Luc De Groote has been active in public procurement for more than twenty-five years; first for Belgian Technical Assistance (BTC) and later as a consultant in a private company (SGS, Société Générale de Surveillance) before becoming an independent consultant. For over fifteen years he was team leader in Independent Procurement Reviews for The World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), USAID and multiple governments. He participated in transfer of knowledge programs for The World Bank, EU, SADC and Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). He has extensive experience in Africa, Asia and Latin America and in various sectors including health, education, industry, water, energy, and SMEs. He has extensive hands-on experience in the preparation of and follow-up of Procurement Regulations, Standard Bidding Documents, Contract Management, as well as training. An engineer with an additional Master’s degree in Industrial Management—supplemented by his long experience—he is capable of handling a wide variety of subjects and is skilled in working, discussing and negotiating at all levels, including at high levels. He is fluent in English and French and has basic knowledge of Spanish, German, Afrikaans and spoken Arabic. He collaborates with Antonietta principally on international procurement.
Bruce MacQueen is a private sector development, economic growth, and investment generation specialist with professional experience in a broad range of industries in over forty countries, primarily in Europe, Asia, Australia & the Pacific, and Africa. This experience includes enterprise restructuring, privatization, public-private partnerships, enterprise valuation, investment solicitation & negotiation, corporate governance, capital markets development, trade & currency policies, and the delivery of formal training. He has served on many international development projects, principally for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and USAID, most recently as team leader of state-owned enterprise reform assistance in the South Pacific (2012-2013). Earlier in his career with a major New York bank, he headed subsidiaries in France and Belgium; served as Chief Representative for Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania; and was chief marketing officer in Korea. He is currently President of International Project Resources Inc. Bruce obtained an MBA degree from Duke University, U.S., and is fluent in French. He collaborates with Antonietta primarily on project financing.
Andrea Rubini is an engineer who has worked over the past thirty years in the expansion and internationalization of companies and on the planning and management of projects—often complex ones—in Europe, Africa and South Asia. He is knowledgeable about EU financing for Research and Development, Structural Funds, and support to non-EU member states. He has worked for the United Nations and in both the public and private sectors. Currently he is head of the European Projects and Tenders sector of the Chamber of Commerce of Cremona. He collaborates with Unioncamere Lombardia to assist businesses competing for international public contracts. He teaches at the Sapienza University of Rome in their Master’s level II program: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. He also teaches in the International Labour Organization’s (ILO)/University of Torino International Master’s program on Public Procurement for Sustainable Development (in Italy and Rwanda). He speaks Italian and English fluently and understands French. An expert on the procurement of goods, works and services, he collaborates with Antonietta on international procurement.
