GWS 2023 – Agenda – Day 1 – Test

Track filters:
Climate
Desal & Reuse
Industrial
Mega Projects
Utility Futures
Day 0
17:30 - 18:30
Welcome Reception

All delegates are welcome to join the Welcome Reception on Monday 8th May, 5:30 – 6:30pm. Take this opportunity to grab your badge before the conference starts the next morning, and to network with other eager attendees. 

Day 1
07:00 - 08:45
Registration
08:00 - 08:45
One-to-One Networking Meetings

Your facility to book key appointments during the Global Water Summit

The Global Water Summit is the largest gathering of influential senior executives and water leaders, inviting an unrivalled group of project proponents, industrial end-users, utility leaders, financers, and technologists year after year.

Networking sessions are your chance to build the connections your business needs. As a registered delegate to the Summit, you'll build your professional profile, access accounts of those attending, and send requests for structured One-to-One appointments with your target delegates. No more missed opportunities. You arrange it all beforehand and we make it happen.

09:00 - 10:30
Opening Plenary: Creating a Climate for Growth

Climate change and economic growth are the two biggest challenges facing the world in 2023. It is the conceit of this year’s Global Water Summit that water holds the key to both. Investment in water technology and infrastructure is at the heart of our response to climate, while at the same time this investment opens the way to new directions for economic growth. Join leading thinkers in our inspirational opening session as they talk about the opportunities for our sector.

Moderator:

  • Christopher Gasson, Publisher, Global Water Intelligence (GWI)

Keynote Speaker:

  • Christiana Figueres, Co-host of the podcast “Outrage & Optimism” and Former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Speakers:

  • Gunda RöstelChairwoman of the Board of German Water Partnership (GWP) and Deputy Chair of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE)
  • Sabrina Soussan, CEO, SUEZ
  • Alejandro Jimenez, Strategy and Business Development Director, Acciona
  • HE Abdullah Ibrahim Al-Abdul-Karim, Governor, Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC)
10:30 - 11:15
Coffee Break
One-to-One Networking Meetings

Your facility to book key appointments during the Global Water Summit

The Global Water Summit is the largest gathering of influential senior executives and water leaders, inviting an unrivalled group of project proponents, industrial end-users, utility leaders, financers, and technologists year after year.

Networking sessions are your chance to build the connections your business needs. As a registered delegate to the Summit, you'll build your professional profile, access accounts of those attending, and send requests for structured One-to-One appointments with your target delegates. No more missed opportunities. You arrange it all beforehand and we make it happen.

11:15 - 12:45
Roundtables – 40 Crucial Questions for Water in 2023

Cut out the noise and get direct answers to the biggest questions the industry is facing in 2023, straight from the water leaders and influencers best positioned to answer them. 

The intense, fast moving roundtable sessions are consistently highly rated by our large constituency of returning delegates. Expert speakers lead tables of tightly focused discussions on what is new and trending in the international water industry. With 4 rotations, you'll get the chance to make up to 40 new contacts in this session alone. 


1. Choose a topic and join the table
2. Meet the host and table guests
3. Participate in an intimate, face-to-face exchange of ideas
4. After 4 table rotations, you’ll leave the session with a new set of contacts, a meeting set up for later that day and a step towards your next deal.

Roundtables:
Technology
Could river basin digital twins be the answer to water security challenges?

Cecilia Wennberg, Executive Vice President, Water in Cities DHI Group

Technology
How can the biorefinery transform sludge disposal from a burden to an opportunity?

Ross Wilson, Bioresources Process Specialist, Infrastructure Atkins

Technology
How can innovative treatment technologies rise to meet industrial wastewater treatment challenges?

Alex Rappaport, CEO, ZwitterCo

Finance
How will Indonesia deploy its $1 billion water fund?

Chris Soemijantoro, Investment Director, Danareksa

Finance
Beyond Net Zero - Where is the smart money in climate adaptation investing?

John Robinson, Partner, Mazarine Ventures

Finance
Can Texas finish its $80bn state water plan before running dry?

Jeff Walker, Executive Director, Texas Water Development Board

Industrial
How will ESG targets drive innovation within industrial facilities?

Slava Libman, CEO, FTD Solutions Inc.

Industrial
How does Codelco's ambitious water strategy translate into opportunities for the water sector?

