Mr. Buchman is a development professional with more than ten years international experience, primarily for major oil and gas industry projects. Andrew’s focus has been in the areas of:

Andrew joined Acorn in 2010 following seven years of experience living and working in the Caspian Sea region. As Sustainable Development Advisor for Agip KCO, Andrew contributed to social performance management for Kazakhstan’s Kashagan project. Prior to joining Agip, he developed and managed stakeholder consultation, environmental and social investment, and civil society engagement projects and initiatives for BP in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey in support of a major international oil pipeline development program.

Andrew brings a civil society perspective to the extractive industry, having previously served in policy and communications roles for a leading environmental research non-government organization (NGO), the World Resources Institute. He has lived and worked in Eastern Europe, Asia, and the South Caucasus.

Professional Experience

Stakeholder Engagement and Public Relations Management

• As member of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) and Sustainable Development Department, provided oversight and input to community initiatives, NGO relationships for a major oil and gas project in Kazakhstan
• As a member of Stakeholder Investment and Reporting and Community and NGO Programs Leadership Teams, contributed to efforts to develop and maintain strong, constructive relationships with local communities, civil society and NGOs in Azerbaijan
• Wrote, implemented and coordinated implementation of NGO Engagement Strategies and Plans in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey
• Designed and coordinated international public workshops on sustainable development and conservation issues in Kazakhstan
• Designed, launched and coordinated an external, independent social advisory board reporting to BP Azerbaijan Business Unit Leader
• Designed and managed the ‘NGO Monitoring and Audit Programme’, a multi-year initiative allowing local NGOs to examine the economic, environmental and social aspects of BP and Partners’ Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) and South Caucasus (SCP) pipeline construction projects
• Represented BP in public meetings - challenged by negative publicity and community concerns regarding  potential for livelihood disruption in pipeline construction and expansion; offshore exploration and fishing
• Designed and led regular meetings with local NGOs, media to improve understanding of business activities

Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Investment

• Managed development and implementation of community sustainable development projects with national partners in Kazakhstan
• Managed sustainable development projects for Community Investment Programme (CIP), and evaluated  economic and social impacts in Azerbaijan
• Wrote staff training materials on sustainability and corporate responsibility approaches for oil and gas companies
• Supervised team delivering Environmental Investment Programs and NGO engagement activities in Azerbaijan; provided leadership and coaching for newly-appointed national members of staff
• Co-authored community investment manual of processes and procedures for use by country business unit
• Coordinated regional social investment planning and strategy network
• Contributed to numerous country and global sustainability reports

Environmental, Health, Safety and Social Impact Assessments

• Managed country level Sustainable Development Risk Assessment and Gap Analysis for major oil and gas project in Kazakhstan
• Provided policy research and forward planning regarding management of community resettlement challenges in Kazakhstan
• Co-managed resettlement and livelihood restoration challenges associated with major oil and gas project in Azerbaijan
• Designed, participated in stakeholder engagement and public consultation strategies, plans in support of ESIA process, new exploration and other business activities in Azerbaijan, Turkey
• Consulted on issue management and non-technical risk analysis, mitigation strategy and political processes in Azerbaijan
• Participated in screening activities for potential environmental and social impacts for proposed pipeline construction, expansion and offshore activities

HSE Management Systems

• Managed country level Sustainable Development Risk Assessment and Gap Analysis for major oil and gas project in Kazakhstan
• Researched and wrote strategic planning and ‘lessons learned’ documents on such topics as: company and project commitments for public engagement; trends in corporate approaches to civil society.
• Conducted audits of performance against requirements of community liaison management plans in Azerbaijan and Georgia
• Reviewed key indicators and HSE metrics of major oil company for alignment with best practice oil company sustainability reporting

Prior Professional Experience

Agip KCO  – Sustainable Development Advisor.  Oversight and input to sustainable development and social impact management activities, community initiatives, NGO relationships, benchmarking and performance review, Atyrau, Kazakhstan 2008-2010

BP Azerbaijan – Community and NGO Programs Advisor, Team Lead. Development and daily implementation of programs to maintain strong, constructive relationships with local communities, civil society and NGOs, Baku, Azerbaijan 2004 2008

World Resources Institute – Project Manager, Communications Coordinator. Research, management, publication and communication on governance and Central and Eastern Europe environment and climate issues, Washington DC, 1998 – 2003

Education

Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies - Master, International Public Policy, 2003

University of Pennsylvania - BA, Political Science and Theory, 1991