Program

Tina Teucher inspires with presentations, lectures and panel discussions about corporate success through sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Entrepreneurship. The communications specialist is a graduate of the MBA Sustainability Management of the University of Lüneburg. Ms. Teucher was managing editor of the decision-makers’-magazine “forum CSR” from 2009 to 2014. She publishes on CSR communications, energy transition and green innovations.

Prof. Dr. Dieter Gerten, geographer and freshwater ecologist, is Head of the research group “Terrestrial Safe Operating Space” in the Department of Earth System Analysis at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). He is also Professor for Global Change Climatology & Hydrology at the Humboldt University of Berlin. Furthermore he is co-speaker of the Leibniz Association’s Research Network “Earth & Societies”. His publications – including around 200 papers, book chapters and books – span a range of topics such as climate change impacts on water resources, water-vegetation interactions, water and religion, as well as food security within planetary environmental boundaries.

Henk Ovink is the Executive Director and founding Commissioner for the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. He was the first global water ambassador, appointed in 2015 by the Dutch Cabinet as Special Envoy for International Water Affairs. As Ambassador to the UN on Water he led the second UN Water Conference in 2023, the first since 1977.

Henk served on President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force where he led the long-term innovation, resilience, and rebuilding efforts and developed and led the groundbreaking ‘Rebuild by Design’ competition. Before joining the Task Force Ovink was both Acting Director General of Spatial Planning and Water Affairs and Director National Spatial Planning for the Netherlands after multiple roles in the private sector and academia.

Henk holds an honorary doctorate at Delft University and is associate professor at the University of Groningen in Climate Adaptation and Water Management. In 2023 Henk Ovink was the 10th recipient of the Foreign Affairs Decoration of Honor in Gold for his global leadership on water diplomacy.”

Dr. Hamed Beheshti is the CEO and Co-founder of Boreal Light GmbH, a Berlin-based company revolutionizing water access in remote and underserved regions. A visionary leader in sustainable water solutions, he has developed an innovative solar-powered desalination system that delivers affordable and safe drinking water to communities worldwide.

Through Boreal Light GmbH and its social enterprise The Crystal Ltd, Dr. Beheshti is driving impactful initiatives to expand access to clean water across East Africa and Latin America. He is also the founder of the OffGrid Water Alliance, a global platform representing the sector and advocating for sustainable water solutions on the international stage.

With extensive expertise in renewable energy and water technologies, Dr. Beheshti is a sought-after speaker, inspiring audiences worldwide and leading critical discussions on addressing water scarcity for a more sustainable and equitable future.

Henk Ovink is the Executive Director and founding Commissioner for the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. He was the first global water ambassador, appointed in 2015 by the Dutch Cabinet as Special Envoy for International Water Affairs. As Ambassador to the UN on Water he led the second UN Water Conference in 2023, the first since 1977.

Henk served on President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force where he led the long-term innovation, resilience, and rebuilding efforts and developed and led the groundbreaking ‘Rebuild by Design’ competition. Before joining the Task Force Ovink was both Acting Director General of Spatial Planning and Water Affairs and Director National Spatial Planning for the Netherlands after multiple roles in the private sector and academia.

Henk holds an honorary doctorate at Delft University and is associate professor at the University of Groningen in Climate Adaptation and Water Management. In 2023 Henk Ovink was the 10th recipient of the Foreign Affairs Decoration of Honor in Gold for his global leadership on water diplomacy.”

Barbara Gerhager is an engineer specializing in technical environmental protection with a focus on water, sanitation and solid waste management. She has extensive implementation experience in Africa and the MENA region in sector reform, regulation, urban supply, and sanitation, as well as advisory experience in Asia and Eastern Europe. She has 20 years of experience in strategy and capacity development, cooperation, and change management. She is currently heading the competence center/think tank for water, wastewater, and solid waste management at GIZ headquarters. Additionally, she has been a member of the executive board of the FiW Research Institute for Water Management and Climate Future at RWTH Aachen since 2021.

Director, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene

Doulaye Kone leads the foundation’s efforts to ensure access to safe sanitation for the 3.5 billion people who currently live without it. He and his team work to disrupt the decades-long status quo in the sanitation sector by supporting the development and commercialization of transformative technologies, including the “reinvented toilet,” and create a clear, cost-effective pathway to deliver these technologies at scale to people in in low-income settings who need them the most. Doulaye has more than 20 years of experience in the sanitation sector and spent 13 years leading technology innovation efforts on the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene team.

