{"id":382,"date":"2026-03-19T14:19:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T14:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/?page_id=382"},"modified":"2026-06-03T13:59:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T13:59:12","slug":"keynote-speakers","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/index.php\/keynote-speakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Keynote speakers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>\n  .winspeakers-wrap{\n    max-width:980px;\n    margin:3rem auto;\n    padding:0 16px;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-wrap *{\n    font-family:inherit;\n    box-sizing:border-box;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-wrap h2{\n    margin:0 0 .6rem 0;\n    font-size:1.7rem;\n    line-height:1.2;\n    color:#111;\n    font-weight:900;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-wrap h3{\n    margin:2rem 0 .75rem 0;\n    font-size:1.35rem;\n    line-height:1.25;\n    color:#111;\n    font-weight:900;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-wrap p{\n    margin:.6rem 0;\n    font-size:1.08rem;\n    line-height:1.7;\n    color:#222;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-muted{\n    color:#666;\n    font-size:.98rem;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-grid{\n    display:grid;\n    grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr;\n    gap:16px;\n    margin-top:1rem;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-card{\n    border:1px solid #e5e7eb;\n    border-radius:18px;\n    background:#fff;\n    box-shadow:0 10px 28px rgba(0,0,0,.06);\n    overflow:hidden;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-tag{\n    display:inline-block;\n    margin:14px 14px 0;\n    padding:6px 10px;\n    border-radius:999px;\n    background:#eef5fb;\n    color:#0a4575;\n    font-size:.82rem;\n    font-weight:800;\n    line-height:1;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-media{\n    display:flex;\n    gap:14px;\n    padding:14px 14px 0;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-media--no-photo{\n    padding-top:10px;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-photo{\n    width:92px;\n    height:92px;\n    border-radius:16px;\n    object-fit:cover;\n    background:#f3f4f6;\n    border:1px solid #e5e7eb;\n    flex:0 0 auto;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-head{\n    padding-top:2px;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-name{\n    margin:0;\n    font-size:1.08rem;\n    font-weight:900;\n    color:#111;\n    line-height:1.25;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-affil{\n    margin:.25rem 0 0 0;\n    color:#555;\n    font-size:.98rem;\n    line-height:1.4;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-title{\n    margin:.45rem 0 0 0;\n    color:#111;\n    font-size:.98rem;\n    line-height:1.45;\n    font-weight:700;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-body{\n    padding:12px 14px 14px;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-bio{\n    margin:0;\n    color:#222;\n    line-height:1.65;\n    font-size:1.02rem;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-subspeaker{\n    margin-top:1rem;\n    padding-top:1rem;\n    border-top:1px solid #e5e7eb;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-abstract{\n    margin-top:1rem;\n    padding-top:1rem;\n    border-top:1px solid #e5e7eb;\n  }\n\n  .winspeakers-abstract strong{\n    display:block;\n    margin-bottom:.3rem;\n    color:#111;\n  }\n\n  @media (max-width:820px){\n    .winspeakers-grid{\n      grid-template-columns:1fr;\n    }\n\n    .winspeakers-photo{\n      width:84px;\n      height:84px;\n      border-radius:14px;\n    }\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"winspeakers-wrap\">\n\n  <h2>Speakers<\/h2>\n  <p class=\"winspeakers-muted\">On this page we present invited speakers and Young Water Professional panel members featured in the WIN2026 programme.<\/p>\n\n  <h3>Invited speakers<\/h3>\n\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-grid\">\n<div class=\"winspeakers-card\" id=\"speaker-kala-vairavamoorthy\">\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-tag\">Welcome speech<\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-media winspeakers-media--no-photo\">\n    <div class=\"winspeakers-head\">\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-name\">Kala Vairavamoorthy<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-affil\">Executive Director \u00b7 International Water Association<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-body\">\n    <p class=\"winspeakers-bio\">\n      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.\n      <br><br>\n      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).\n      <br><br>\n      Kala has a PhD and MSc in Environmental Engineering from Imperial College, University of London, UK and a BSc (Hons) from King\u2019s College, London.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"winspeakers-card\" id=\"speaker-geoff-townsend\">\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-tag\">Opening speech<\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-media\">\n    <img class=\"winspeakers-photo\" src=\"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/geoff_townsend._small_size.jpg\" alt=\"Dr Geoff Townsend photo\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\">\n    <div class=\"winspeakers-head\">\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-name\">Dr Geoff Townsend<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-affil\">Industry Fellow \u00b7 Ecolab<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-body\">\n    <p class=\"winspeakers-bio\">\n      Geoff engages in the strategic direction of Ecolab\u2019s water and energy related innovation with a particular emphasis on the water-energy-productivity nexus. He has 34 years direct experience in industrial water management including sales, project management, auditing, research &amp; development and technical training. He has been involved in the design, optimisation and troubleshooting of many key utility processes across a variety of industries including manufacturing, power production and the petrochemical sector.