Marion Savill, Chair IWA NZ and IWA Fellow

Marion Savill is a water scientist with 40 years’ experience. She started her career working with ESR a Crown Research Agency in NZ (1982) where she was awarded Leader Excellence and Business Innovation excellence awards. She worked with them for 27 years before starting her own company Affordable Water working with international agencies investigating microbial techniques.

She is an IWA Fellow (2011 on) and Chair of IWA NZ (2017 on). She has a PhD in Biochemistry and specialised in DNA identification of microbes. Marion was awarded  Fulbright and  Prince and Princess of Wales Awards. She has been a fixed term faculty member and Associate Professor of School of Public health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA. Marion was the NZ Acting and Focal Point Co-ordinator for NZ with Korea between 2007-2011 where they designed and held workshops between the 2 countries on both Environment and Renewable Energy.

Marion was on the programme committee for IWA Aspire in Japan in 2011, Beijing 2015 and Kaohsiung 2023 and has been on the science programme committee for Singapore Water Week from 2009-2018.  She was on the Programme Committee for Water and Health, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA 2014-2016. Marion was Secretary of the IWA Specialty Group Health Related Water Microbiology (HRWM) from 2005-2009, Vice Chair, Chair and Past Chair of HRWM from 20011-2017. She is a strong believer in collaboration uniting skill sets to help solve future issues.

Gillian Blythe, CEO Water New Zealand

Water New Zealand is a national not-for-profit organisation which promotes the sustainable management and development of the water environment, with particular focus on drinking water, wastewater and stormwater. Gillian joined Water New Zealand in July 2020, and during this time she and the team have increased membership numbers by more than 50% and are seen as the trusted industry voice on water matters in New Zealand. Gillian is on the Advisory Board for the Building Innovation Partnership, and is an independent director of Electricity Networks Aotearoa. Prior to joining Water New Zealand Gillian held head of strategy and regulatory affairs roles at NZX listed Meridian Energy - New Zealand's largest generator retailer, generating electricity 100% from renewable sources.

Helen Atkins, Atkins Law

Helen Atkins is one of the founding partners of the boutique environment and public law firm, Atkins Holm Majurey.  Helen has worked for a number of years for a variety of private and public sector clients on a range of environmental, local government and public law matters including in relation to all aspects of water management.

Helen provides extensive services to Water New Zealand on more generally on water services issues including on a range of matters in the local government, environmental and resource management areas.Helen has served on a number of decision-making panels in relation to Local Government and Resource Management Act matters.

Helen is currently the Past President of Water New Zealand and the Chair of MOTAT (the Museum of Transport and Technology).

She also holds a governance role on a private sector theatre company.

Dr. Robert Bos Chair, Supervisory Board, IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre, the Hague, NL

Robert Bos is a Dutch public health biologist (University of Amsterdam) who has held different positions in the World Health Organization in a career spanning over 32 years. His last position was Coordinator of the Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health Unit in the WHO Department of Public Health and Environment from 1 April 2009 to 28 February 2013. 

Since his retirement from WHO he has worked for the International Water Association (IWA) as Senior Advisor on a part-time basis. He was Member (2013-2017) and Chair (2017-2023) of the Supervisory Board of IRC the International Water and Sanitation Centre in The Hague, Netherlands and Co-Chair of the Multisectoral Working Group of Roll Back Malaria (RBM) the Partnership to End Malaria from 2018 to 20220. He has been engaged as a consultant by, among others, the Asian Development Bank (Health Impact assessment in the Greater Mekong Sub-region), the Inter-American Development Bank (LatinoSan V), ENI (guidelines for WASH in low-income communities) and the Governments of Iran and Kenya (Health Impact Assessment). 

Since 2010 he has been involved in the Singapore International Water Week, and he currently leads the Water Quality and One Health Theme as a member of the Programme Committee of the SIWW2024 Water Convention. 

He is completing an assignment with the Asian Development Bank on WASH and Health – a Regional TA for which he provided support to activities in Pakistan (including organizing a Water Safety Planning workshop for national WASH practitioners). And he is assisting in the preparations of a Sanitation Summit and an International WASH Regulators Forum at the IWA Water and Development Congress and Exhibition in Kigali, Rwanda (10-14 December 2023).

Dr. Pang Chee Meng, Chief Engineering and Technology Officer of PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency

Dr Pang Chee Meng is currently the Chief Engineering and Technology Officer of PUB, Singapore's National Water Agency. In this role, lie leads PUB's Technology and Engineering Department to administer its R&D program for the development and application of new water technologies in the entire water cycle. Prior to his current role, Chee Meng was the Director of the Industry and Technology Collaboration Department. He led a. team to formulate and implement strategies to grow the Singapore water industry and facilitate the commercialisation of new water technologies. Chee Meng holds a PhD in Environmental Technology and a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Civil Engineering from the National University of Singapore. He also attended the Stanford Executive Programme at Stanford University.  

Dr Annalisa Contos, Principal, Atom Consulting

Annalisa is a passionate public health professional with over 25 years’ experience specialising the management of chemical and microbial risks in drinking and recycled water. She has a chemical engineering degree with a doctorate researching aquatic chemistry and microbial ecology, both from Sydney University. She is an Adjunct Professor at Sydney University a chartered professional engineer in the Chemical and Environmental Colleges, and a Fellow of the International Water Association and Engineers Australia.