Before joining the foundation in 2011, Doulaye served as program coordinator of Water Operators’ Partnerships (WOPs) in sub-Saharan Africa for the African Water and Sanitation Association. WOPs enable water utilities and sanitation service providers to help one another build capacity and improve their performance.

Doulaye is a sanitation engineer with a Ph.D. from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and a Certificate of Specialization in Strategy from Harvard Business School.

Thilo Panzerbieter is the Founder and Executive Director of the German Toilet Organization (GTO), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving sanitation and hygiene worldwide in order to promote health, dignity, and education. Thilo is also the Chair of the German WASH Network, uniting 30 German NGOs in knowledge exchange, quality assurance and advocacy in the field of WASH.

As a civil engineer, specialized in the field of water, sanitation, and hygiene, Thilo has extensive experience in international development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Under his leadership, the GTO has carried out awareness raising and advocacy campaigns (e.g. “Sanitation is Dignity” – official campaign of the International Year of Sanitation in partnership with UN Water), has created knowledge management and capacity development tools (e.g. “Compendium of Sanitation Technologies in Emergencies” and “Sanihub”) and helped develop a scalable approach for sanitation and hygiene improvements at schools (“Toilets Making the Grade Competitions” in Germany and worldwide).

Thilo is also recognized for his work in networks and partnerships. To name a few: He was involved in the founding of the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA), spent 6 years representing Northern CSOs on the Steering Committee of SWA, and is helping to co-lead the Triple Nexus in WASH (Humanitarian-Development-Peace) Initiative of the WASH Roadmap.”

Seit 09/2018 Geschäftsführender Vorstand, Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli e.V.

• Strategieentwicklung und Organisationsentwicklung
• Personalverantwortung für 30 -köpfiges Team
• Finanzplanung & Controlling; Kennzahleneinführung
• Netzwerkausbau und Fundraising (Partnerakquise)
• Keynote Speaking, Repräsentanz, PR Vertretung
• Wirkungsfokussierung (Wasserprojekte)
• Stakeholdereinbezug von Aufsichtsrat, Gründern, Ehrenamtlichen und Multiplikator:innen
• Gesellschaftervertretung in drei Social Business
• Teamentwicklung, u.a. Einführung von New Work Konzepten und kontinuierliche Anpassung
• Wertstromanalysen und Wertstromentwicklung
• Professionalisierung der Organisation (OKR System, Digitalisierung, Prozessoptimierung, Performance)

01/2018 – 07/2018 Consultant

Bröker + Partner Unternehmensberatung GmbH

• Analyse der Change Fähigkeit von Organisationen und Konzeptentwicklung für das Change Management
• Entwicklung von Trainings und Workshops

12/2014 – 11/2017 Einrichtungsleitung

PERSPEKTIVE für Jugend und Familie GmbH

Fachaufsicht: Konzeptarbeit, Planung der Leistungen und Beratung der Fachkräfte”

Personalverantwortung für 22 Mitarbeiter:innen

Weiterentwicklung der Unternehmensstrategie im Gesamten und der Abteilungen im Einzelnen

Finanzaufsicht: Budgetplanung und –kontrolle

Personalführung und –entwicklung inkl. regelmäßiger Mitarbeiter:innengespräche

Netzwerkarbeit

Kontaktpflege zu Ämtern und Ministerien

As CEO of IAPMO and the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH), Dave Viola leads a global team dedicated to advancing safe, sustainable, and resilient water and sanitation solutions. With over 30 years in the plumbing, mechanical, and sustainability sectors, Mr. Viola, who is also the current chair of the World Plumbing Council, has pioneered the development of codes, standards, and certification programs that protect public health worldwide. Under his leadership, IAPMO drives progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6 through research and workforce development initiatives, engaging government, industry, and communities to ensure technically sound and publicly beneficial solutions for a safer built environment.

Tom Reynolds is Chief Executive of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA), a trade body representing companies who supply the majority of the UK’s bathroom fixtures and fittings. The association focuses heavily on product compliance and all aspects of sustainability. In addition to leading the BMA Tom is Chair of the UK Trade Association Forum’s Public Affairs Group (PUBCOM), a board member of the Construction Products Association, and is a Vice-President of the European Taps and Valves Association (CEIR).

Before joining the BMA in 2019, Tom was Commercial & Public Affairs Director at the British Ceramic Confederation, where he had a particular interest in international trade policy. Prior to entering the world of trade associations, Tom worked as a journalist and producer in trade media and started his career as a parliamentary aide. He is an alumnus of Keele University, holding an honours degree in Law and Politics and an MRes in Environmental Politics.

