Solomon Water Chief Executive Officer Carmine Piantedosi has tendered his resignation, confirming his decision in an exclusive phone interview with In-depth Solomons tonight.
Mr. Piantedosi said he submitted his resignation earlier today, citing “differences between myself and the Solomon Water board” as the main reason behind his decision.
“I resigned today,” he told In-depth Solomons.
“The board was notified that I would be resigning from my position as CEO. My resignation is because of the differences between myself and the Solomon Water board.”
He confirmed that his resignation will take effect after a three-month notice period, as required under his contract, officially ending his tenure in January 2026.
When asked whether government pressure contributed to his decision, Mr. Piantedosi declined to elaborate.
“I won’t be able to make comments about that at this stage. You may want to ask the board or the government.”
Neither Solomon Water nor its board have issued any official statement on the resignation.
However, a source close to Solomon Water Board told In-depth Solomons that ongoing tensions between Mr. Piantedosi, the board, and the government had intensified in recent months, particularly over the delayed Kongulai Water Treatment Plant project, among the key issues.
“The issue has been ongoing between him and the board, as well as the government and Rean Watertech, who failed to deliver on the Kongulai Water Treatment Plant,” the insider said.
Nearly SBD$20 million was allocated for the Kongulai project, designed to supply 15 million liters of clean water daily to Honiara residents from 2023. The project, however, has suffered major setbacks after being awarded to Indian firm Rean Watertech, which has reportedly missed deadlines and failed to carry out key works.
The company was also in the process of being blacklisted in India for failing to complete other ADB-funded projects while its Solomon Islands bid was under evaluation.
Solomon Water’s management and board have yet to comment on Mr. Piantedosi’s resignation.
He formally began working with Solomon Water as CEO on Monday 18 September 2023.
