Simon White, Managing Director

Dr Simon White is a specialist in business environment reform, private sector development and regional and local economic development. He has proven experience in working at local, national and international levels in policy design and evaluation, programme development and management, as well as in strategic planning and organizational development. He has worked as a self-employed consultant since 1990 in over 25 countries across Africa, Australia, Asia, as well as parts of Europe and the Pacific. His clients include international development agencies, donor agencies, national governments, local government authorities, business membership organizations, consulting and research firms, and non-governmental organizations.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

Doctorate of Philosophy

University of Western Australia, Political Science and International Relations; awarded in 2005

Thesis title: Globalisation, the nation-state and the politics of development in peripheral regions

Key themes: institutions for economic development, role of the nation state, political economy of development, local economic development.

Masters of Arts (Science and Technology Policy)

Murdoch University, Institute of Science and Technology Policy (Western Australia); awarded in 1992

Key themes: local economic development models, informal economy, industrialisation of developing countries; sustainable development.

Company Director's Diploma

University of New England NSW, Australia; awarded in 1989

Bachelor of Social Work

Curtin University; awarded in 1984

 

Current Employment

Managing Director: Southern African IDEAS (Initiatives for the Development of Enterprising Action and Strategies) Pty. Ltd.

Southern African IDEAS is a consulting firm founded in Namibia in 1993 and now based in Johannesburg providing consulting advice in private sector development, business environment reform, regional and local economic development, and job creation.

For further information: http://www.saideas.com

Visiting Adjunct Professor: Graduate School of Public Development Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

The University of the Witwatersrand’s LINK (Learning, Information, Networking and Knowledge) Centre, a leading South African teaching and consultancy institution in the ICT sector, has engaged Simon to assist in winning and delivering research and consultancy projects. In addition, he provides academic advice and supervision to Master and PhD students of the Graduate School of Public Development Management.

For further information: http://link.wits.ac.za/profile/profile.html

 

Career Summary

After graduating in 1984, Simon worked in a non-government organization dealing with local responses to unemployment and was then employed by the Western Australian Government for five years. Since then his career has focussed on providing professional advice to governments, international development and donor agencies and private sector groups. He applies a multidisciplinary approach to his work integrating economic, enterprise and social development, political economy, organizational development, innovation and entrepreneurship, regional and sustainable development.

Professional Competencies

Simon applies the following professional competencies to his work:

• Extensive experience in policy, strategy and programme development: he has a sound knowledge of the requirements of policy, strategy and programme design and management. He has worked with a range of governments to formulate and review policies and programmes and has managed complex strategic planning processes.
• Reputation in thought-leadership and innovative solutions: throughout his career, Simon has provided intellectual leadership––he has written, taught and advised on current trends, and effectively supported clients to think and act differently in order to achieve their desired outcomes.
• Broad management and leadership skills: Simon has managed complex processes at national and international levels. He is experienced in working with, and leading, multi-disciplinary and multi-national teams of professionals to carry out research projects, programme evaluations and policy formulation and review processes. This has required him to manage personnel and budgets.
• Strong negotiation, advocacy and collaboration skills: Simon has a proven ability in helping clients obtain the outcomes they desire through negotiation, advocacy and collaboration. He has facilitated processes that mobilise financial, human and technical resources for disadvantaged communities and projects, and has advised and taught on the skills and techniques required for economic empowerment and sustainability.
• Experience in working with a wide range of international development and donor agencies: Simon has worked directly with over 20 multilateral and bilateral development agencies at headquarter and field office levels, including non-government development agencies. He is fully conversant with key development protocols and agreements and current best practices and procedures. He has prepared guidance, training material and published in this field.
• Sound understanding of and experience in knowledge management: knowledge management has been a central part of most of Simon’s professional experience and is a skill he excels in. In addition to managing and delivering the content of a number of national and international conferences and seminars, some involving over two and three hundred people, he has prepared guides and resource material that promote best practices and professional standards.
• Experience in promoting good governance and strategic roles for government: with technical experience spanning public policy development, the reform of business-related government regulation and legislation and the assessment of the impact of public policy on private sector development, Simon has a long history of supporting the improvement of public governance and identifying the strategic role government can play in enhancing economic and social development.
• Experience in developed and developing country contexts: Simon has extensive experience in working in developed and developing economies and states. This experience enables him to better appreciate and advise on the strategic roles of governments, donor and development agencies and business and community organizations working within these economies.
• Qualified and practical research and evaluation skills: Simon has designed, managed, reported on, and presented findings on a range of national and international research projects in public, private and academic settings. He has produced analytical reports that have influenced the thinking and direction of international and national organizations and supported the creation of new policy, programme and business initiatives.
• Able to work in diverse settings: Simon’s experience in over 25 countries has enabled him to work within diverse cultural, social and economic settings. This includes small rural communities, island states, large urban centres, informal squatter communities, and post-conflict situations.
• Effective presentation, training and curriculum development skills: Simon is a confident and skilled public speaker and is able to communicate technical and strategic issues to a wide range of local, national and international audiences. He has extensive experience in teaching and curriculum development, both in academic and applied development contexts.
• Understanding of critical development issues facing Africa, Asia and the Pacific: while these regions are extremely diverse, Simon has a sound knowledge of the factors affecting their development. His experience in these regions has made him acutely aware of the specific political, social, economic, historic and cultural factors that affect the prospects for development and how these should be accommodated into policy, strategy and programme planning.

