PLENARY SPEAKERS

MAIREAD MCGUINNESS, MEP

Mairead McGuinness MEP, an agricultural economist, serves on Parliament Committees on Agriculture and Rural Development; Environment, Food Safety and Public Health.  
A food policy expert, her report on the future of the Common Agriculture Policy and Global Food Security was endorsed by the European Parliament in January 2009. She chaired the Parliament’s inquiry into the demise of Equitable Life and she has worked to raise the plight of children in orphanages in Romania and Bulgaria. First elected as an MEP in 2004, Mairead topped the poll and repeated that feat once again in June 2009 when she was re-elected to the European Parliament. Prior to becoming an MEP she was a well-known journalist, broadcaster and commentator.

GLEN T DAIGGER, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE, NAE
IWA President

Born in Lafayette, Indiana, and raised on a farm just outside Battle Ground, Indiana, Purdue was Glen’s “hometown” university. After spending 10 years there earning BSCE, MSCE, and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Engineering and having married Patty mid-way through this period, he joined the international consulting engineering firm CH2M HILL in 1979. He has remained there, except for a two year period in the mid 1990’s when he was Professor and Chair of Environmental Systems Engineering at Clemson University. Over his career Glen has become an internationally recognized expert in wastewater treatment and water quality management for municipal and industrial systems, with particular expertise in biological processes. He is widely published and is author or co-author of more than 200 technical papers, four books, and several technical manuals. Also deeply engaged in professional activities, he has served in senior roles for the Water Environment Federation, the American Academy of Environmental Engineers, and the Water Environment Research Foundation. He is currently President-Elect of the International Water Association. Widely recognized for his contributions, he has received a number of national and international awards and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Click here to read more

PAUL REITER
Executive Director of International Water Association

The International Water Association – an organization that serves as the global network for water professional with approximately 10,000 members in 120 countries. He is a leading figure in international and regional water issues with nearly 30 years experience in utility project innovation and utility management in the areas of water, electricity and solid waste. Through this period he has worked as a utility leader, private consultant and as an association director.
Paul’s experience in water has focused on sustainable urban water management including water resources optimization for human and environmental needs, water efficiency and reuse, urban drainage, and waters sensitive urban design. On the management side, Paul has been a leader in change-focused utility management and leadership, including the pioneering of innovative procurement methods for large scale capital projects in the U.S. Paul has co-authored two books, contributed many articles, and speaks throughout the world on the leading challenges facing the water sector including climate change adaptation and innovation in delivery of international support to water-related development assistance. Click here to read more

GER BERGKAMP (PhD)
Regional Group and Programme Director, IWA – International Water Association

Ger Bergkamp is Regional and Programme Group Director at IWA – the International Water Association. He has a background in environmental and water related sciences and has focused on water and environmental management . He has over 20 years experience in both field level projects and science-based policy advice throughout Europe, Africa, South and South-East Asia, Latin America, the Mediteranean and at the international level. From 2008 to 2010 he was Director General of the World Water Council and from 1997 – 2008 he developed and directed the Water Programme of IUCN – The International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Before this he was Programme Manager of several EU programmes at the University of Amsterdam and worked as an environmental consultant in the Netherlands. He holds a PhD in environmental sciences from the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

RAY EARLE
Congress Chair

Ray has over 30 years’ experience working in civil and environmental engineering, in particular, he has almost 20 years working in the area of integrated water resource management, including catchment management and utility efficiency management at senior level, both in the public and private sectors. He is currently Water Framework Directive coordinator for the Eastern River Basin District and also a member of the steering group of the Eastern CFRAMS. He is a Member of the Water, Climate and Energy Task Group of the IWA, Chair of the Diffuse Pollution Specialist Group of IWA and also a Member of the Water and Environment Committee of Engineers Ireland. He holds qualifications such as MBA and M.Eng Sc., he is a members of a number of Professional Institutions and has published widely especially in the areas of Integrated Water resource management and Environmental Economics.

