My husband, Bill Kingdom, who has died aged 69, was a global leader in water supply and sanitation. He worked for 20 years with the World Bank, based in Washington DC from 1999 to 2019, where he led urban and rural water supply and sanitation projects. He developed innovative financial and governance frameworks in south and east Asia, southern Africa, and the Middle East. His work provided access to clean and affordable water for some of the poorest people in the world.
Bill’s early career was with Mott MacDonald, the engineering consultants based in Cambridge, from 1978 to 1986. During that time he worked for several years on water projects in Indonesia, where he developed a love for the country and enduring friendships. He became fluent in the local language and enjoyed visiting bric-a-brac markets. Later, based in Oman, Bill was instrumental in bringing drinking water to Muscat.
Born in Hong Kong to Anne (nee Pace), an occupational therapist, and Bill Kingdom, who was in the British army, young Bill and his sisters grew up in Reading. The family returned to the UK in 1957; Bill Sr later retired from the army and worked in insurance.
Bill Jr excelled academically at Reading school and subsequently gained a first in engineering at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, in 1977. He credited many life events to serendipity, and we met by chance at a lunch party in London in 1989. Married six months later, within three years we were busily looking after our son and twin daughters. Family life was a joy. We travelled widely throughout the US and Canada, usually camping, and he introduced us to places he loved in India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.
After returning to the UK in 1986 to study for an MSc in economics at York University, he joined the UK’s Water Research Centre (WRC) as a senior consultant, leading to further international travel and a two-year spell in the Philadelphia office from 1995 to 1997.
Acclaimed throughout the water sector for his creative and practical approach, Bill often quoted a lesson learned at Cambridge: any problem, no matter how complex, could be explained with a simple diagram, using a maximum of three coloured pens. He was modest, optimistic, approachable and kind, sharing his wisdom with junior staff who sought him out as their mentor.
Moving to Oxford in 2020 after retiring, Bill continued his work as a consultant for the World Bank. He taught on the university’s MSc in water management and was active in the Oxford Rivers Campaign (ORIC), working to improve the UK’s water systems.
Bill relished entertaining friends and talking politics. An avid Guardian reader and crossword puzzler, he would chuckle happily when we spotted one of his frequent contributions to the Letters page. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour in February. Stoic and optimistic, he faced the difficult months of his illness with great courage, humility and resilience.
Bill is survived by me, our children, Richard, Beth and Anna, two grandchildren, and his sisters.