Dr. White has provided consulting services to clients in the following countries: Australia, Barbados, Botswana, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Maldives, Malaysia, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palestine Territories, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Dr White provides services in the following areas of speciality:

BETTER BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS

Helping strategic partners - public, private and community - understand and improve the business environment and enhance its contribution to economic development and poverty reduction

National and local business environment reform processes, tools and strategies

Assessing the business environment and identifying priorities for reform

Documenting and promoting best practice in business environment reform

Building competencies and capacities among strategic partners to assess the business environment and design, manage and monitor reform programmes

PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT

Assisting in the assessment, design, implementation and management of private sector development policy frameworks

Advising in the design and management of private sector development strategies

Documenting and promoting best practice in private sector development

Assisting in the design, management and evaluation of business development services

Providing research and knowledge management on private sector development

Supporting business development agencies, informal business associations, and chambers of commerce to strategically plan and implement development programmes

REGIONAL AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Assessing regional and local economic development capacities and opportunities

Working with regional and local agents (e.g., local government authorities, business associations, provincial authorities, community-based organizations) to design economic and enterprise development initiatives

Building regional and local skills and capacities for development planning and management

EMPLOYMENT, JOB CREATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Assessing and improving policy and legal frameworks for more and better jobs for women and men in the private sector, especially in small enterprises

Designing and managing job creation programmes at national, provincial and local levels

Designing skills development instruments and programmes

ASSIGNMENTS UNDERTAKEN IN BETTER BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS

Commissioned by the International Labour Organization in Beirut to oversee and guide an assessment of the business environment, policy legal and regulatory framework for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the Palestinian Territories. While this was in response to a request from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of National Economy, in collaboration with the ILO, coordinated the process (2009-2010).

Commissioned by the International Labour Organization in New Delhi to provide technical supervision to a research programme in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and two states in India (Orissa and Tamil Nadu), on policy and legal reforms that will promote the growth of micro and small enterprises, with special emphasis given on the role of labour law in promoting or inhibiting growth (2009-2010).

Commissioned by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) in South Africa to lead a mid-term review of the ComMark Trust, an organization applying making markets work for the poor (M4P) methodologies across the Southern African region (2009).

Commissioned by the GTZ (Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit) to design and facilitate a seminar on business environment reform in Africa, conducted in Windhoek, Namibia (2009)

Commissioned by the International Labour Organization to run a training programme in Kenya on how to assess and design reforms in the business environment that improve opportunities for women in business (2009)

Commission by GTZ (Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit) to design and run a training course for new staff on business environment reform, as a part of their training programme on Economic Policy for Non-Economists, in Eschborn, Germany (2009)

Commissioned by the International Labour Organization in Geneva to review the work of the Job Creation and Enterprise Development Department and to prepare a five-year strategy for the promotion of sustainable enterprises. This included the management of a eight-month review and strategy development process for the department, preparation of a technical report on the role of the ILO in supporting business environment reform for the promotion of sustainable enterprises, and the formulation of the department’s strategy on the promotion of sustainable enterprises (2009)

Commissioned by the Trust Africa (Independent Research and Development Council) in Senegal to evaluate the Investment Climate and Business Environment Research Fund (2009)