Mariana Concha, Head of Water Stewardship, Codelco

Utility
What are Mekorot’s investment plans for 2023 in light of ESG targets?

Riki Mor, Customer Relations and Corporate Responsibility Manager, Mekorot

Utility
How will Air Selangor meet a 70% increase in water demand in the next 30 years?

Abas Abdullah, Acting CEO, Air Selangor

Utility
Can innovative treatment solutions rid aquifers of PFAS?

John Kmiec, Director, Tucson Water

Desal & Reuse
What's the progress of 18 planned seawater desalination projects in China with over 100,000 m3/d capacity?

Guoling Ruan, Director, The Institute of Seawater Desalination and Multipurpose Utilization, Ministry of Natural Resources

Desal & Reuse
How will Malaysia recycle 1.5 million m3/d of its sewage by 2030?

Narendran Maniam, CEO, Indah Water Konsortium (IWK)

Desal & Reuse
Is lower energy seawater desalination worth it?

Rick Stover, CTO, Gradiant Corporation

Desal & Reuse
What's next for the Caribbean and Latin American Desalination markets?

Juan Miguel Pinto, Director of Sales and Strategy, Energy Recovery

12:45 - 14:00
Lunch
13:00 - 14:00
One-to-One Networking Meetings

Your facility to book key appointments during the Global Water Summit

The Global Water Summit is the largest gathering of influential senior executives and water leaders, inviting an unrivalled group of project proponents, industrial end-users, utility leaders, financers, and technologists year after year.

Networking sessions are your chance to build the connections your business needs. As a registered delegate to the Summit, you'll build your professional profile, access accounts of those attending, and send requests for structured One-to-One appointments with your target delegates. No more missed opportunities. You arrange it all beforehand and we make it happen.

14:00 - 15:30
Climate
Sanitation has a Methane Problem: Can climate finance solve it?

Methane represents two thirds of the sector's short-term emissions, the bulk of which comes from onsite sanitation. This finding has the potential to unlock new carbon mitigation finance for developing countries, but how? This is the big question for donors, policy makers and utilities from around the world. Can the answer be found during this year’s Summit? We're bringing them together in Berlin to find out. 

Featuring:

  • Ella Lazarte, WAS-FIN2 Lead, Senior Water and Sanitation Advisor, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
  • Dr Barbara Evans, Professor of Public Health, Leeds University 
  • Sasha Kramer, Co-Founder and Executive Director, SOIL
Desal & Reuse
Water Technology Idol

What are the big ideas that have the potential to change the face of desalination and water reuse? Picking winners at an early stage is extremely difficult but Tech Idol has a remarkable success rate. We bring together five of the hottest ideas in desalination and water reuse and pitch them against each other in front of our judging panel. Which game changer will be crowned Tech Idol in 2023?

Judges:

Speakers:

  • Arian Edalat, CEO, Active Membrane
  • Timothy Naughton, CTO, Salinity Solutions
  • Richard Bruges, CEO, Salinity Solutions
  • Greg NewbloomCEO, Membrion 
  • Alex Grant, CEO and Co-Founder,  Magrathea Metals

 

Industrial
The New Agenda for Water

How should water define investment strategy? Financial institutions understand zero carbon, but they don’t have the same clarity in the transition to a water secure future. And they want it. What message should corporate water users be giving investors to help them understand the link between better management of water risks and shareholder value?

Speaker:

  • Klaus Kunz, VP - Head of ESG / External Engagement and Performance Reporting, Bayer
Mega Projects
Mega Projects: Session 1 - Saudi Arabia

Join representatives from the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), the Water Transmission and Technologies Company (WTTCO), and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, as they present the Kingdom's colossal pipeline of water and desalination projects and outline the opportunities for your company to be involved.

Utility Futures
LUOW Inauguration: What do the best do differently?

65 Gold Standard utilities have already been inaugurated into the LUOW Network. Glimpse the future of utility operations, joining both old and new members as they share their outstanding achievements, and finding out what this global network of cutting-edge providers plan to do differently over the next 5 years.