Ilari Aho is Vice President for Sustainability & Regulatory Affairs for GF Building Flow Solutions (formerly known as Uponor). He has a degree in mechanical engineering from Helsinki University of Technology, and over 35 years of experience in various management, business development, technology and R&D roles related to the built environment, construction and building services industries. Ilari currently serves as Board Member and 1st Vice President of Water Europe (WE), Executive Council Member of the European Heating Industry Association (EHI), Board Member and Treasurer of the European Built Environment, Construction and Energy Efficient Buildings Technology Platform (ECTP), Vice President of ENCORD (European Network of Construction Companies for R&D), Member of the Industry Advisory Forum of CEN-CENELEC and as Member of the Corporate Advisory Board of World Green Building Council (WorldGBC).”

Started working at WILO’s materials department after studies of chemical engineering. At the beginning mainly elastomers were the main topic. More and more regulatory topics took over, such as drinking water and substance regulations. Today besides substance management, the work in associations fills the main time of the working day. This includes the leading of different working groups in different associations, such as for example the EDW products workinggroup.

Bert Leemans is a policy officer at DG Environment of the European Commission. He works in the unit ‘Marine environment and clean water services’ and coordinates the implementation of the recast Drinking Water Directive. He has a background in chemical engineering and economics and has worked in water supply sector for more than 15 years in the past. He coordinated the implementation of the so-called ‘Article 11’ of the recast Drinking Water Directive on establishing European hygiene requirements for materials in contact with drinking water resulting in European secondary legislation that applies from end of 2026.

Education

1989 – 1993 Fachhochschule Esslingen Germany

Diploma Engineer Sanitary and Heating Technology

Professional Experience

2006 – 2014 Senior Technical Manager at DVGW (German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water) Head office for products in contact with drinking water

2014 – 2018 Managing Director Water of the figawa (Association of Companies for Gas and Water Technologies)

2018 – present General Manager of the figawa (Association of Companies for Gas and Water Technologies)

2013 – present Convenor of CEN TC 164 WG 2 “Drinking Water Installations”

2006 – present Member of several national DIN Mirror Committees

2017 – present Convenor of the German mirror committee of TC 164 WG 2

“Drinking Water Installation”

2016 – present Chairman of the European Drinking Water Initiative (EDW)

2021 – present President of Aqua Europa AISBL

2019 – present Member of the board of directors DVGW CERT GmbH”

Neil is the Director of AquaFed, the Global Federation of Private Water Operators and Partners. He as previously Secretary General of Bureau – the European Association of water and wastewater operators.

Before working in water he was Head of Government Relations at the UK Financial Services regulator.

Walid Oueslati is currently the Head of Climate, Biodiversity and Water Division at the OECD. He was previously a full professor of Environmental Economics at Agrocampus, University of Angers (France). He has extensive research and research management experience across a number of fields, including climate and environmental economics, ranging from pure academic to policy supporting research. He holds a PhD degree from the University of Paris Nanterre (France) and published several scientific articles in refereed journals and policy reports.

Kawien Ziedses des Plantes joined Oikocredit in 2010 as Global Communications Manager and became Deputy Director Social Performance & Capacity Building in 2015 before specialising as Global Social Performance Specialist in 2019 and becoming Sustainable Impact Manager in 2022 and Interim Director of Strategy & Sustainable Impact in June 2024.   In 2021 Kawien launched the successful Oikocredit End-Client Survey Programme, focusing on data-driven actions, outcomes and change. 

Prior to joining Oikocredit, Kawien worked at ING Group and Price Waterhouse Coopers. Raised and educated in various countries in Africa, Europe and North America, she brings a wide perspective to social performance management and impact investing. She is a certified integrated sustainability risk adviser and has master’s degrees in journalism from Syracuse University, USA, and in fiscal economics from the University of Amsterdam. 

Daniel Nordmann has been working on water and finance related issues over the last 13 years in various roles at KfW Development Bank and GIZ. He gathered extensive experience on water sector reform in Eastern Africa and other regions. Over the last years he worked on the preparation of a new programme on behalf of BMZsupporting water utilities in the global south to reach creditworthiness and mobilize investment.

Carlos Velazquez, Sustainability & Institutional Relations Director, ROCA GROUP

He was born in 1969 in Barcelona, Spain. After getting his degree in Economics and Business Administration at the UAB, he began working at the international audit group, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC). After two years as an auditor of PWC, he joined the team of the Internal Audit Department of the Roca Group.