Commissioned by the International Training Centre (Italy) and the International Labour Organization (Geneva) to develop the core curriculum for the training programme entitled, Conducive Business Environments for the Development of Sustainable Enterprises (2009)

Commissioned by the World Bank Group to undertake an international mapping and analysis of donor and development agency support of alternative dispute resolution reforms in developing countries (2008)

Commissioned by the Department of Local and Provincial Government (Local Economic Development Project) to prepare resource material on how district and local municipalities in South Africa can improve the local business environment (2008)

Commissioned by the GTZ (Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit) in South Africa to design and conduct a training programme on local business environment reform (2008)

Commissioned by the international Donor Committee for Enterprise Development’s Business Environment Working Group to prepare donor guidance on business environment reform and to prepare training curriculum to accompany the distribution of the donor guidance (2008)

Commissioned by FIAS (World Bank and International Finance Corporation) to undertake a desktop review of administrative barriers for private investment in South Africa. This included a commentary on the political economy of reform in South Africa and the facilitation of a workshop involving public and private representatives (2006)

Commissioned by the international Donor Committee for Enterprise Development's Business Environment Working Group to prepare guidance for donor agencies within to support reform of the business environment in developing countries; this included an Asian Regional Consultative Conference (Bangkok, 2006) and an African Regional Consultative Conference (Accra, 2007)

Programme Director for the International Conference on the Business Environment; From Assessing Problems to Measuring Results, 29 November to 1 December 2005, Cairo, for the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development

Commissioned by the UK Department for International Development in Uganda to undertake an Output-to-Purpose Review of the Regulatory Best Practice Programme (2005)

Commissioned by the Donor Assistance Committee of the OECD in Paris to prepare guidelines for donor agencies on how official development assistance can be used to mobilise private investment for pro-poor development (2005)

Commissioned by the German development agency, GTZ, to advise in the design of a SME development program in the Philippines that focuses on supporting reforms in the investment climate (2004). This was followed in 2005 with technical assistance to design and facilitate a south-east Asian seminar for policy makers and development practitioners on 'Shaping an enabling business and investment climate; making reforms work' (July 2005); In 2006, this work was continued when Dr White was asked to design the second phase of the German technical co-operation programme for private sector development in the Philippines.

Commissioned by the OECD in Paris to prepare a paper on the use of official development assistance to promote a better investment climate in Africa, for the OECD-NEPAD Investment Roundtable (2005)

Commissioned by the Investment, Competition and Enabling Environment Team of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) in London to review DFID's global programme for reforming the enabling environment for economic development and pro-poor growth (2004)

Lead consultant (in a team of six consultants) in an assessment of the business environment in Bangladesh for the UK Department for International Development (DFID), including recommendations for an 8-10-year project to improve the investment climate for private sector development (2004)

Commissioned by the Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development, Working Group on Enabling Environment to prepare a report on the Donor Practices in Designing Initiatives for Improving the Business Environment for Small Enterprises (2004)

Preparation of a case study report on the role of donor agencies in reforming the business environment for small enterprises for the UK Department of International Development for inclusion in the World Bank's 2005 World Development Report

Preparation of a training curriculum on reforming the business environment for small enterprise development for the International Training Centre in Turin, Italy (2003)

Technical assistance to Deloitte and Touch (London) and Enterplan (London), on behalf of DFID, on the preparation of a finance window for the Business Linkage Challenge Fund and the Financial Deepening Challenge Fund, to enhance the use of these funds for projects that contribute to reform of the business environment for private sector development and poverty reduction (2002)

Technical assistance to ILO-SEED in a seven-country research study to investigate the impact of the policy and legal environment on employment within micro and small enterprises: Chile, Guinea, Pakistan, Peru, South Africa, Tanzania and Viet Nam (2001-2002)

Review of the policy, legal and regulatory environment for micro and small enterprises in Bangkok, Thailand, for the International Labour Organization (1999)

Investigation into the legal and regulatory environment for small and medium sized businesses in Uzbekistan on behalf of the International Labour Organization and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (1995)

ASSIGNMENTS UNDERTAKEN IN PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT

Commissioned by the UK Department for International Development in Pretoria as the lead consultant to conduct an evaluation of the Priority Sector Programme in Lesotho (March 2009); this led to an furthering commissioning in November-December to conduct the Project Closure Review, identifying lessons learnt and addressing issues regarding programme sustainability and impact.