\n      <br><br>\n      Geoff is also actively involved in Ecolab\u2019s sustainable development initiatives, especially in water stewardship and decarbonization. He initiated and continues to support the industrial affiliation and applied research activities at KAUST, KSA. Since 2017, Geoff has led Water Europe\u2019s Cluster Theme \u2018Water Smart Industry\u2019 and he now chairs their Water-Smart Industries Community of Practice. He also engages with NGOs to lessen industrial impacts on vulnerable river basins (e.g. Lake Taihu, China). He represented the Netherlands in the development of ISO14046 \u201cWater footprint \u2013 Principles, requirements and guidelines\u201d. Dr Townsend has a BSc (Hons) in Ecology (UEA) and a PhD in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Cambridge.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"winspeakers-card\" id=\"speaker-christophe-lasseur\">\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-tag\">Keynote<\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-media\">\n    <img class=\"winspeakers-photo\" src=\"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1516278993704.jpeg\" alt=\"Christophe Lasseur photo\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\">\n    <div class=\"winspeakers-head\">\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-name\">Christophe Lasseur<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-affil\">European Space Agency (ESA) \u00b7 Head of MELiSSA program<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-title\">Mission to Mars, the ultimate example of a circular economy?<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-body\">\n    <p class=\"winspeakers-bio\">\n      Christophe Lasseur, born and now retired in Normandy, was for 35 years staff of the European Space Agency, where he successively was: research fellow, Life Support engineer, head of MELiSSA project, Coordinator of life support development, Certified Astronaut instructor and for 12 years Head of the International Life support working group aiming to coordinate NASA, ESA, JAXA, RSA, CSA life support activities. He owns a PhD in bioengineering from Compiegne university, and received a doctor honoris Causa from Antwerpen university. He is the first non-American since 1944 to have received the Jeffries award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Aerospace.\n    <\/p>\n\n    <div class=\"winspeakers-abstract\">\n      <strong>Abstract<\/strong>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-bio\">\n        A human mission to Mars requires metabolic mass that is not compatible with performances with current launchers. While some are considering even bigger launchers, Europe, through the MELiSSA project, is considering a full recycling approach. Over 35 years, this European consortium has been studying technologies and system tools to produce oxygen, nitrogen, water, food, and materials from the mission wastes. This keynote will outline the main space-related challenges, the underlying engineering approach, and selected results. It will also explore how the extreme constraints of a Mars mission can inspire terrestrial applications, offering thought-provoking best-practice reference models for water-intensive industries.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"winspeakers-card\" id=\"speaker-guido-iris-janssen\">\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-tag\">Keynote<\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-media winspeakers-media--no-photo\">\n    <div class=\"winspeakers-head\">\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-name\">Guido Janssen &amp; Iris Janssen<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-affil\">Nyrstar \u00b7 HaskoningDHV<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-title\">Water challenges in the industry at different corners of the world: challenges and solutions<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-body\">\n    <div>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-name\">Guido Janssen<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-affil\">CEO \u00b7 Nyrstar<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-bio\">\n        Guido joined Nyrstar in 2001, was Head of Leaching and Roasting and held several management positions. He was General Manager for Nyrstar Netherlands in the period 2014-2016 and switched to General Manager for Nyrstar Belgium in the period 2016-2019. In 2018 he became Nyrstar&#8217;s Vice President for European Operations. In early 2024, he was appointed Global CEO of the Nyrstar Group and is responsible for the company&#8217;s global operations in Europe and Australia.\n        <br><br>\n        Before joining Nyrstar Guido worked as Technology Manager for an innovative wastewater treatment company doing projects all over the world. Guido holds a master\u2019s degree in Chemical Engineering.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"winspeakers-subspeaker\">\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-name\">Iris Janssen<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-affil\">Water Process Technologist \u00b7 HaskoningDHV<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-bio\">\n        Iris is a Water Process Technologist at HaskoningDHV, specializing in industrial water treatment challenges. She is also part of the Water Compliance team, where she works with Dutch water regulations and supports clients in navigating the complexities of their water permits. Her work is driven by the question of what is technically achievable while minimizing the environmental impact of industrial discharges on receiving water bodies.\n        <br><br>\n        She holds both a BSc and MSc in Process Biotechnology from Wageningen University and has been working for Haskoning for over two years.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"winspeakers-abstract\">\n      <strong>Abstract<\/strong>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-bio\">\n        For production and processing of several mining products like lead and zinc water is required for several applications. And water is not always available at right quality and quantity. Also, requirements for discharge are getting stricter. In this father\/daughter presentation perspectives of the Nyrstar challenges will be presented from different points of view.