Jeremy Bird

Former Director General, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo, Sri Lanka

Ex officio member of the WLE Steering Committee

Jeremy Bird specializes in water resources policy, management and institutions and joined IWMI in October 2012, after having been CEO of the Mekong River Commission for three years. He left his post as DG in September of 2017.

Jeremy started his career as a chartered civil engineer before moving into the water sector in the mid-1980s with master’s degrees in irrigation engineering and later water law and policy. Jeremy’s varied career includes research and consultancy work across Asia and Africa and experience with project development for the Asian Development Bank. From 1998 to 2001, he was a part of the Secretariat of the World Commission on Dams and then coordinated the follow-up activity, the Dams and Development Project with UNEP.

As an independent consultant, he has undertaken policy compliance assessments on hydropower projects for a number of development banks. In 2011, he advised the German government on the Bonn Conference on Water, Food and Energy Security.

Content authored by Jeremy Bird

  • Nuozhadu, the largest dam on the Lancang (Mekong) River

    Greater Mekong region needs innovative water plan

  • Blog Post
    Kenyan farmers posing with a solar irrigation pump.

    Stronger together: unlocking Africa's food production potential

  • Blog Post
    irrigation technology south africa

    Better water, better jobs

  • A holistic approach to dams

  • Blog Post

    Game Changers Poised to Boost Irrigated Agriculture