Carlos Velazquez has worked for Roca Group for thirty years and during all this time he has held different positions in several countries: Internal Auditor in the headquarters (Barcelona), Controller in Roca Maroc (Morocco), Administration Director of Roca Torneiras (Portugal) and CFO in the subsidiary of the Roca Group in the USA. Later, after three years in the USA, he came back to Barcelona to lead the Corporate Controlling Department until he was transferred to Bulgaria in 2005 as Managing Director of Roca Bulgaria, from where he returned to the headquarters in Barcelona in 2008, to lead the creation and further development of the Corporate Marketing Department of the Group until the end of 2019, when he took the position of Director of Sustainability and Institutional Relations of the Roca Group.

In addition to his responsibilities at Roca, Carlos Velázquez is a member of the Board of Trustees of the We Are Water Foundation, Trustee of the University School of Design and Engineering of Barcelona (ELISAVA), President of the Unified Water Label Association (UWLA), Vice-president of both the European Association for the Taps and Valves Industry (CEIR) and the Spanish National Association of Taps and Valves Manufacturers (Agrival) and Chairman of the Marketing Working Group of the European Sanitaryware Producers Federation (FECS).

Since January 2007, Dr Dinesh Mehta has been working as a Professor Emeritus at CEPT University. Dr. Mehta returned to CEPT University after nearly a decade of work with UN-HABITAT in Asia and at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. At UN-HABITAT, Nairobi, he was head of the Urban Development Unit and Coordinator of a major global programme, the Urban Management Programme. Prior to joining the United Nations, during 1992-97, Dr. Mehta was the Director of the National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi, India, an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India. During 1985-92, he was the Director of the School of Planning at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India. In 2013, Dr Mehta was awarded the International Water Association’s Development Solutions Award in recognition of his contribution to research and practice in Water. In 2017, I became a fellow of IWA and Chair of their specialist group on water and sanitation in developing countries. Dr. Mehta has a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering from IIT, Madras, India.

Erin McCusker is Senior Vice President and Leader, SATO and LIXIL Public Partners at LIXIL. Erin leads businesses and initiatives across LIXIL to deliver on LIXIL’s purpose of making better homes a reality for everyone, everywhere. SATO is the award-winning flagship social business developing innovative sanitation and hygiene solutions that create a better life, every day, for communities around the world. Erin is orienting the SATO business for its next phase of growth in product innovation, business models, and geographic reach.

Within the broader LIXIL Group, she is also responsible for the new LIXIL Public Partners and Hydrific ventures. These new initiatives in LIXIL recognize the need for innovation and new partnerships with consumers, and with the public sector, to solve the water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges to build resiliency and adapt to our changing world.  Across all her work, Erin brings not only her passion for the role of the private sector in helping to solve global challenges, but also her rigor and commitment to creating value for customers and being an active contributor in the sector.

Erin is also Chair of the Toilet Board Coalition (TBC), a unique business-led partnership with the ambition to accelerate the Sanitation Economy. A former strategy consultant and senior project leader, Mrs. McCusker brings in-depth experience across global development and the role of the private sector in accelerating progress on global challenges. Previously having worked with social enterprises, philanthropists, and other bilateral and multilateral organizations, she is skilled in relationship management, strategy development and planning, engagement of complex stakeholder groups, organizational effectiveness and implementation, analysis, and business case development. Erin holds a BS, Bioengineering from FW Olin College of Engineering, an MBA from Duke University, and a certificate in Social Sector Leadership. 

Engr. Bonifacio Magtibay is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Civil/ Environmental & Sanitary Engineering from the Mapua Institute of Technology (now Mapua University) with PhD in Environmental Studies, MSc in Environmental Management, and International Diploma in Sanitary Engineering (IHE, Netherlands). He is recognized as an ASEAN Engineer, former President and currently the Chancellor of College of Fellows of the Philippine Society of Sanitary Engineers.

He has more than 35 years of work experience in the field of water, sanitation, and environmental health in various international, government, non-government, academe and United Nations agencies, such as Technical Officer in WHO-Geneva, Program Officer in UNICEF-Manila, Freelance Consultant, Sanitary Engineer, and a writer of environmental health articles.

He received some key awards such as the Outstanding Sanitary Engineer of 2018 given by the Professional Regulation Commission of the Philippines; Honorary Fellow Award from the ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organizations (AFEO) in 2018; Outstanding Alumnus for Sanitary Engineering from the School of Civil, Environmental and Sanitary Engineering Alumni Association, Mapua University in 2019; and the Distinction and Excellence Award in Private Specialized Practice in Sanitary Engineering given by the Philippine Federation of Professional Associations in 2021.

