Benoit Paillet is an engineer who specialises in the O&M of water supply and sanitation systems, and in assessing, designing and supervising works. After graduating with a Master’s degree in Water Engineering in 2005, he applied and honed his knowledge and skills working for consulting firms, public water supply and sanitation utilities and international NGOs in Europe, Asia and Africa. Through his work preparing 46 master plans, Benoit developed an in-depth understanding of the practical challenges of rural and urban water supply and sanitation. In his subsequent position as head of a public operator department, managing an annual €7.5 million budget for improving water supply and sanitation networks, he worked with his team on planning, designing and implementing technical solutions to address these challenges. In 2021, he will join Hydroconseil (part of the Global Development group) and become our in-house point of reference for issues relating to the investment and operation of drinking water and wastewater networks. In 2021 and 2022, he will be involved in Cape Verde in the design of salt water catchment, reverse osmosis treatment, pumping and storage infrastructures, entirely powered by photovoltaic energy. In 2023, he also provided his expertise in non-revenue water (NRW) for an ambitious institutional reform project involving the creation of a water and sanitation department within the Municipality of Yatta, in the southern West Bank, in accordance with the Palestinian Water Law of 2014. In 2024, Benoit is in charge of designing pilot District Metered Areas (DMA) on Mosul’s water supply network, in Iraq, for the ICRC.