WED. Friday, March 3RD 2023 12:30 Water in Future Cities

Presenter: Ignacio González Castelao, Chair of Water Committee, WFEO.

Abou Amani, Director of the UNESCO Water Science Division

Sara Perales, CEO Green Blue Management (Typsa Group)

Pascual Fernández Martínez, Managing Director Canal Isabel II

Marlene Kanga, Planning and Infrastructure Committee for Sydney Water Corporation.

Michael Toh, Director, Industry & Technology Collaboration Department Pub, Singapore’s National Water Agency

Ignacio González Castelao, Chair of Water, WFEO

Ignacio González-Castelao Martínez-Peñuela is a dedicated Master Civil Engineer skilled in the water cycle and environmental issues. He has worked in different private and public Spanish engineering organizations, both within the water sector and in the infrastructure of roads and railways. He is also certified as an internal auditor by the international professional association of the Institute of Internal Auditors.

Ignacio has held various positions at Aguas de las Cuencas Mediterráneas S.M.E., S.A., since August 2002. Currently, he is Deputy to CEO.

He is committed to internalization and collaboration with technical communities, multilateral banks, and international organizations to share knowledge and learning. Ignacio has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Civil Engineers Association of Spain, and a member of various committees of the Engineering Institute of Spain (IES), such as the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Committee on Engineering and Sustainable Development, and the International Commission. He is also the representative of the IES at the Pan-American Union of Associations of Engineers. Ignacio has served as Chair of the Standing Group on Water of the World Council of Civil Engineers and is currently the Chair of the Standing Technical Committee on Water of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations. These efforts to disseminate knowledge and learning have led him to be selected by the Department of State of the United States of America as an International Leadership Visitor and later Secretary-General of the VIA Jefferson Circle Association.

Abou Amani, Director of the Division of Water Sciences and Secretary of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) within the Natural Sciences Sector of UNESCO

1 March 2021: Director of the Division of Water Sciences and Secretary of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) within the Natural Sciences Sector of UNESCO.

January 2016: Chief of the Section on Hydrological Systems and Water Scarcity.

2010 – 2015: Regional Hydrologist for Africa and was in charge of the implementation of the UNESCO IHP in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Oct.-Dec. 2012: OIC, UNESCO Nairobi office

July 2013-May 2014: OIC, UNESCO Maputo office.

2006: Joined UNESCO Office in Accra as Natural Sciences Programme Specialist

1998-2006: AGRHYMET in Niamey, as Regional Hydrologist, Head of Water Unit and Scientific Coordinator.

1995-1998: Institute of Research for Development as researcher and visiting scientist. He has been member and contributor of various committees, initiatives, panels for among others: World Water Council, IPCC and World Water Development Report. He has many years of research and teaching and he is author of more than 50 scientific papers. He holds a PhD in civil engineering from Polytechnic of Montreal in Canada (July 1995) and he is a civil engineer graduated from “Ecole de Polytechnique de Thiès” in Senegal (June 1990). He also holds the title of “Maître de recherche” which is equivalent to senior researcher or Associate Professor delivered by CAMES (African Higher Education Council).

Sara Perales, CEO Green Blue Management (TYPSA group)

Sara Perales Momparler holds a PhD in Civil Engineering (ICCP) and a Master's Degree in Civil Engineering Consultancy from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). She is the CEO of Green Blue Management, S.L., a consulting company belonging to the TYPSA Group, specialised in Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS). His professional career has been developed mainly in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Spain, developing a hundred studies and projects for the incorporation of SUDS in various urban planning projects at an international level, both in the private and public sectors, as well as in other countries such as Colombia, Peru and Saudi Arabia.

Sara received her PhD in 2015 presenting in her thesis a methodology for regenerative rainwater management. It is worth highlighting its participation in competitive innovation projects at European level, related to the water-energy-climate change trinomial in the Mediterranean (E2STORMED, AQUAVAL, CoSuDS, LIFE CERSUDS), as well as its extensive list of scientific publications and participation in courses and congresses. He is a 2009 Young Engineer Award (Valencian Community Demarcation of the Association of Civil Engineers); and Outstanding UPV Alumni of the Year 2019.

