Michael Rouse offers expert independent advice on water industry matters. He has extensive knowledge and experience of water governance and regulation, including all aspects of audit and enforcement, and the governance issues related to both public sector management and privatisation. Michael is experienced in working with Governments and water and sewerage utility managers, both in the UK and around the world. He has wide knowledge of water technical and operational matters, based on his applied research and development background. He was Managing Director of the Water Research Centre in the UK and Head of the Drinking Water Inspectorate in London.
In recent years he has worked on policy, governance and regulation matters in China, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Egypt, Ghana, Australia, Hungary and Bulgaria.
He is a Distinguished Research Associate at the University of Oxford and manages the Institutional Governance and Regulation module of the University’s MSc Course on Water Science, Policy and Management. He is a member of the University’s team working on urban water governance issues and on the use of mobile phone telephony for billing, and for pump monitoring in Africa. He is a Foreign Associate of the US National Academy of Engineering, a Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing, and a Visiting Professor at the Shanghai Academy of Social Science. The second edition of his book on Institutional Governance and Regulation of Water Services was published in 2013.

Dobromir Simidchiev holds a Master’s degree in Water purification from UACEG and a Master’s degree in Business administration from the University in Seattle.
Currently Dobromir Simidchiev acts as a chair of the board of directors of one of the water infrastructure funds in Bulgaria FLAG.
Previously he was acting as Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works. His was responsible for the policy making in the water supply and sanitation sector and had to start a major national water reform. He was part of three consecutive governments and worked with three different ministers. During his time the reform built up pace and several important legal and institutional steps were taken and complete.
Before his governmental role he was part of the team of the Sofia water company – Sofia Water, part of United Utilities (2000 – 2010) and Veolia (2010 – current). Initially he occupied technical expert positions until 2006 when he was appointed at managerial position. Since then he managed several departments and division and finished his career there as Capital Works and Engineering Services Director.

Dimitar Ivanov is an independent persona with entrepreneurial thinking and background in economics and management. He has direct experience in management, sales and business development in a multicultural business environment. Dimitar is one of the founders of Wato, an engineering and production company focused in the Water Sector. He has engaged the company in various projects in the Water sector in Bulgaria, the Balkans and Russia. The ultimate goal of any of the projects is to maximize the efficiency of water networks and their operation through a combination of services, products and know-how.

Tsvetan Eliseev is a Manager in KPMG in Bulgaria’s Deal Advisory team and has substantial experience in the provision of financial advisory, due diligence, audit and audit-related services. He presently focuses on assisting local entities and international investors on a variety of financing, strategy, restructuring, acquisitions and disposals projects.
Tsvetan’s core competencies cover the preparation of financial analysis, financial assessment and forecasting, financial modelling including calculation and optimisation of operating costs, for the purposes of transactions or investment projects across a range of sectors.
Some of the projects in the water sector in which he is taking part include Audit of the transactions under projects co-financed under schemes "Improvement and development of the infrastructure for drinking and waste water" and "Technical assistance for preparation of investment projects" part of Operational programme "Environment" 2007-2013, as assigned by the Ministry of Environment and Water; Specialised consultancy services for preparation of analysis and evaluation, identifying the need for improvement of administrative capacity and resource provision for the structures participating in the water sector reform, as assigned by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works; and Specialised consultancy services for support to water associations and operators in the development of administrative and technical documents, agreements, reports and analyses, as assigned by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works. The scope of work includes preparation of updated lists of publicly held water sector assets; adaptation of the sample agreement and its appendices for the management, operation and maintenance of water systems; as well as preparation of a package of sample administrative documents necessary for the functioning of water associations.