Commissioned by the Mineworkers Development Agency to prepare a strategic plan for the Moliko Micro-Credit Trust in Lesotho (2008)

Commissioned by the Gauteng Provincial Government’s Department of Economic Development to prepare the Gauteng SMME (small, medium and micro enterprise) policy framework and strategy (2008)

Commissioned to undertake an evaluation of the Sida and ILO supported Business Development Services Zambia project; a five-year project designed to develop BDS markets through better media and information services (2008)

Commissioned by Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) to undertake a strategic review of the GTZ-Danida-funded, Support Programme for Enterprise Empowerment and Development (SPEED) Ghana (2008)

Commissioned by the Local Enterprise Agency (LEA) in Botswana to design and deliver a training programme for research officers engaged in preparing research reports for use in the design of business development interventions (2008)

Commissioned by Danida to prepare a scoping document for the next phase of the Danida-funded Business Sector Promotion programme in Ghana (2008)

Commissioned by the International Development and Research Council to prepare a global review of development and donor agency support for private sector development and to propose a research agenda for the Globalization, Growth, and Poverty Programme Initiative (2007) Paper available from: http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-129512-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html

Commissioned by Danida to conduct a joint review of the multi-donor funded national Private Sector Development Strategy for Ghana, including a review of Danida’s Business Sector Promotion programme (2007)

Commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York to assess the role of international development agencies in private sector development, as a contribution to the UNDP's private sector development strategy (2007)

Part of a four-member team providing a secretariat to the international Donor Committee on Enterprise Development; Simon White provides coordination of the secretariat in Africa (2007-2010)

Commissioned by the International Labour Organization to design a programme in Lesotho entitled, 'Productivity and Competitiveness Upgrading of the Lesotho Textile and Apparel Industry Through the Promotion of Decent and Productive Workplace Practices' (2006)

Technical assistance to the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NAFCOC) in Johannesburg in the preparation of an SMME Development Strategy (2006)

Technical assistance to the Transport Education and Training Authority in the preparation of a skills development plan for SMMEs in the transport sector (as a part of a contract undertaken by Blueprint Holdings) (2005-6)

Commissioned in South Africa by the National Youth Commission, SA Youth Council and Umsobomvu Youth Fund to prepare a national Youth Enterprise Strategy as an annex to the national Integrated Small Business Strategy (2005)

International Consultant to a review on small enterprise employment in Egypt for the International Labour Organization (2004)

Jointly commissioned by three national youth agencies in South Africa (National Youth Commission, South African Youth Council and the Umsobomvu Youth Fund) to prepare a submission to the Department of Trade and Industry on the promotion of youth enterprise in South Africa (2004)

Technical assistance to the Department of Trade and Industry in the preparation of the revised Integrated Small Business Development Strategy 2004-2014 in South Africa (2003)

Presenter at the annual SME Policies and Programmes training course held by the International Training Centre in Turin, Italy (2002, 2003, 2004)

Lead International Consultant to the international Committee of Donor Agencies on Small Enterprise Development, Working Group on Enabling Environment to prepare a five-country review of donor-led policy reform efforts (2002)

Technical assistance to the International Labour Organization in China for the preparation of a series of profiles on small enterprise development in selected locations, incorporating small enterprise employment analysis, policy and legal frameworks, market development, and the provision of financial and business development services (2002/03)

Technical assistance to the UNDP-ILO project in Nepal to review the policy environment for micro and small enterprises (2002/03)

Preparation of the final report on policy and programme support for micro and small enterprise development for the International Labour Organization and United Nations Development Programme in Thailand; in association with the Royal Thai Government (1999)

Preparation of an Operations Manual for Local Business Service Centres in South Africa for the Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency (1999)

Preparation of a report for the International Labour Organization on international best practices in youth enterprise development (1997)

Preparation of a guide for the assessment of policy, legal and regulatory environments affecting small and medium-sized enterprises for the International Labour Organization in Geneva (1999)

Preparation of a three-year strategic plan for the Targeted Assistance Division of the Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency, South Africa's national small, micro and medium-sized enterprise promotion agency (1998)

Preparation of a project document for the United Nations Development Programme and International Labour Organization on the improvement of work conditions, creation of social protection and enterprise development within the urban informal sector in the Philippines, Metro Manila, Davao and Zamboanga City (1998)