Pascual Fernández Martínez, Managing Director Canal Isabel II

Pascual Fernández holds a PhD in Economics and Business Administration and has extensive experience in the management of public and private companies, having been a director of RENFE, Instituto de Crédito Oficial and renewable energy companies such as GAMESA Corporación Tecnológica SA, ENCE Energía y Celulosa SA, among others. As Secretary of State for Water and Coasts he was responsible for nine Hydrographic Confederations and 12 state-owned companies, with a staff structure of 9,000 civil servants and labour personnel. His executive functions also include the Directorates-General for Taxation in the Junta de Castilla y León and the Community of Madrid, as well as the Directorate for Budgetary Analysis and Programming, which managed Community funds and regional incentives from the Ministry of Economy and Finance. He is currently Dean of the College of Economists of Madrid, first vice-president of the General Council of Economists of Spain; Professor of Applied Economics at the URJC and co-director of the UNESCO-URJC-UNED Chair for Water and Peace.

Marlene Kanga, Non-Executive Director Sydney Water Corporation, Chair Board Planning and Infrastructure Committee.

Dr Marlene Kanga AO is an outstanding leader of STEM organisations in Australia and internationally, and an Officer of the Order of Australia, a national honor, “for distinguished service to engineering, as a global leader and role model to women”

Dr Kanga was President of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), 2017-2019, with 100+ national/continental members, representing 30+ million engineers. She was 2013 National President, Engineers Australia.

Dr Kanga is a non-executive director of large organisations in Australia in transport, utilities and innovation, including Sydney Water Corporation, from 2014 to 2023, the largest water utility in Australia, serving more than 5 million people and Chair of its Planning and Infrastructure Committee which is leading the expansion of water services for the city to provide the increasing population with world-class services.

As WFEO President, she successfully led the proposal for UNESCO to declare 4th March as World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development. She led the review of the international engineering education benchmarks, with the International Engineering Alliance, transforming engineering education to meet future challenges and aligning engineering education with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr Kanga is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology Science and Engineering, and is Co-Chair of the Elevate program to support the careers of women in STEM in Australia. She is an Honorary Fellow of Engineers Australia an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (UK), a foundation Fellow of the International Science Council, a Foreign Fellow of the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology and a fellow (honorary) of the engineering institutions of New Zealand and India. She was the 2018 Engineers Australia National Professional Engineer of the Year and received the 2019 CHEMECA Medal for contribution to chemical engineering in Australia and New Zealand.

She is listed among the 100 engineers making a contribution to Australia in the last 100 years, among the Top 100 Women of Influence and one of the Top 10 women engineers in Australia.

Michael Toh Director, Industry & Technology Collaboration Department PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency.

Michael is currently Director of Industry & Technology Collaboration Department in PUB. As part of PUB’s Senior Management team, he leads PUB’s effort to grow water technologies by working and collaborating with the global water industry and stakeholders; and bring discoveries made in the lab to industrial application as quickly as possible, so that PUB and the rest of world can benefit from these cutting-edge research. Michael and his teams are also responsible for the smooth running and operations at PUB’s Singapore Water Exchange – the global marketplace for innovative water companies and technologies; as well as the successful organisation of the Singapore International Water Week - the global platform to share and co-create innovative water solutions.

Prior to this appointment, Michael was the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of PUB. This new and expanded position in PUB reflects the increasingly critical role that IT and cybersecurity play to support PUB’s organisational and operational needs. Besides ensuring a reliable & secure ICT infrastructure throughout PUB so that efficient and effective services are provided, Michael was responsible for the development of SMART technologies across PUB; and the implementation of robust cybersecurity strategies and measures to safeguard PUB’s operations. Before that, he also served as the Director of Water Supply Network Department, which is responsible for the planning, development, operations and maintenance of the water supply network; as well as the management of water demand in Singapore.

Michael was the first Managing Director of the Singapore International Water Week, which was established in 2008. He led the conceptualisation, planning and organisation of the event, which has since grown to become a global platform to co-create innovative water solutions. Michael is the Managing Director and a Board member of PUB Consultants Pte Ltd2, as well as a Board member of Singapore International Water Week Pte Ltd. Michael is a Director on the Board of the Singapore Environment Council. He received his Bachelor of Engineer (Honours) and MSc in Civil Engineering from the National University of Singapore and his MBA from Nanyang Technological University. Michael also attended the Advanced Strategic Management Programme at IMD Lausanne.