He is currently working as the Technical Officer for Environmental and Occupational Health at the World Health Organization – Philippine Country Office.

Since January 2007, Dr Dinesh Mehta has been working as a Professor Emeritus at CEPT University. Dr. Mehta returned to CEPT University after nearly a decade of work with UN-HABITAT in Asia and at its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. At UN-HABITAT, Nairobi, he was head of the Urban Development Unit and Coordinator of a major global programme, the Urban Management Programme. Prior to joining the United Nations, during 1992-97, Dr. Mehta was the Director of the National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi, India, an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India. During 1985-92, he was the Director of the School of Planning at CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India. In 2013, Dr Mehta was awarded the International Water Association’s Development Solutions Award in recognition of his contribution to research and practice in Water. In 2017, I became a fellow of IWA and Chair of their specialist group on water and sanitation in developing countries. Dr. Mehta has a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering from IIT, Madras, India.

Born in 1967

Holds Master’s degree in Foreign Affairs & Trade (Monash University, Australia)

Joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in 1993.

1995- Served at Headquarters as Section Officer

Canada and Latin America

United Nations

1996-1997-  Study leave- (Monash University Australia)

1997-1998-  Section Officer/ Assistant Director Economic Coordination

1998-2001-  Third Secretary and Second Secretary Pakistan Embassy Jakarta, Indonesia.

 2001-2002- Deputy Director South East Asia Pacific Region Deputy Director Africa

2003-2004-  Deputy Director Mission Building Services Deputy Director Europe-II

2004-2007-  Second Secretary and First Secretary Pakistan High Commission Ottawa, Canada

2007-2010-  First Secretary and Counselor Pakistan Embassy Kiev, Ukraine

2010-2012-  Director Iran, Turkey and Shanghai Cooperation Organization

2012- Director Mission Services

2012-2016-  Counselor, Minister and Deputy Head of Mission Pakistan Embassy Beijing, China

2016-2019-  Director General and Additional Secretary West Asia

2019-2023   High Commissioner of Pakistan to Kenya.

Accredited to Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, Eritrea and Somalia.

Since Pakistan opened High Commissions in Rwanda and Uganda in 2021 and 2022 respectively, currently accredited to Burundi, Eritrea and Somalia

Permanent representative to UNEP and UN-Habitat

2023   Ambassador of Pakistan to the Federal Republic of Germany.

Divorced with two daughters

Yolanda López-Maldonado is an Indigenous earth systems scientist working on various aspects of nature conservation. She has a strong background in promoting and defending the diversity of ideas, knowledge, values, and forms of self-expression of Indigenous Peoples. Her career has spanned diverse topics in both the natural and social sciences, while her focus has mainly been on earth observations and the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in global environmental policy. She has worked and collaborated with academic and non-academic organizations in multilateral settings at different UN levels, including UNESCO, IPBES, and CBD, to mention a few, fostering discussions on how science (Western and Indigenous) can build trust between nations and support policies. Recently she has been appointed as Lead Author of the Indigenous Knowledge and Local Knowledge for the Global Environment Outlook Report 7 (GEO7), Early Warning and Assessment Division, UNEP. A Young Scholar at the Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and a Junior Fellow at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Dr. López-Maldonado holds a PhD in Human Geography from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Germany).

Ernst Bromeis knows all the tricks of the trade. He has been an expedition swimmer and water ambassador for years. His water journey has taken him 1200km through the entire Rhine across Europe to the North Sea. His swimming adventures began in the springs of Graubünden and took him from Lake Victoria in Africa to the largest freshwater sea in the world, the mystical Lake Baikal in Siberia, where he immersed himself in unknown water worlds. Experience the existential resource of water from a unique perspective, from the water! Bromeis has been awarded the prestigious “Prix Eco” for his achievements. He has appeared as a speaker at the World Water Forum in Dakar/Senegal and at the Word Economic Forum in Davos. Ernst Bromeis embodies an independent, courageous and sustainable vision for the protection of water. His unique perspective and experience as a water philosopher and his pioneering spirit make him an ally of water, raising awareness, inspiring people and building communities. His latest project: building a world water library on the Rhine.

Tina Teucher inspires with presentations, lectures and panel discussions about corporate success through sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainable Entrepreneurship. The communications specialist is a graduate of the MBA Sustainability Management of the University of Lüneburg. Ms. Teucher was managing editor of the decision-makers’-magazine “forum CSR” from 2009 to 2014. She publishes on CSR communications, energy transition and green innovations.