Preparation of a strategy document for the Local Business Service Centre (LBSC) programme of Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency, a national network of community-based enterprise promotion agencies support by Ntsika throughout South Africa (1998)

Preparation of a guide for local authorities on small business development entitled Strategies for Small Business Development, for the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and the Namibia National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (1997)

Preparation of a report on best practice in small enterprise promotion and development for the International Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development, managed by the International Labour Organization in Geneva (1996)

Design of a regional project to promote the development of small and medium sized enterprises in Central Asia, which was a part of the former Soviet Union, with an emphasis on Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan (1995)

Preparation of a case study and strategy document on the Okutumbatumba Hawkers' Association, an association of some 500 hawkers in Katutura-Windhoek, Namibia: funded by NORAD (1994)

Design of a series of strategies for Enterprise Driven Development in South Africa for the National Economic Initiative--providing recommendations to the NEI as to how they can promote black economic empowerment through enterprise promotion (1994)

Preparation of a report to the Commonwealth Youth Programme Africa Centre on the future operations of their Youth Enterprise Development Fund (1994)

Development of a training and resource package for workers assisting the development of community enterprises in Namibia: funded by Oxfam UK and Ireland (1993)

Design of a series of projects in Indonesia, which improve the enterprises of the informal sector and promote entrepreneurship and self-employment amongst recent school leavers. Contracted by the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Development Programme (1989)

ASSIGNMENTS UNDERTAKEN IN REGIONAL AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Project leader in the development of the Gaborone District Development Index for the Gaborone City Council – funded by the United Nations Development Programme in Botswana (2008)

Project Leader for the development of a private investment facilitation strategy in agriculture (crops) for the Central Development Corridor as part of the Development Bank of Southern Africa’s Spatial Development Initiative (2007)

Commissioned by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva to prepare a training programme on the role of business associations in local economic development (2007)

Project Leader for the Blueprint Consulting Team commissioned by the Platinum Beneficiation Committee (managed by MINTEK) in South Africa to assess the Platinum Group Metals (PGM) Input value chain and develop a strategy for increasing investment, productivity and employment in the PGM Inputs sector (2007)

Commissioned by the International Labour Organization in Geneva to prepare a strategy paper on Local and Sectoral Approaches for the promotion of decent work at the local level (2005)

Technical assistance and training to the Urban Trust of Namibia (UTN) on local economic development (LED); including a (HIVOS-funded) evaluation of the LED program, design of a new LED program, and support to local government authorities associated with the UTN (2004)

Technical assistance to the South African Department for Trade and Industry to prepare the national Co-operatives Development Strategy, including the facilitation of nine provincial consultation workshops (2004)

Commissioned by the Australian National Native Title Tribunal to assess the ways that Native Title processes could be enhanced to promote new regional economic and employment opportunities for Indigenous People in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia (2004)

Preparation of a Local Economic and Social Development Resource Kit for local development practitioners and planners in the Philippines for the International Labour Organization (2003)

Review of economic and business development practices amongst Aboriginal communities in the southwest of Western Australia, for the Aboriginal Affairs Planning Authority (1992)

Preparation of a local economic development strategy for the City of Windhoek in Namibia (2001)

Preparation of the Small Towns LEED (Local Economic and Employment Development) Project in South Africa for the International Labour Organization (2001)

Preparation of a discussion paper on strategies for the promotion of local economic development for the Employment Creation and Enterprise Development Department of the ILO, Geneva (2001)

Consultant to Doing More With Agriculture--an initiative of the Western Australian Minister for Primary Industries which addresses the development of small rural towns and their agricultural-based local economies (1997 and 1998)

Design of the Competitive EDGE (Enterprise Development for Growth and Equity) campaign of the National Small Business Council, including the 40 Town Programme focussing on forty small towns in South Africa (1997)

Design of a regional economic strategy for the Capes Region in the south west of Western Australia for the Shires of Augusta-Margaret River and Busselton-this included the development of a regional business database containing essential information on all agricultural and non-agricultural business in the region (1995 to 1996)

Design of a regional economic strategy for the Eastern Metropolitan Local Authorities Group (EMLAG), being the local governments of Mundaring, Swan, Kalamunda, Bassendean, Belmont, and Bayswater, Western Australia (1995)

Design of a regional economic and employment strategy for the Dorrigo Plateau (NSW) known as 'Dorrigo: Toward and Beyond 2000' (1994 to 1995)

