Kala Vairavamoorthy
Executive DirectorInternational Water Association
Kala Vairavamoorthy is an internationally recognised water resource management expert, with particular expertise in urban water issues. He combines a strong engineering background with practical international experience. He has published extensively and has a strong international profile working closely with the World Bank, UN-Habitat, UNESCO, GWP, SIWI and the EU. This includes leading several urban water management projects for the World Bank, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank and DFID.
Prior to joining the International Water Association, he was the Deputy Director General for Research at the International Water Management Institute. Kala was also the Founding Dean of the Patel College of Global Sustainability and a tenured Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, at the University of South Florida (USA). Prior to that he was a full professor and Chair of Water Engineering at the University of Birmingham (UK), and Professor and Head of Core of Sustainable Urban Water Infrastructure Systems at UNESCO-IHE (Netherlands). He is currently Professor (adjunct) at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM).
Kala has a PhD and MSc in Environmental Engineering from Imperial College, University of London, UK and a BSc (Hons) from King’s College, London.
Wim Audenaert
CEO and co-founderAM-Team
Wim Audenaert is CEO and co-founder of the Belgium-based tech business AM-Team. The company deploys globally unique digital models that predict how water treatment plants can be built and operated smartly. AM-Team’s customers include multinationals and world’s largest and most innovative water companies and cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, Los Angeles, Auckland, Milan and Singapore.
Wim started his career at Ghent University where he became assistant professor after his PhD and a postdoc. He exchanged his academic position for the entrepreneurial journey at the age of 30 in 2017.
Veronica Manfredi
Director for Zero Pollution, Water Resilience and Green Urban TransitionDirectorate-General for Environment
European Commission
Veronica Manfredi is Director in DG Environment since February 2018.
Her Directorate plays a pivotal role in leading Europe towards Zero-Pollution whilst securing a sound implementation of the Water Resilience Strategy in good synergy with the implementation of the Ocean Pact, both adopted by the Commission in June 2025. Her Directorate also co-leads on Chemicals legislation, including REACH, and steers on the sound implementation of the Green City Accord which, in synergy with the Smart and Climate-Neutral Cities Mission, the Covenant of Mayors and other major urban initiatives, aims at tangibly delivering on the European Green Deal goals at local level.
Internationally, her team leads the EU negotiations within the so called ‘triple COPs’ (Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam) as well as on the UN Minamata Convention on Mercury and the UN Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. It also provides steady support to the work of the four Regional Sea Conventions (notably the HELCOM – Baltic Sea, OSPAR – North Atlantic Sea, Barcelona – Mediterranean Sea, and the Bucharest Conventions – Black Sea) and the International Commissions for the Protection of the Rhine and Danube rivers.
A lawyer by background, Veronica deepened her knowledge of International and EU law in Rome, Turin, Kiel, Bruges and Brussels.
Hajar Yagkoubi
Radio presenter, TV-talkshow political commentatorCo-founder of Network 2100
Hajar is a former UN Youth Representative for the Netherlands. During her two-year
mandate, Hajar collected input from young people on human rights, security, and the climate crisis. This input was presented through speeches that Hajar delivered at the UN, as well as in conversations with prime ministers, ministers, legislators, and politicians.
Today, Hajar works as a national news radio presenter in the Netherlands, a TV-talkshow
political commentator, and as a public speaker, giving keynotes on sustainability, integrating a broad definition of prosperity, and engaging Generation Z. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business Administration from Tilburg University and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Finance, with a special focus on sustainable finance. This academic background deepens her understanding of the intersection between business, sustainability, and the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) transitions shaping today’s global economy.
As a co-founder of Network 2100, Hajar advocates for the inclusion of young people in
executive and non-executive boards, helping bridge the gap between her generation and the corporate world. She has served on numerous advisory boards, e.g., the Sustainability Advisory Board to the executive board of Schiphol Airport, advising on strategies that align business performance with long-term societal value. Or the Social Impact Team, a body personally appointed by the Dutch Minister of Social Affairs to advise the national cabinet on the societal impact of COVID-19 during the pandemic.