smart, user-centered digital service, improving trust, inclusion and sustainability.

Before joining the Open Contracting Partnership, Gavin was Director of Campaigns and then Executive Director of Global Witness. He oversaw the organization’s groundbreaking and award-winning investigative, campaigning and advocacy work uncovering secret deals, corruption and conflict around the world. He helped create the international Publish What You Pay campaign and negotiated the intergovernmental Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative to improve disclosure and oversight of over trillion dollars of oil and mining money paid around the world.

He is also an expert on illicit financial flows and helped lead global efforts to end the abuse of anonymous shell companies for money laundering and financial crime, including at the G8 and Open Government Partnership.

He has a Doctorate from the University of Reading and has worked with Chatham House in London and the United National Environmental Programme in the past on analyzing and investigating global environmental crime. Gavin is a 2021 Fellow of World Commerce & Contracting for his work on improving trust and the emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kathrin is the Deputy Executive Director and Gavin’s co-pilot in leading the Open Contracting Partnership. Kathrin’s journey as a social entrepreneur started in an unlikely place – the World Bank Institute, the incubation lab of the World Bank. Kathrin worked in countries such as Nigeria, Uganda, and Mongolia on challenging but potentially transformative sectors including mining, construction, and service delivery. Once she realized the potentially massive impact that more accountable procurement processes could have, there was no turning back. While still at the World Bank, Kathrin and her team there began a user-centered iterative process to create a global organization that was better equipped than the World Bank to work across stakeholder groups in developed and developing countries to open up government contracting. Kathrin now co-manages the Partnership with Gavin where she is still thrilled by the daily opportunity to change how contracting can deliver value for everyone. Before working at the World Bank for ten years, she got a Masters in Advanced International Relations from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University and a BA in Economics from the University of Vienna. Kathrin is a 2021 Fellow of World Commerce & Contracting for making significant contributions to the development of commercial and contract management.

André Lima is the Director for the US, responsible for directing strategy and operations that support OCP’s partners across the United States in harnessing the power of public procurement as an engine for innovation, sustainability, and economic inclusion.

Before joining OCP,  André served as the Director of Supplier Diversity for the City of Boston, where he led an organization-wide reform effort to open up Boston’s public contracts for local businesses owned by women and people of color. His public service experience spans policy development, research, and digital public service delivery, most notably serving as the Director of Policy and Research for the Mayor’s Office of Health and Human Services, also at the City of Boston, where he focused primarily on the development of policy and programs to support access to legal representation and critical public benefits for local immigrant communities.

André is based out of Boston, Massachusetts. He holds an MSc in Legal Anthropology/Sociology of Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a BA degree in Anthropology and Certificate of Letters from Wesleyan University.

Andrii is our Senior Data Support Manager and is responsible for helping our partners in Europe and Central Asia to take a data-driven approach to improve public procurement outcomes. He offers guidance on how to collect, structure, and use data to make better decisions and create a better user experience for procurement systems. In addition, Andrii advises our partners on data digitization and publication.

Before joining OCP, Andrii was a data visualization officer at UNDP Ukraine helping the decision support unit to manage, organize, summarize and visualize all incoming data. He has worked as a data journalist, open data and data visualization trainer, and data journalism mentor.

Andrii holds a Bachelor’s degree in History of Philosophy. He is interested in creative coding and digital humanities. He teaches data visualization at Ukrainian Catholic University and Generative Art at Lviv National Academy of Arts.

Before joining the Open Contracting Partnership, Bernadine was Associate Director and Regional Manager for Latin America and Southeast Asia at CoST International, the Infrastructure Transparency Initiative. She led on concept design as well as the practical implementation of complex multi-stakeholder programmes aimed at improving the business environment, fighting corruption, and delivering value for money from infrastructure investments.

Before CoST, Bernadine worked with the Overseas Development Institute, where she was responsible for the Climate Funds Update, a climate finance transparency initiative. She began her development career at Deloitte & Touché working on Iskandar Malaysia, a regional mega-infrastructure and economic development initiative. Since then, she has worked extensively in renewable and conventional energy technologies and infrastructure.

She is a barrister by trade, with 20 years of experience across the legal, consulting and international development sectors. She graduated with Distinction from the London School of Economics with an MSc in Environment and Development.

Boonyarat is our Senior Manager for Asia, leading on driving impactful change across Asia and the Pacific through the implementation, advocacy, stakeholder engagement and partnership building for open contracting. She is in charge of executing regional strategies and utilizing the transformative power of open data and inclusive approaches to catalyze public sector reforms regionally.

Before joining OCP, Boonyarat worked with the UK Government as Country Director for Economics and Sustainable Development, Thailand. She led the UK’s economic partnerships with Thailand and oversaw a team implementing the UK’s sustainable development technical assistance portfolio. This included UK policy and regulatory programs on economic, digital, data, emerging technologies, financial services and smart cities. Boonyarat also worked with UNICEF and the Asian Development Bank on various technical assistance projects, including capital market development, financial inclusion, and financial literacy.

