François Bertone is a Senior Water Resources Management Specialist for the Global Water Practice of the World Bank. He has thirty years’ experience in groundwater resource management acquired in over 40 countries worldwide for private engineer consulting firms, industrial companies, drilling contractors, several UN agencies and various donors. He is occasionally invited to teach water-well design at the Center for Hydrogeology and Geothermics of the University of Neuchatel. At the World Bank, he has primary responsibilities for leading groundwater-related activities in analytics, policy dialogue and lending. His current focus of work is on strengthening the sound use of the groundwater resources worldwide while supporting the emergence of the next generation of national groundwater experts. He is committed to interdisciplinary approach, keeping a strong link between technical specialists, policy makers, water users and academics on the long term.