Kate Lazarus is an experienced leader and IFC’s Senior Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Advisory Lead for Asia Pacific. She has over 20+ years working on environmental and social risk management and standard setting. She specialises in water governance in the Mekong and Himalayan Regions. Her work has spanned from positions in NGOs, research institutes, governments and the private sector.

In 2019, Kate was named one of 70 most influential who have had or will have, the biggest influence on the hydropower and dam industry in recent years and in the near future by International Water and Power Magazine.

In 2018, Kate received the 'Top 30 of IFC Individual Corporate Awards' for staff whose exceptional contributions, collaborative behaviours and innovative thinking have consistently resulted in the achievement of significant milestones to help a sector or country reach market potential for private sector investment. This was in recognition of her innovative leadership and development of the Strategic Environmental Assessment for the Hydropower Sector in Myanmar.

She develops, manages and leads a highly complex program to deliver ESG advisory to private sector and governments across Asia Pacific. She coordinates IFC’s ESG Landscape practice to open markets for sustainable development. She developed the ground-breaking industry-led Hydropower Developers’ Working Group in Lao PDR, Myanmar and Pakistan along with providing sector-level advice to governments and intermediaries. She led the Powered by Women initiatives in Myanmar and Nepal, to promote gender diversity and equality in the renewables sector. Her expertise focuses on integrated water resources management, multi-stakeholder dialogues, renewables, CIAs, human rights/conflict, environmental flows, benefit sharing and E&S risks of hydropower. She has lived and worked in Asia for 20 years.

She is an IHA Certified User of Hydropower Sustainability Tools.

She is the editor of the book Water Rights and Social Justice in the Mekong; lead author of a chapter on Negotiating Flows in the Mekong in the book Politics and Development in a Transboundary Watershed: The Case of the Mekong River Basin.

‍