Consultant to the Namibia National Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the design and implementation of a national campaign entitled Creating a Participatory Economic Culture. Funded by the Ford Foundation, this work was a key element in the Affirmative Action policy of the Namibia National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (1994)

Design of a business attraction and expansion strategy for the southeast metro region of Perth, Western Australia (1993)

Technical Adviser to the Namibia National Chamber of Commerce and Industry to aid in the establishment of a national economic development programme (1992)

ASSIGNMENTS UNDERTAKEN IN EMPLOYMENT, JOB CREATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Commissioned by the International Labour Organization in Geneva to manage a review of the Job Creation and Enterprise Development Department – this included overall management of the review process and technical advice (2009)

Project Leader of Blueprint consulting team engaged to prepare a feasibility study and business plan for a diamond training academy in Kimberley, Northern Cape Province, South Africa on behalf of De Beers and the Northern Cape Government (2006-2007)

Designed, conducted and reported on a survey of 4,000 manufacturing firms in South Africa to identify skill demands and labour market dynamics among five key sub-sectors (Automotive, Motor, Metals, Plastics, and New Tyres) for Blueprint Holdings on behalf of the MERSETA (Manufacturing, Engineering, and Related Services Education and Training Authority) (2006)

Technical assistance in the preparation of a skills development plan for the South African Transport Education and Training Authority (TETA) - study on training needs in small enterprises in the transport sector (as a part of the Blueprint consulting group) (2005)

Commissioned by the Umsobomvu Youth Fund in South Africa to review the implementation of the National Youth Service Programme, identify best practices in this field, and make recommendations to the Deputy President's Office on improving skills development though national youth service programmes (2007)

Technical assistance to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Secretariat to prepare a Strategic Framework for NEPAD Youth Programme (2004)

National research into the education and employment needs of young people in rural Australia, with the IDEAS Group and Edith Cowan University, commissioned by the National Youth Affairs Research Scheme (1999)

Preparation of the National Strategy to Promote Economic Participation by Young People in South Africa, for the National Youth Commission and the Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency (1999)

Technical assistance to the International Focus Programme of the International Labour Organization in Geneva known as 'Boosting employment through small enterprise development' (ILO-SEED) to assist in policy reform measures in Viet Nam, Botswana, West Africa, and Pakistan (2000-2002)

Preparation of a strategy and work plan for the International Labour Organization in Geneva on the promotion of job quality within small enterprises (1999)

Preparation of a Strategic and Work Plan for the Affirmative Action Advisory Services Desk of the Namibia National Chamber of Commerce and Industry; funded by the Ford Foundation (1996)

Preparation of resource 'tools' for the LIFE (Local Initiatives For Employment) programme of the Victorian Department of Business and Employment (1995)

Preparation of an Affirmative Action Policy for the Namibia National Chamber of Commerce and Industry – subsequently adopted by the National Council (1993)

Design of an Aboriginal Employment Strategy for P&O Catering and Services with Nanga Services in Western Australia

Business planning, management advice and strategy development provided to Palencia Pty Ltd (an Aboriginal building company) and Palencia Employment Services, an Aboriginal employment agency, based in Western Australia (1992)

Preparation of a strategic plan for the operations of the Clontarf Aboriginal College's Employment and Training Programme (1991)

PUBLICATIONS

He is an experienced writer and is comfortable with a variety of writing formats - a list of publications and other written material can be provided upon request. He is also an experienced public speaker, group facilitator and conference moderator.

Policies for small enterprises: Creating the right environment for good jobs (co-authored with Gerhard Reinecke), International Labour Organization, 2004

Available from Amazon Books: http://www.amazon.com/Policies-Small-Enterprises-Creating-Environment/dp/9221137244/ref=sr_11_1/184-3984476-6155411?ie=UTF8&qid=1226135308&sr=11-1

Supporting business environment reforms; practical guidance for development agencies, Donor Committee for Enterprise Development, 2008 (Simon White, principal author)

Available from: http://www.enterprise-development.org/download.aspx?id=586

Spanish version available from: http://www.enterprise-development.org/download.aspx?id=1328

Mapping of commercial alternative dispute resolution programmes in developing economies; Donor and development agencies and service providers, International Finance Corporation, Washington DC, June 2008

Available on request from: aalvarez1@worldbank.org

A conceptual framework to guide research on private sector development in developing countries, IDRC (International Development Research Centre) Working Paper Number 6 on Globalization, Growth and Poverty, August 2008