PJ RUDDEN
President, Engineers Ireland and Head of IWA National Governing Body of Ireland

PJ Rudden qualified in Civil Engineering from UCD in 1975. A native of Cavan , his early career was with Dublin Corporation (now Dublin City Council) and with MC O’Sullivan Consulting Engineers and Westmeath County Council in the Midlands on water supply, wastewater, roads and bridges. In 1982 he was seconded to Bord Gáis as Project Engineer on the Dublin end of the Cork Dublin Gas Pipeline and the North Eastern Gas Pipeline in North County Dublin.

He returned to MCOS in 1985 and helped to build the Dublin office business in water/wastewater services and motorways into the early 1990s, notably on the Dublin Belfast Motorway through Co. Louth and water / waste-water projects in Co. Wicklow. He led MCOS’s diversification into energy, waste management and environ-mental projects becoming a Partner and Director, leading the formulation and public communications on Ire-land’s first regional waste management plans. Click here to read more

THEO J.J. SCHMITZ
CEO Association of Dutch Water Companies ~Vewin

Theo Schmitz has studied Economics at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam an he is an expert in economic policy & planning, especially in the fields of public private partnerships and transition management.

Before his current position he was i.a. CEO of the Netherlands Bureau of Tourism and Congresses. In that position he was also President of the European Travel Committee in Brussels (1999-2000).

MARTIN CURLEY
Vice President at Intel Corporation

Martin Curley is Director of Intel Labs Europe and a senior principal engineer at Intel Corporation. Intel Labs Europe is a network organization of twenty four Intel labs and over one thousand researchers/developers in Europe, with a mission of helping advance both Intel research and European Competitiveness/Society. Most recently Martin was Global Director of IT Innovation at Intel Corporation. Previously Martin has held a number of senior IT Management and Automation positions for Intel in both the US and Europe and held management and research positions at General Electric (Ireland) and Philips (Netherlands). Martin has a degree in Electronic Engineering, a Masters in Business Studies from University College Dublin, Ireland, and a PhD in Information Systems from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Click here to read more

MARY ROBINSON
President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice.

Mrs Robinson served as President of Ireland from 1990-1997 and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997-2002. She is a member of the Elders and the Club of Madrid and the recipient of numerous honours and awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the President of the United States Barack Obama.

A former President of the International Commission of Jurists and former chair of the Council of Women World Leaders she was President and founder of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative from 2002-2010. Click here to read more

KEVIN PARRIS
OECD

Dr. Kevin Parris is an economist, OECD, Paris, since 1984, working on policy analysis, with particular focus on agri-environmental issues, including policy issues related to sustainable management of water in agriculture and monitoring environmental performance. Graduated from University of Reading, United Kingdom (1974), and obtained a PhD in agricultural economics from Reading (1980). Previously held academic posts at the Universities of Wales (1977), Oxford (1982) and Reading (1980-81).

Previous research positions were held at the UK Foreign Affairs Ministry, London (1978-79); UNCTAD, Geneva (1982); FAO, Rome (1982-83); and was on secondment from OECD with the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE), Canberra, for one year in 1992/93.

PAUL R. BROWN
Executive Vice President, CDM Smith

Paul R. Brown, AICP, directs CDM Smith’s market strategy and sales management worldwide. He has more than 30 years of experience in project development, project finance, and the planning and management of public utilities and environmental facilities. He has also developed and implemented integrated resource plans and facilitated stakeholder involvement to help communities provide sustainable solutions for growth and economic development as “Cities of the Future.” Most recently, Paul led CDM Smith’s public services for clients in state, regional and local governments across the United States. Click here to read more

DR. COLIN HARRISON 

Global Smarter Cities , IBM Corporation

  Dr. Colin Harrison is a Distinguished Engineer in IBM’s Enterprise Initiatives team leading technical strategy for Smarter Cities and Resilient Business & Services.  He was the inventor of the Smarter Cities technical architecture, which grew out of 2007 work on Energy & Environment offerings and a technology assessment on the Instrumented Planet.  During 2007-10 he was a director in the corporate strategy group, leading business strategy development for Smarter Cities.  He is also a Master Inventor.

