Philippines
Matthew Westfall is an urban planner, documentary filmmaker and writer with over 30 years of experience in the field of international development. Matthew has broad-based expertise in urban infrastructure project operations, economic and sector work, public-private partnerships, regional cooperation, and external relations and communications. He has led multidisciplinary teams on large investment projects, complex training and capacity building programs for local governments and communities, and strategy formulation and policy dialogue with donors and clients. As an urban sector expert, Matthew provided leadership and strategic management for operations in the Central and West Asia Region (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia and the South Caucasus) and developed a robust loan pipeline. He established and managed ADB’s Azerbaijan Resident Mission in Baku, where he led lending and technical assistance programs that targeted municipal development, transport, urban water supply and sanitation, renewable energy, and education. As regional director based in Frankfurt, Germany , Matthew oversaw operations in 10 Central and West Asia countries. He also served as ADB's country director in Kazakhstan where he led project operations, private sector development and external relations and outreach. Matthew is an award-winning writer, producer and director of film and video productions that tackle the issues of poverty, megacities, gender disparities, education and the environment. His productions, garnering an array of festival awards, have been broadcast worldwide, and narrated by such celebrities as Malcolm McDowell, Willem Dafoe, and F. Murray Abraham. His public service announcements, featuring the music of Enya, have aired globally on CNN and Bloomberg. In his spare time, Matthew enjoys writing and exploring history. His first work of narrative nonfiction, The Devil’s Causeway, a story about the early American military experience in the Philippines, was published by Lyons Press in September 2012, garnering a coveted starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. The paperback edition of The Devil's Causeway was released in March 2020. Matthew co-founded Full Circle Craft Distillers Co., a passion project that aims to place the Philippines on the global craft spirits map. As Head Distiller and Chief Operating Officer, Matthew heads the team behind Full Circle's award-winning line of artisanal Archipelago spirits, which have quickly emerged as the top craft spirits brand in the Philippines and can now be found in selected markets in Asia, Europe and the US.
Co-Founder, Head Distiller and Chief Operating Officer at the first authentic craft distillery in the Philippines, Full Circle Craft Distillers Co. Our PEZA-accredited, export-oriented facility features a state-of-the-art 450-liter CARL copper pot still from Germany, the technology behind the world's finest spirits. Archipelago Botanical Gin, our flagship spirit, is handcrafted from 28 botanicals, 22 of which are foraged from across the Philippines. Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/fullcircledistillers
Founded and managed award-winning film and video production company that produces programming on international development. Documentaries screened in UK, Germany, Belgium, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, US, and New York's Museum of Modern Art. Notable productions include: The Last Refuge: The Aetas of the Philippines and Their Struggle to Survive. Wrote, produced and directed award-winning documentary for television broadcast on the Aeta "Negritos", tribal hunter-gatherers on Mt. Pinatubo in Northern Luzon, Philippines. Funded by the Philippines’ National Commission on Culture and the Arts. On Borrowed Land. Wrote, produced and directed award-winning television documentary on Reclamation squatter area along Manila Bay, Philippines. Funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Executive Producer: Oliver Stone. Narrated by Willem Dafoe. International premiere at the Hawaii International Film Festival.
Provided leadership, advice and strategic management on operations in a 10-country region that comprised a $14.6 billion portfolio with 125 projects under active implementation, and delivery of over $3.6 billion in new lending annually in the energy, urban services, finance, transport and environment sectors. Responsibilities included providing strategic advice and support to project operations, engaging with clients and development partners, promoting private sector development, coordinating with cofinanciers, and overseeing external relations and outreach.
Provided leadership and strategic management to the Kazakhstan Resident Mission (Astana and Almaty offices), oversaw an annual public sector lending and TA program of $312 million in the urban services, transport, energy and finance sectors, and an ongoing portfolio of eight projects with a value of $1.65 billion. Coordinated ADB’s activities in Kazakhstan and maintained frequent contact with the government, donor partners, the private sector, academia, media, non-government organizations and civil society. Reported regularly on current economic and political developments, and major policy and institutional changes. Supervised logistical arrangements for all ADB missions, high-level delegations, and Board of Director visits. Coordinated ADB's highly successful 47th Annual Meeting in Astana in May, 2014. Conceptualized and led formulation of a landmark $5.5 billion cofinancing accord, signed between ADB President Takehiko Nakao and President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev at the opening ceremony of the Annual Meeting, that sets forth a new paradigm for partnership on the country's development agenda.
Provided leadership and strategic management on operations in a 10-country region that comprises an $11 billion portfolio and over $3.7 billion in new lending annually in the energy, urban and transport sectors. Responsibilities included providing support to project operations, engaging with clients and development partners, promoting private sector development, coordinating with cofinanciers, and overseeing external relations and outreach.
Responsible for a $1.4 million technical advisory services component of a $50 million Housing Guaranty loan in support of decentralization and shelter policy objectives. Managed policy monitoring and oversaw attainment of national agency benchmarks in support of 1991 Local Government Code. Managed technical teams providing support to 60 chartered cities across the Philippines for GIS-based land use mapping; financial management, including computerization of real property tax; credit finance and bond flotation; capital investment programming; low-income housing assessments; and urban environmental management. Managed sub-project proposal preparation, negotiations and administration of "task order" contract mechanism. Outputs included a "City Sharing Program" of best practices for mayors and an "Urban Development Sector Review" for national decision makers. Provided guidance on the formulation of a national urban policy.
Business Development. Responsible for proposal writing for USAID and other clients. Demonstrated track record of success: the $1.4 million USAID-funded Decentralized Shelter and Urban Development (DSUD) in the Philippines, and the $24 million USAID-funded Community Urban Services Support Project (CUSSP) in South Africa. Familiar with USAID contracting, procurement and project management. Film & Video Production. Produced broadcast documentaries on location in Morocco, South Africa, and the Philippines, focusing on issues of housing, urban upgrading and the environment. Responsible for establishing in-house video production capabilities; integrating with GIS and multimedia. Produced corporate brochures, proposals and other presentations. Urban Policy and Planning. Responsible for technical reports on urban development policy, environmental management and urban development planning. Provided technical oversight and management to ongoing contracts and promotions. Tasks included: Overview of the Soviet Housing Sector. Co-wrote extensive overview of the Soviet Housing Sector for AID's Office of Housing and Urban Programs to facilitate their long-range objective of providing technical assistance in support of durable democratic institutions and the transformation to market-oriented systems. Reforms, housing production and management, housing finance and private sector participation were evaluated and analyzed. Priority areas for technical assistance were recommended. (USAID, 1991) Udaipur Serviced Land Delivery Seminar, India. Co-wrote AID keynote paper on land policy for India's senior policy-makers. Analyzed constraints to the provision of serviced land and evaluated public-private partnerships. Provided recommendation for private sector cost sharing of urban infrastructure, capital financing and cost recovery options. (USAID, 1991)