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Barbara Laflin Treat

Founding Partner

Barbara Treat has over three decades of executive leadership experience guiding businesses and the development of large infrastructure projects in a broad range of industry sectors. She has navigated diverse cultural & political settings and managed projects in energy, municipal infrastructure (ports, water, roads, rail) and government facilities.  She’s held executive positions in major companies and advised client CEOs and Boards.  She has helped companies build projects and businesses from the ground up, nurtured organizational growth and led strategic repositioning efforts.

Executive Leadership and Board-level Advisory:

  • InfrastructureWorld, LLC (IW): Partner (2000-present)​

    • Seven years as consultant seconded to advise CEO and Board of statewide gas utility and lead development of major liquified natural gas business and infrastructure.

    • Six years advising Boards/CEOs of several major international companies - including India’s largest industrial manufacturer of fertilizer and a major engineering & construction company regarding reorganization of their EPC businesses to facilitate bidding on privatized infrastructure projects, and other new business initiatives.  

    • Secured IFC/World Bank investment in IW in 2000, including outreach to IFC constituents globally.

  • Bechtel Corporation: Principle Vice President, Bechtel Corporation/Bechtel Civil, and Vice President, Bechtel Enterprises (1989-2000). Throughout career, reported to various Bechtel company CEOs and Executive Leadership.  First woman named a Principal VP in Bechtel history.  Key projects

    • Principal Vice President of Bechtel Civil and Bechtel Group – responsible for BCiv “Center of Excellence” developing and deploying technical resources for key civil engineering and construction projects globally, including major road, port, airport and rail projects.

    • Vice President, Bechtel Enterprises (BEn) – with executive / lead responsibility for programs that reported directly to the company Presidents and Sr Leadership. Key projects include:

      • Daxie Island (Ningbo, China) - Led development of major ($8-billion) port and industrial city, facilitating heavy-industry transfer from Pudong/Shanghai to Ningbo, developed in partnership with China International Trust and Investment Company (CITIC).  Project awarded Bechtel’s 1996 M&BD Award. 

      • NorthWest Water (Manchester, England) - Led strategic re-positioning of company’s water-waste water business including 700-person engineering resource.  

      • Hanford Nuclear Waste Remediation (Hanford, Washington) Led economic revitalization and community outreach for DoD superfund bid. 

      • Saudi-Center (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia) Led oil projects barter financing program development.

      • Bechtel Mega-Projects (San Francisco, CA) Led Bechtel strategic positioning initiative.

      • Alaska Gas Pipeline Authority (Valdez, Alaska) Bechtel’s investment lead on initiative to define economics and develop gas offtake for Alaska gas pipeline

Additional Professional Experience includes:

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  • Harvard’s Kennedy School (Energy & Environmental Policy Center) (Cambridge, MA): Research Director

  • Petroleum Intelligence Weekly: (NY, NY) Senior Editor of leading oil and gas industry publication 

  • Venners & Company:(Washington DC) Congressional government affairs liaison for biofuels programs/

  • Pacific Resources, Inc: Marketing Director/oil trader (Los Angeles, CA/Honolulu, Hawaii)

 

Board Leadership:

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  • Board Chairman - Infrastructure World

  • Wag Hotels: Board Member and founding investor 2007 – present

  • Dominican University of California: former Board Member/Academic Affairs Committee (3 terms; 2010-2019)

  • World Affairs Council of Northern California - Former Trustee

Barbara is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy, the Pacific & Asian Affairs Council, a former Trustee of the World Affairs Council of Northern California, and the International Association. of Energy Economists. She holds a BA in History from the University of California, Berkeley (honors), and an MBA from the University of Hawaii, Manoa (LYK Outstanding Graduate Student Award), where she also taught in the Shidler School of Business, in both Finance and Accounting.

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