Dr. Harrison studied Electrical Engineering at the Imperial College of Science and Technology and earned a PhD in Materials Science.  He also studied Physics at the University of Munich.  He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (UK), and a Senior Member of the Institution of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (USA).  He is registered as a Chartered Engineer (C.Eng.) and a European Engineer (Eu Ing).  He was a founder member of the Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (USA).

He is an Expert Advisor to the Swiss Academy of Technical Sciences.  He has been a visiting scientist at MIT, Harvard Medical School, and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.  Dr. Harrison has been awarded 27 patents.  He has published some 60 scientific and technical papers and talks and a successful book on Intelligent Agents.  He is an invited speaker at European universities on the impact of information technology on the nature of work, business organization, and industries.

KHOO TENG CHYE
Executive Director, Centre for Liveable Cities

GENEVIEVE FERONE
VEOLIA Environnement

PhD in Law and graduated from Business School, Geneviève Ferone worked in various international institutions such as IEA, OECD and UNHCR. From 1992 to 1996, she worked in California in a firm specialized in pension funds and socially responsible investment. In 1997, she created the 1st French extra-financial rating agency, ARESE. From 2006 to 2008, she was Director Sustainable Development for the Group Eiffage and she is currently working in Veolia Environnement as Senior Vice-President Sustainable Development. She is also member of the board in the Foundation Jacques Chirac.

Geneviève Ferone wrote several books on pension funds and on sustainable development. She recently published “2030, le krach écologique” (Editions Grasset).

EINARI KISEL
World Energy Council (WEC) as a Senior Fellow,
European Policies and Partnership Development.

Former Estonian Deputy Secretary General for Energy, Einari Kisel, joins the World Energy Council (WEC) as a Senior Fellow, European Policies and Partnership Development. Kisel will be responsible for developing WEC’s Patron and Global Partner programme, helping new partners to engage with our network of 3000 member organisations. Kisel will also help strengthen and build on the existing network of 36 WEC Member Committees in Europe. Additionally, he will support WEC’s work programmes which provide strategic insights for the global energy sector. 
  

PETER HEILAND
INFRASTRUKTUR & UMWELT Prof. Böhm und Partner, Germany; Strategic Cluster on adaption to impacts of climate Change (SIC-adapt!)

Peter Heiland has developed and is working for the “Northwest European Cluster Project SIC-adapt! – Adaptation to the spatial impacts of climate change” that is working and promoting joint policy recommendations of ca. 100 project partner organisations working in climate adaptation activities.
He is head of the unit “Environmental and spatial planning, flood risk management and climate change” and Partner in the German Consultancy INFRASTRUKTUR & UMWELT, Darmstadt. Scientific expert and consultant in flood risk management, adaptation to climate change, transnational cooperation in river basins and economic compensation for upstream-downstream effects. Dr degree at the Darmstadt University of Technology Click here to read more

JAMES L. BARNARD Ph.D.
Black & Veatch

Dr Barnard is recognized internationally for developing biological nutrient removal process. He introduced biological removal of nitrogen and phosphorus to North America with the design of BNR plants for Palmetto FL and Kelowna B.C. in the seventies and had been involved in design of well over 100 BNR plants all over the world. He remains involved in design and studies for the improvement of BNR systems.

He graduated in Civil Engineering from the Universities of Stellenbosch in South Africa, the University of Texas at Austin and Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. He is presently a Global Practice and Technology Leader with Black & Veatch in Kansas City. For his work he was awarded, the WEF Thomas R Camp Medal for the development of innovative processes and was the first recipient of the Koch/Imhoff Award from the International Water Association, the Gold Medal from the South African Academy of Science and Arts, Honorary Board Certified Environmental Engineer in 2006, the 2007 Clarke Award and the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2011 in July. He is a WEF Fellow as IBM. Click here to read more

COR MERKS
Manager Water Technologies, PWN  

Replacing Jonathan CLement of PWN