Senior Executive Members

Founder and Chairman -

David J. Yates, West Vancouver, BC, Canada. In 1980, Mr. Yates held the position of Director of International Operations and served as a Director on the Board of Neweld Plastics (UK) Ltd.; lead the company’s expansion into Canada and was appointed President of Neweld Plastics Ltd. (Canada). Neweld Plastics (UK) Ltd. was the country’s largest custom manufacturer of thermoplastic stationary products and held exclusive contracts with British Airways, WH Smith, Trustee Savings Bank, etc.. In 1983, Mr. Yates formed and served as Chairman and Chief Research Officer of Marwest International Lining Systems Inc., B.C., Canada, which collaborated with Solvay & Cie, Brussels, Belgium; Plavina & Cie S.N.C. (Solvay subsidiary), Oudenaarde, Belgium; and Sevylor International, Buhl, France, in the development and fabrication of a flexible coated membrane for carrying bulk potable water in the center tanks of Ore/Bulk/Oil Carriers. 1n 1990, Mr. Yates was appointed Director of Research (Canada) for the Centre for International Technology Transfer and Trade (CIT3), Portland, Oregon, U.S, a consulting firm specializing in offset credit agreements.

Mr. Yates founded the Genesis Facility Foundation in August 1992, incorporated the Foundation under the Society Act of BC in April 1993, and serves as Chairman.

Director-General -

Michael C. Gucovsky, New York, NY, United States. In 1962, he became Director of the Office of Economics, Israel Water Commission. He formulated the water resources development and pricing policies that served as the basis for Israel’s sustainable management of its scarce water resources. In 1966, he was invited to join the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the world’s largest multilateral grant development organization. After serving in several administrative positions within the UNDP Regional Bureau for Latin America and Caribbean, he became Director of the UNDP Bureau of Programme Policy and Evaluation, where he was responsible for technical aspects of human resources development; macro-economic management and trade; economic integration of development programs focused on the private sector and technology; natural resources and management of arid and semi-arid lands; multi-purpose river basin and energy use; end-use demand efficiency; and environmental management. His expertise in the efficient use and conservation of water and energy enabled him to act as the UNDP Chief Negotiator at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED ‘92 – Earth Summit). Preceding and during the Earth Summit, he negotiated finance and technology policies, and institutional and capacity building requirements, resulting in the adoption of Agenda 21. Agenda 21 established the importance of maintaining a strategy and standards for global sustainability.

In 1993, he was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations as Deputy Chief of Mission for the United Nations Peace Keeping and Building Operations in El Salvador (ONUSAL). He served in this function through 1994. Mr. Gucovsky led the UNDP delegations to the First Conferences of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biodiversity in 1994 and 1995 respectively, and served as the Inaugural Executive Coordinator of the Global Environment Facility, formed by the World Bank, the UNDP and the United Nations Environment Programme to fund projects in the developing countries in accordance with the above named Conventions and components of Agenda 21. From 1995 to 2000, Mr. Gucovsky served as Special Advisor to the Administrator of the UNDP, New York, US. Mr.Gucovsky is a consultant to the Global Infrastructure Research Foundation of Japan, to the Earth Council and to many other national and international institutions focusing on global sustainability. Mr. Gucovsky was appointed Director-General of the Genesis Facility Foundation in 1995.