Annalisa has grown Atom Consulting over the last decade to be recognised as providing trusted water expertise. She has spent her career pioneering impactful risk management solutions with water utilities and government. She has led her team in projects from national research and policy projects, strategic master planning to boots-on-ground capacity building of operational staff in Australian regional and remote communities and the Pacific. Along with her team, she has spent a decade developing implementable solutions and pioneered methodologies with lasting impacts. 

Darryl Day, Chief Executive Officer Peter Cullen Environment and Water Trust, Director Wongulla Waters Ltd

Darryl Day is the Chief Executive Officer of the Peter Cullen Environment and Water Trust and Director of Wongulla Waters Ltd.Darryl is a Civil Engineer, who started his water career providing water supply and sanitation solutions to remote Aboriginal communities and homelands. Over the next three and a half decades with the Australian Northern Territory’s utility and Government he contributed to water resource policy and regulation, drinking water quality research, water policy, strategy, and service delivery. This included 15 years as General Manager with the Power and Water Corporation, which provides electricity, water supply and sanitation across the Territory.

Darryl was the Managing Director of WaterEd Australia, trading as ICE WaRM and the Australian Water School, from 2016-2020 undertaking international capacity development in water-food-energy security, with a focus on South Asia including Nepal, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Darryl was recognised as a Distinguished Fellow of the International Water Association in 2018. He was awarded the Australian Water Association’s Water Professional of the Year in 2019, and the Exceptional Service Award in 2023 – the Association’s highest individual honour.Darryl is the co-chair of the 2024 Singapore International Water Week - Water Convention program.  

Ian Garside, Chair Water New Zealand Conference Technical Committee

Ian Garside is the current chair of the Water New Zealand conference programme and technical committee and in that capacity is a member of the conference steering committee. Ian has been a member of the conference technical committee since 2007 and chair since 2012.  Ian is a founder member of the Water New Zealand Modelling special interest group in 1999 and was its chair in 2003 & 2004.Ian is a hydrologist by training having graduated with a master’s degree Engineering Hydrology in 1986 from the University of Newcastle. His bachelor’s degree in environmental science was award in 1985 from the University of Sunderland.

Ian has authored many academic papers globally and has presented those papers in the UK, Europe, and Australasia. Many of these papers have related to Urban Hydrology and its application to both wastewater and stormwater networks and what happens if rain related flows are not contained within these networks.

Currently joint owner and director of a specialist consultancy, ProjectMax, in New Zealand he has held senior leadership positions within large inter disciplinary consultants globally.  

Joan B. Rose, Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research at Michigan State University

Joan B. Rose holds the Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research at Michigan State University.  She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (2011) and the winner of the 2016 Stockholm Water Prize.  

She is an international expert in water microbiology, water quality and public health safety.  She has published more than 300 manuscripts.  She led the International Water Associations Task Force on COVID19 in 2021.  She is also in charge of the Global Water Pathogens Project   www.waterpathogens.org. 

She was a member of the IWA Board of Directors (2016-2022).  She is an honorary citizen of Singapore and has worked with PUB for more than 20 years.   Dr. Rose earned her Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Arizona, Tucson and masters from the University of Wyoming.  She is currently collaborating with Michigan’s environmental agency EGLE on the State wide program on Wastewater Surveillance for COVID-19.

Prof. Tsair-Fuh Lin, Professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Taiwan

Tsair-Fuh Lin holds the position of chair Professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Taiwan. He served as the vice president for research and development at NCKU from 2020 to 2023 and is currently the President of the Chinese Institute of Environmental Engineering in Taiwan for the term 2023-2024. His research interests include the identification and treatment of cyanobacterial metabolites in drinking water, development of novel treatments for contaminated groundwater, and sustainable development. Dr. Lin has received numerous prestigious awards for his teaching and research, such as being named a Fellow of the International Water Association in 2012 and 2018, an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists in 2015, and receiving the Outstanding Research Award from Taiwan's Ministry of Science and Technology in 2017 and 2020. He was also honored with the National Excellent Teacher Award from Taiwan's Ministry of Education in 2022.

Dr. Lin has been actively involved in various national and international professional societies. He was the Chair and is now the Vice Chair and Secretary since 2012 of the Specialist Group in Tastes, Odours, and Algal Toxins in Water Resources and Aquacultures within the International Water Association (IWA). Furthermore, he has served as an editor for several international journals, including Water Supply, Sustainable Environment Research, and Chemosphere. Additionally, he was the co-chair of the 2023 IWA-ASPIRE Conference and Exhibition in Kaohsiung.

Melanie Walker, Managing Director, Avenues Event Management

Avenues Event Management was established by Melanie Walker over 25 years ago. From small beginnings Avenues has grown to be one of New Zealand’s respected, professional conference and event companies, organising some of New Zealand’s most significant events. Over the years Melanie and the Avenues team have welcomed many international delegates and they look forward to playing their part in delivering a truly memorable experience for IWA-Aspire visitors to New Zealand.