Albert Cho

Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy and External Affairs Officer

Role at Xylem

Albert Cho (Al) is Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy and External Affairs Officer at Xylem. In this role, he leads global strategy and business development, government and industry relations and communications and public affairs. Working in partnership with customers, colleagues, communities and shareholders, Al and his team develop strategies to achieve long-term profitable growth, drive value creation, and sustainability leadership.

Professional Background

Al joined Xylem in 2013 and previously served as General Manager of Xylem’s advanced analytics business and head of Xylem’s strategy and mergers and acquisitions teams. He has more than 20 years of leadership and policy experience, including:

• Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of State, where he was a White House Fellow and served on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff
• Executive at Cisco Systems, where he led innovation efforts related to energy and the environment
• Positions at McKinsey & Company, where he helped launch the Sustainability and Resources Practice, and the United Nations, where he worked on a global plan for achieving the Millennium Development Goals

Community Impact

Al is an advocate for access to safe and affordable water and wastewater services. He currently serves on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board, advising the agency on ways to lower costs while increasing investments in environmental and public health protection, and has also served on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee. Al currently serves as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, providing expertise on environmental issues essential to social stability and prosperity.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the Water Research Foundation, the Canadian Water Network, and the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, as well as the Programme Committee of Singapore International Water Week. He also serves on the Loomis Innovation Council of the Stimson Center and oversees programming for the Reservoir Center for Water Solutions.

In addition to his work in water, Al is an advocate for an inclusive workplace, where colleagues have opportunities to grow and make a meaningful impact. He also serves as executive sponsor for Xylem’s LGBTQ+ and Allies Network.

Education 

Master of Business Administration, Saïd School of Business, University of Oxford
Master of Science in Development Economics, University of Oxford
Bachelor of Arts in Social Studies, summa cum laude, Harvard University