Boonyarat has over 15 years of experience in government policy, regulatory reform, and delivering impactful policy programs. She has a BA in Political Science from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, and a Masters in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, where she was a Cambridge scholar.

Edwin Muhumuza is the Head of Africa at OCP where he leads the portfolio to open up and transform public procurement across the continent. He works closely with frontline government teams in several African countries to respond, recover and rebuild together by reforming procurement systems for better contracting outcomes. Edwin works with teams of reformers in government to redesign government processes and systems through open data, better civic and business engagement, monitoring and research. Through engagements with senior decision makers at country, regional and global levels, he advocates for changes in how procurement and procurement systems serve African governments and their citizens, turning procurement from a compliance driven, complex, paper-based process into an open, results-driven digital service that delivers value for money, as well as value for many.

Before joining OCP, Edwin worked as Director Corporate Affairs at the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA ), the public procurement regulator in Uganda. He was responsible for strategy, partnerships and performance monitoring and was at the forefront of some key reform initiatives such as e-procurement, open contracting and promotion of partnerships with non-state actors in contract monitoring.

Edwin holds a MSc in Procurement from Makerere University and a Masters in Public Administration (International Development) from the University of York (UK). He has attended several post graduate courses in areas such as public policy, monitoring and evaluation, strategic planning to mention but a few. Edwin lives in Kampala, Uganda with his wife and three sons.

Félix is our Senior Data Support Manager and is responsible for helping our partners to take a data-driven approach to improve public procurement outcomes. He offers guidance on how to collect, structure, and use data to make better decisions and create a better user experience for procurement systems. In addition, Félix advises our partners on data digitization and publication.

Before joining OCP, Félix worked as a data science manager helping governments to design and evaluate evidence-based public policies. He has experience in research initiatives, implementing quantitative and statistical models in organizations, and has participated in open data initiatives in the public sector. He also was in charge of the designing and teaching of data science courses.

Félix holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics with honors and a Specialization in Quantitative Methods for Data Analysis from Universidad de Buenos Aires. He is interested in evidence-based decision making, the use of data and technology for social good, and advocates for more efficient public procurement systems that allow the implementation of more and better public policies.

Gawesh is our Senior Manager for Africa. He specializes in e-Government Procurement (e-GP) and supports various stakeholders in Africa to conceptualize, implement or improve their e-GP systems.

Before joining OCP, Gawesh worked as e-Procurement System Project Manager for the Government of Mauritius. Working with the World Bank, he also developed the e-GP Strategy and Roadmap for Madagascar and Iraq, and started a similar initiative in Burundi. He also worked in academic research at Imperial College London and City University London in the fields of autonomic computing, e-Health and Recommender Systems.

Gawesh holds an MBA in Innovation & Leadership, MSc in Information Systems & Technology, and BEng(Hons.) in Electrical & Electronic Engineering. He also holds various professional qualifications in Project Management, IT Service Management, Data Science and Cybersecurity.

Gawesh is based in Mauritius. If he is not working, reading, tinkering with a Raspberry Pi, coding, analyzing and visualizing data, socializing with friends/family, working out in the gym, walking on the beach or in the park, taking pictures with his D3200, or sightseeing … he’s probably swimming in the sea!

Open contracting is collaborating, communicating and using technology for innovating development – all of which have been a focus of Georg’s professional career prior to joining the Open Contracting Partnership where he manages communication and advocacy. At the Inter-American Development Bank, Georg has led the Digital Strategy of the Multilateral Investment Fund focussed on supporting micro, small and medium businesses and entrepreneurs in Latin America. He also co-initiated the organisation’s portfolio of projects testing social innovations such as crowdfunding. The nexus to transparency and anticorruption originated at Transparency International where he managed online and internal communications of the global movement and led the discussion of solutions to use technology to fight corruption. He has worked in development projects in Mexico and Morocco and holds a Masters in Strategic Economic and Social Communications from the University of Fine Arts in Berlin.

Guillermo is Senior Program Manager for Latin America helping governments and civil society to get the most of open contracting in order to boost efficiency and regain trust in the public sector.

Before joining OCP, Guillermo worked as Head of Research and Business Intelligence at Chile’s central procurement agency, ChileCompra, where he contributed to innovations such as the implementation of open data and the definition and introduction of new procurement methods. He also served as part of the OECD peer reviewer’s team for the procurement systems of Colombia and Mexico. Before that, he worked in the private sector as Research Manager for the industrial markets of Construction and Agro Chemicals, among others.

