Alexander Abihud Pandian
WASH Programme Senior Advisor, East Asia
Alexander Pandian is the Senior Advisor for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) at World Vision East Asia, where he provides regional leadership on WASH strategy, program innovation, and sustainable systems development across diverse country contexts.
With more than 18 years of experience in humanitarian and development work, Alexander specializes in advancing sustainable and resilient WASH systems that move beyond infrastructure delivery toward long-term service transformation. His work focuses on integrating behavioral science, market-based solutions, and inclusive systems approaches to ensure safe water and sanitation services are accessible, sustainable, and community-owned.
In his regional role, Alexander guides WASH programming across East Asia, supporting country offices to design evidence-based strategies, strengthen monitoring and learning systems, and align programs with global standards for climate resilience and inclusive development. He is a strong advocate for localization and Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI), ensuring that WASH solutions address structural inequalities while strengthening community leadership and ownership.
Prior to his regional role, Alexander served as National Program Manager for WASH at World Vision India, where he co-led the development of the organization’s first comprehensive national WASH strategy. In this role, he worked closely with the Government of India’s Ministry of Water and Sanitation, helping bridge national policy priorities with community-level implementation. His leadership helped shift program approaches from infrastructure-focused interventions to sustainable hygiene behavior change and market-based sanitation systems.
Alexander also contributes to global and regional knowledge platforms, including engagement with the Humanitarian Emergency WASH network (German WASH Network) and collaboration with governments, UN agencies, and academic institutions to strengthen WASH policy, research, and technical standards. His work has included research on behavioral science in urban sanitation, as well as contributions to national policy planning and sector dialogue on sustainable WASH systems.
Passionate about social innovation, Alexander champions approach that understand the behavioral drivers behind sanitation and hygiene practices. He believes that sustainable development is achieved not only through infrastructure, but through transforming behaviors, systems, and local markets. He is also a strong supporter of child participation, advocating for young people to have a voice in shaping healthier and safer environments in their communities.
Alexander holds a Graduate Degree in International WASH from the Desert Research Institute (DRI) in Reno, USA, a Master of Social Work, and a MBA in International Business from India, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Sustainable WASH Systems & Strategy
Behaviour Change & Market-Based Sanitation
Humanitarian and Climate-Resilient WASH