Featuring:

  • Michael Webster, Executive Director, Water and Sanitation, City of Cape Town
  • Andrea Aliscioni, COO, MM Spa, Italy
  • Marco Blazina, CEO, Wastewater, MM Spa, Italy
  • Abas Abdullah, CEO, Air Selangor
  • Shaunna Berendsen, Head of Innovation, Anglian Water
  • Martin Adams, General Manager, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
15:30 - 16:00
Coffee Break
One-to-One Networking Meetings

Your facility to book key appointments during the Global Water Summit

The Global Water Summit is the largest gathering of influential senior executives and water leaders, inviting an unrivalled group of project proponents, industrial end-users, utility leaders, financers, and technologists year after year.

Networking sessions are your chance to build the connections your business needs. As a registered delegate to the Summit, you'll build your professional profile, access accounts of those attending, and send requests for structured One-to-One appointments with your target delegates. No more missed opportunities. You arrange it all beforehand and we make it happen.

16:00 - 17:30
Climate
Carbon in Procurement

To truly reach net zero carbon emissions, utilities need a complete rethink in the way they invest in their infrastructure, and both utilities and suppliers need to get to grips with scope 3. It's an urgent priority: as the impact of infrastructure is long term, the sooner utilities can make procurement carbon-conscious the bigger the positive impact will be. How can utilities build the manufacturing, construction and lifecycle carbon footprint of their investment into their procurement decisions? How can the supply chain support them to achieve low carbon within budget?

Featuring:

Desal & Reuse
New Rules for Desalination Finance

The market for desalination is growing beyond the GCC, and development finance institutions are playing a bigger role in financing new capacity. They are taking a much more activist approach to ensuring that plants represent the best value for money for the end users. Here we bring together some of the leading DFIs and desalination off-takers to agree the new rules for desalination, laying the foundations for future growth.

Moderator:

Featuring:

  • Charafat Afailal El Yedri, Former Minister in Charge of Water, Government of Morocco
  • Rami Ghandour, CEO, Metito Utilities
  • HE Khaled Al Qureshi, CEO, Saudi Water Partnership Company (SWPC)
  • Jorg Dux, Team Leader Water Team Northern Africa, KfW Development Bank
  • Khalid Tahri, Technical and Engineering Senior Manager, Office National de l'Electricité et de l'Eau Potable (ONEE)
  • Rashad Al Shawa, Chairman, International Water Bank
  • Atef Majdoub, President, IGPPP
  • Bastien Simeon, Managing Partner, Amane Advisors
Industrial
Resilience Through Water Circularity

Beauty & Personal Care manufacturers are facing multiple operational challenges in a progressively water-stressed world. Onsite water circularity offers a route to resilience in a changing climate, yet many obstacles stand in the way of widespread adoption. A pioneering group of multinational manufacturers have joined forces to illuminate the industry’s path towards water reuse and recycling.

Featuring:

Mega Projects
Mega Projects: Session 2 - Egypt

Egypt aims to award deals over the next year to build 21 water desalination plants. It is the first $3 billion phase in one of the world's most ambitious desalination programs. Hear from Egyptian Government Ministers, financing institutions, and others involved in implementing the program as they outline their projects and update the Summit on their status. What is Egypt looking for from the international water community?

Utility Futures
10 Utility Game Changers

What are the big ideas that will shape the future of the utility sector? Here we present 10 of the best from across the world. Some are organisational, some are technological, some redefine the responsibilities of utilities, but all of them are customer led and set to reshape the dynamics of water providers around the world. 

Featuring:

  • Sai Wai Chau, Deputy Director, Water Supplies Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Regional Government (HKSARG)
  • Adel Hagekhalil, Chief Executive and General Manager, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
  • Yossi Yaacoby, VP for Engineering, Technology & Strategic Planning, Mekorot
  • Ari Raivetz, CEO, Transcend
  • Kristina Bognar, Director Water & Wastewater, Schneider Electric
  • Jelle Hannema, CEO, Vitens
19:00 - 23:00
Global Water Awards Gala Dinner

Each year, the coveted Global Water Awards are presented at the Global Water Summit. In 2023, we will be celebrating excellence across the international water industry, announcing our winners at the Estrel Convention Center, Berlin.

Each person attending the Summit will be invited to the Awards Ceremony and Dinner, and all those who registered before the early bird deadline can make their voice heard, voting on companies in each category. It's a celebration of all that is best about the water industry and we can't wait to invite you to it. 

Shortlist to be announced in the GWI Magazine issue on March 23rd and online on March 24th.