New Asia Council Member from ADB

We are excited to welcome Helen Steward, Principal Public Private Partnership Specialist at Asian Development Bank, as the newest member of the IPFA Asia Council.

We asked Helen a few questions to get to know her a little better:

If you could personally change or influence one thing within infrastructure and/or energy, what would it be?

• Historically, there has been huge focus on getting infrastructure built and then moving on to the next “project”, without giving much thought to the long-term operation and maintenance of that infrastructure and allocating realistic budgets for this. Too often, infrastructure falls short of delivering the developmental outcomes anticipated because of inadequate operations. I’d like to change this by advocating for more whole-life planning in infrastructure development.

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give to yourself at the start of your career?

• Take whatever opportunities come your way, find work you enjoy and don’t be afraid to move outside your “comfort zone”.

What do you hope to bring to the Asia Council?

• An open mind and better links between governments and private sector.