Available from: http://www.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/12192455481Conceptual_Framework-PSD.fv.pdf

Improving the local business environment, booklet produced for GTZ, South African Department of Provincial and Local Government, South African Department of Trade and Industry, and the South African Local Government Association, July 2008

Available from: http://www2.gtz.de/wbf/doc/SA_LBE_booklet_v1_2008.pdf

Opening presentation at the Donor Committee Conference: ‘Asian and global lessons for more effective donor practices’, Bangkok, 29 November to 1 December 2006

Available from: http://www.businessenvironment.org/dyn/be/docs/132/Day1PlenaryWhite.pdf

Mobilising investment for development - ODA and investment synergies in Africa, OECD, Paris - prepared as a background document to the NEPAD/OECD Investment Initiative Roundtable, 'Investment for African Development: Making it Happen', Entebbe, Uganda, May 2005

Available from: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/25/7/34783829.pdf

Enhancing private investment for development: Policy guidance for development agencies, OECD, Paris, November 2005

Available from: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/13/12/36751869.pdf

Improving the business environment in the Philippines; A case study of GTZ's support for a better business environment for small and medium-sized enterprises in the Philippines. Written by Simon White, presented by Martina Vahlhaus (GTZ) and Federico M. Macaranas (Executive Director, Policy Centre, Asian Institute of Management, Manila) at the International Conference on 'Reforming the Business Environment; From Assessing Problems to Measuring Results', Cairo 29 November to 1 December 2005

Available from: http://www.businessenvironment.org/dyn/be/docs/72/Session1.4ValhausDoc.pdf

Assessing the influence of the business environment on small enterprise employment; an assessment guide (co-authored with Christine Gaignebet and Gerhard Reinecke), Series on Conducive Policy Environment for Small Enterprise Employment, SEED Working Paper No. 71E, ILO, Geneva, 2005

Available from: http://www.ilo.org/dyn/empent/docs/F2000738389/WP71E-2005.pdf

Review of DFID activities in the enabling environment (co-authored with Peter Fortune), report prepared for the DFID Investment, Competition and Enabling Environment Team, Policy Division, December 2004

Available from: http://www.enterprise-impact.org.uk/word-files/DFIDReviewEnablingdec04-TC.doc

Donor approaches to improving the business environment for small enterprises, Working Group on Enabling Environment, Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development, July 2004

Available from: http://www.enterprise-development.org/download.aspx?id=126

Donor experiences in supporting reforms to the investment climate for small enterprise development, Case study commissioned by the UK Department for International Development as a contribution to World Development Report 2005 on Investment Climate, Growth and Poverty, November 2003

Available from: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWDR2005/Resources/477407-1096581040435/dfid_white_2.pdf

Enabling small enterprise development through a better business environment; Donor experiences in supporting reforms in the business environment (co-authored with Juan Chacaltana, Peru), Working Group on Enabling Environment, Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development, November 2002

Available from: http://www.enterprise-development.org/download.aspx?id=125

SELECTED PUBLIC TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS

Simon White is an experienced public speaker and conference moderator, as the following sample of reports and publications demonstrate.

• Programme director and moderator for the African regional seminar on Making Reforms Work in Johannesburg 2006, sponsored by German technical cooperation (GTZ)
• Programme director and moderator for the Asian regional seminar on Making Reforms Work in Manila 2005, sponsored by German technical cooperation (GTZ)
• Principal trainer and seminar facilitator for a series of seminars on local economic development conducted in various locations in Namibia for local government councillors, mayors and senior staff (2004, 2005), sponsored by the Urban Trust of Namibia
• Presentation on international best practice in the reform of policy and legal frameworks for small enterprise employment; ILO sub-regional meeting, Bangalore, India (2003)
• Presentation on small enterprise policies and the business environment to the NEPAD meeting on SME Development, Johannesburg, South Africa (2003)
• Key note address on emerging issues in reform of the business environment for small enterprises; Economic Research Forum (Egypt) and the International Development Research Centre (Canada) Workshop on the Enabling Environment for the Private Sector in MENA (Middle East North Africa) Region, in Cairo, Egypt (2003)
• Presentation to the international Committee of Donor Agencies for Small Enterprise Development meeting in Turin, Italy, on the role of donor agencies in promoting an enabling environment for small enterprise development (2002)
• Principal consultant and lead facilitator for the Prince Albert LEED (Local Economic and Employment Development) Week - a week-long series of participatory community workshops and seminars designed to identify new local development opportunities in the small town of Prince Albert in the Western Province of South Africa (2002)
• Presentation of a paper on the policy and legal environment for SME promotion in Beijing, China (2001)
• Presentation to two national conferences on the household, individual and small enterprise sector in Viet Nam, organized by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (2000, 2001)
• Presentation of a paper on 'Best Practice in Youth Enterprise Promotion in Australia' to an international conference on 'Youth Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment', conducted by the OECD in Rome (November 1999)
• Facilitated and led a series of workshops with local authorities in Namibia on small business and local economic development (1997)
• Presented a paper on national youth policies at the National Youth Summit, Cape Town, South Africa (1997)
• Co-facilitator of the Pan-Commonwealth Experts Workshop on National Youth Policy in Chandigarh, India, for the Commonwealth Secretariat (1996)
• 'Innovations in Enterprise Development' Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1991)
• Speaking Tour of New Zealand on the development of finance mechanisms for local economic development. Auckland, Palmerston North and Christchurch (1990)