Guillermo holds a title of Sociology from Universidad of Chile, a Masters degree in Public Policy from UDD and Diplomas of Business Intelligence and Consumer Behaviour at UAI and Defense and Internal Security from Chile’s Ministry of Defense. Before that he pursued (but not finished) studies in Music and Mathematics, which helps him to interact in groups with diversity.

James is Head of Technology at OCP. He guides the development and governance of the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS), and supports governments, businesses and civil society to publish, use and build tools with open contracting data.

James regularly contributes to civil society initiatives relating to government, legislative and corporate transparency and accountability. He has worked with governments in Canada and internationally to improve the data and information they publish, through mechanisms like the Open Government Partnership and the Open Data Charter. He has authored, edited and contributed to standards used by dozens of governments, from the local to national levels, in Canada and around the world. He previously founded Open North, a Canadian nonprofit that drives research, capacity-building and network collaboration across and within sectors to advance the responsible and effective use of data and technology. He also organized the Canadian Open Government Civil Society Network, which successfully convinced Canada to commit to establishing a multistakeholder forum on open government.

James is based in Merrickville, Canada.

Karolis is OCP’s Head of Europe working with the European institutions, country governments and civil society to improve public spending in the region. Driven by impact and that alone, he focuses on strengthening institutions and their public spending using openness principles. He is interested in how open contracting can help power sustainable transition in Europe. Karolis is a member of the European Commission Multi-Stakeholder Expert Group on eProcurement (EXEP) and he also co-leads the Open Spending EU Coalition – a community of open spending champions in the EU.

Before joining the Open Contracting Partnership, Karolis worked with Transparency International Lithuania, focusing on citizen engagement using ICT. He also contributed to global open data advocacy efforts, together with the Epsi platform, Open Knowledge International, Open Data Institute and others. From 2014 to 2016, he was a national researcher within the Open Government Partnership Independent Review Mechanism.

Karolis earned his bachelor’s degree in international law from the University of Westminster, UK and Master’s degree in European Union law from the University of Maastricht, the Netherlands.

Kaye is the Senior Program Manager of Lift, Open Contracting Partnership’s impact program that helps teams of procurement reformers propel their ambitious plans towards systemic change. In this role, Kaye supports government and civil society teams around the world to use public contracting to improve effective governance and support more equitable and green communities, taking on big challenges ranging from government transparency and accountability and high medicine costs, to disaster relief management. Kaye also assists OCP’s U.S. portfolio, with a focus on helping government partners achieve more equitable procurement processes and outcomes, as well as promoting procurement as a tool to strengthen democratic societies.

Before joining Open Contracting Partnership, Kaye consulted on issues pertaining to municipal innovation, the future of work, and technology policy to nonprofits and foundations including Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Ford Foundation and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Global Philanthropy.

Kaye received her Bachelors degree in Philosophy with Honors, Cum Laude, from Scripps College, and her Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Ljubljana, and completed her Fulbright scholarship in Slovenia. Kaye is based in Seattle, Washington. 

Kristen leads Open Contracting Partnership’s advocacy, building on her 15 years’ experience in policy advocacy, strategic communications and campaigning. She is passionate about all things open government, open tech and open data, having previously served as Communications and Campaigns Director at the Web Foundation and in public communications before that.

At the Web Foundation, she drove multi-stakeholder coalition building, policy advocacy campaigns and media relations work with a focus on normative and narrative change. She managed external communications for web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee in his capacity as founding executive director.

She has consulted and advised a number of NGOs, multilateral organizations, governments and businesses on their public reputation and external affairs, including during high stakes crises in the areas of peace and security, financial crime and corruption. Her consultancy clients have included: Kofi Annan Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Africa Progress Panel, Google, Orange, The Elders, Omidyar Network, Millicom, UN Women, UN Population Fund and a number of governments in the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.

Kristen began her career with roles for the US and German governments in investment and trade promotion, with stints in Mexico City and Shanghai. She graduated from the London School of Economics with an MSc in International Political Economy with merit, and speaks Spanish, French and German proficiently.

Mariana is our Senior Infrastructure Manager working globally with governments and other stakeholders to design and implement strategies to move forward the open contracting agenda through the lens of infrastructure’s projects and contracts specific opportunities and challenges. Driven by impact, she focuses on how these transformations can lead to real change, including improvement in people’s lives, access to services or the relevance of sustainable infrastructure for the planet.

Before joining the Open Contracting Partnership, Mariana worked on open government and infrastructure for more than 10 years, including regional and local governments in Argentina, where she was in charge of the open government agenda developing key tools for infrastructure disclosure; the World Bank and as a Country Manager for CoST – the Infrastructure Sector Transparency Initiative.

Mariana graduated with honors as Sociologist and has a MA in International Relations. She is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Sebastian is the Senior User Research & Design Manager for OCP. He supports organizations in creating user research and product design strategies to inform and designing procurement systems with a customer-centric lens.