List of previous clients

• Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Commission (Australia)
• Australian Agency for International Development (South Africa)
• Centre for International Private Enterprise (USA) (Namibian project)
• City of Windhoek (Namibia)
• Clontarf Aboriginal College (Australia)
• Commonwealth Youth Programme (London)
• Commonwealth Secretariat (London and South Africa)
• Commonwealth Youth Programme Africa Centre (Zambia)
• Community Skills Training Centre (Australia)
• Community Employment Group, Department of Labour (New Zealand Government)
• Consultative Business Movement (South Africa)
• Danish International Development Agency
• Deloitte and Touche (London)
• Department for International Development (DIFD, London)
• Department of Trade and Industry (South Africa)
• Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (Global)
• Eastern Metropolitan Local Authorities Group (Australia)
• Economic Research Forum (Egypt)
• Enterplan (London)
• Flemish International Cooperation Agency (South Africa)
• Ford Foundation (Namibia)
• Foreign Investment Advisory Service (FIAS, Washington DC)
• Forum for the Future (Namibia)
• Fremantle City Council (Australia)
• Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (Namibia)
• Gauteng Provincial Government (South Africa)
• Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ, Eschborn)
• International Development Research Centre, North Africa Office (Egypt)
• International Finance Corporation (Washington DC)
• International Labour Organization (Global)
• ITSD Consulting (South Africa)
• Katutura Youth Enterprise Centre (Namibia)
• Khomas Women in Development (Namibia)
• Local Enterprise Agency (Botswana)
• Mineworkers Development Agency (South Africa)
• Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs (Government of Botswana)
• Ministry of Youth (Government of the Maldives)
• Moliko Micro-Credit Trust (Lesotho)
• Namibia Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Namibia Chamber of Craft
• Namibia Development Trust
• Namibia Women's Centre
• Nanga Employment Services (Australia)
• National Economic Initiative (South Africa)
• National Business Initiative (South Africa)
• National Planning Commission (Government of Namibia)
• National Youth Affairs Research Scheme (Australia)
• National Youth Commission (South Africa)
• National Youth Council of Namibia
• National Small Business Council (South Africa)
• Native Title Tribunal (Australia)
• New South Wales Department of Business and Regional Development (Australia)
• Norwegian Church Aid (Namibia)
• Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Namibia)
• Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency (South Africa)
• Okutumbatumba Hawkers’ Association (Namibia)
• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (Paris)
• Oxfam UK and Ireland (Namibia)
• P&O Catering and Services (Australia)
• Palencia Building Pty Ltd (Australia)
• Shires of Augusta-Margaret River (Australia)
• Shire of Busselton (Australia)
• Swedish International Development Agency (Namibia)
• TrustAfrica (Senegal)
• Urban Trust of Namibia
• United Nations Development Programme (New York)
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization (Vienna)
• Umsobomvu Youth Fund (South Africa)
• Victorian Department of Business and Employment (Australia)
• Wanneroo Economic Development Association (Australia)
• Western Australian Department of Agriculture
• Western Australian Land Authority
• Westrek Foundation (Australia)
• Woodside Offshore Petroleum (Australia)
• World Bank (Washington DC)
• Youth Business Initiative (Australia)

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