Before OCP, Sebastian worked in the Latam and East African regions in the fintech and digital financial inclusion spaces, with vc-backed startups, non-profit organizations and multilateral agencies, where he led multiple projects related to product design optimization and consumer research to better understand and serve the needs and preferences of their consumers to inform effective product strategies.

Sebastian holds a BA in Industrial Design and an MFA in Design for Social Innovation from the School of Visual Arts in New York, where he lived for 5 years before returning to Latin America. He currently lives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sophie is the Digital Strategist and Content Manager at OCP. She works with the Head of Communications to help define and maintain OCP’s brand across digital platforms, as well as reach new audiences using multimedia, marketing, and technology approaches and tools. Sophie supports regional and program teams with developing and executing communications strategies that increase the visibility of our work.

Sophie has experience working with private, government, and non-profit sectors. Before joining OCP, she was the Communications Coordinator at eHealth Africa where she developed and implemented communication and digital strategies for public health impact.

With a background in Computer Science and a Masters degree in Cybersecurity, Sophie has a good understanding of the digital space and uses her communication experience to ensure that our work and impact are conveyed appropriately to our audiences. She is creative, curious, loves to learn, and is passionate about empowering young girls. She is based in Bristol, UK.

Smita is the Senior Finance Manager at OCP. She leads and supports the organization’s activities in financial management, grant management, budgeting, and financial reporting.

Smita is a seasoned finance and accounting professional with proven success at maintaining financial records integrity at non-profit and for-profit organizations. She has a master’s degree in International Development and a bachelor’s degree in Accounting. She lives in Maryland.

Tony is our Senior Program Manager for Latin America. He leads our open contracting strategy in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, which includes support for governments, civic monitoring, electronic government procurement, and sustainable public procuerment. He is also responsible for strengthening bonds between our community and sharing knowledge, experience, and impact stories.

Before joining the Open Contracting Partnership, Tony was Director of Innovation in Contracting Policy and Technology at the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit in Mexico. There, he led different strategic projects to modernize CompraNet and make it fully transactional, interoperable, easy to use, and transparent. Between 2016-2021 he led the Open Contracting initiative in the national body responsible for transparency in Mexico (INAI) and co-created the open contracting platform Infraestructura Abierta with the State of Nuevo Leon, making it the first global publisher of the Open Contracting for Infrastructure Data Standard along with the OCDS.

Tony is based in Mexico City and he has a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Policy from the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics (CIDE), and is passionate about openness, fairness, and anti-corruption strategies in contracting to improve people’s lives.

Umrbek is our Senior Data Support Manager and is responsible for helping our partners to take a data-driven approach to improve public procurement outcomes. He offers guidance on how to collect, structure, and use data to make better decisions and create a better user experience for procurement systems. In addition, Umrbek advises our partners on data digitization and publication.

Before joining OCP, Umrbek coordinated the research and evidence program of the Water Integrity Network with a focus on corruption, its impacts, and the efficacy of integrity programs in the global water sector. He has previously worked with the World Bank in Washington DC and GIZ in Uzbekistan. He also has experience in supporting a tech-startup in data science and machine learning applications.

Umrbek is Certified Fraud Examiner and holds a Master’s degree in International and Development Economics from the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. He is currently studying towards a degree in Computer Science. Umrbek is a recipient of numerous scholarships, including a Carlo Schmid Fellowship and a DAAD Scholarship for Development-Related Postgraduate Studies in Germany. He is passionate about innovative use of data science and AI to improve public sector governance.

Viktor is leading our support to Ukraine to reconstruct and modernize the country after Russia’s illegal invasion, leveraging the transformational open contracting reforms in Ukraine since 2014 to help the country build back better. He also chairs Ukraine’s Reconstruction Integrity, Sustainability and Efficiency (RISE) Coalition, a group of 35+ organizations focusing on embedding open contracting principles and approaches into the recovery program. Viktor works closely with government, business, and civil society to make sure that Ukraine’s reconstruction is a role-model of open government and open contracting for the world. He is also an advisor to Nadiia Bigun, Deputy Minster of Economy responsible for public procurement.

Before joining the Open Contracting Partnership, Viktor was acting CEO at SOE Medical Procurement of Ukraine – the central purchasing body set up by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine for medical public procurement.

Between 2015 and 2018 he was a Program Director at Transparency International Ukraine. His portfolio included five significant initiatives – ProZorro, ProZorro.Sale systems development, DOZORRO community building, e-Health system development, and Construction Sector Transparency Initiative implementation.  He has experience in the private sector and in government. He headed the procurement risk assessment division in one of the biggest agro-holdings of Ukraine and worked in the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine.

Viktor has a Master’s degree in International Economy from Kyiv National Economic University in Ukraine and studied Organizational Behavior and Intercultural Marketing at the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien in Austria.