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"winspeakers-card\" id=\"speaker-kees-vd-voort-maarschalk\">\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-tag\">Keynote<\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-media winspeakers-media--no-photo\">\n    <div class=\"winspeakers-head\">\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-name\">Kees van der Voort Maarschalk<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-affil\">Science Director \u00b7 Royal Avebe<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-title\">Dealing with water scarcity, it is not necessarily water re-use: An industry perspective<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-body\">\n    <p class=\"winspeakers-bio\">\n      Kees Maarschalk has joined Royal Avebe in 2017 and is currently Science Director. He focuses on scientific and technological developments with special emphasis on innovation, sustainability and value creation from starch potatoes. He is active in projects around water use, extraction of ingredients from potatoes and starch conversions. Before Kees joined Avebe he had roles in R&amp;D in different food and pharmaceutical companies. He also was a teacher at the University of Groningen.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"winspeakers-card\" id=\"speaker-rick-hogeboom\">\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-tag\">Dinner talk<\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-media winspeakers-media--no-photo\">\n    <div class=\"winspeakers-head\">\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-name\">Rick Hogeboom<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-affil\">Executive Director Water Footprint Network \/ Associate Professor University of Twente<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-body\">\n    <p class=\"winspeakers-bio\">\n      Rick Hogeboom, PhD, leads the Water Footprint Network, a non-profit knowledge center that seeks to use the water footprint concept to promote science-based water stewardship practices in public and private policy worldwide. He is also Associate Professor in Multidisciplinary Water Management at the University of Twente, the Netherlands, where he studies how natural and socio-economic processes affect water resources, and vice versa. In this dual capacity, Rick works with various actors, from multilaterals and multinationals to local communities and civil society, to move the needle on water.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <h3>Young Water Professional Panel Members<\/h3>\n\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-grid\">\n<div class=\"winspeakers-card\" id=\"speaker-ruizhe-pei\">\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-media\">\n    <img class=\"winspeakers-photo\" src=\"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/RuizhePei-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Ruizhe Pei photo\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\">\n    <div class=\"winspeakers-head\">\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-name\">Ruizhe Pei<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-affil\">Postdoctoral researcher \u00b7 University of Vienna<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-body\">\n    <p class=\"winspeakers-bio\">\n      Ruizhe Pei is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vienna. He earned his PhD from TU Delft in collaboration with Wetsus. Trained as an environmental engineer, his work combines microbial ecology and environmental biotechnology to advance sustainable wastewater treatment and resource recovery. Beyond the lab, he serves as the founding Chair of the IWA YWP Switzerland Chapter and represents YWP on the management committee of the IWA Resource Recovery Cluster. He is also actively engaged in science communication and outreach, with particular enthusiasm for engaging younger generations.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"winspeakers-card\" id=\"speaker-hanneke-spijkerboer\">\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-media\">\n    <img class=\"winspeakers-photo\" src=\"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/HannekeSpijkerboer.png\" alt=\"Hanneke Spijkerboer photo\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\">\n    <div class=\"winspeakers-head\">\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-name\">Hanneke Spijkerboer<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-affil\">Corporate sustainability water specialist \u00b7 Aviko<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-body\">\n    <p class=\"winspeakers-bio\">\n      My name is Hanneke Spijkerboer, and I work as a corporate sustainability water specialist at Aviko, where I am working on the future of industrial water use by connecting technology and strategy. With my physical-chemical background in molecular life sciences and the broad development I have undergone during the Nationaal Water Traineeship, I enjoy working at the intersection of operational processes, policy, and technological innovation. In my role I work on water reuse, water treatment, and water reduction, and I am committed to solutions that both strengthen the industry and contribute to a future-proof water sector. As a Young Water Professional, I strongly believe in collaboration and circular thinking as drivers of real change.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"winspeakers-card\" id=\"speaker-eva-ijzermans\">\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-media\">\n    <img class=\"winspeakers-photo\" src=\"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Eva-2.jpg\" alt=\"Eva IJzermans photo\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\">\n    <div class=\"winspeakers-head\">\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-name\">Eva IJzermans<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-affil\">Water strategy consultant for Industry \u00b7 Haskoning<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-body\">\n    <p class=\"winspeakers-bio\">\n      Eva IJzermans is a water strategy consultant for Industry at Haskoning, specializing in water strategy, water stewardship, and circular water systems. She works at the interface of industry, policy, and science, supporting organizations across the globe in addressing water scarcity, quality challenges, and regulatory pressures. Eva has experience translating complex methodologies into practical strategies for industrial clients, in several sectors. Her work focuses on developing actionable water roadmaps, identifying sustainable water solutions, and embedding water into broader business strategy and value chains. With a strong interest in bridging ambition and implementation, Eva is passionate about empowering organizations and young professionals to accelerate the transition towards more resilient and sustainable industrial water management.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"winspeakers-card\" id=\"speaker-pooja-halvawala\">\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-media\">\n    <img class=\"winspeakers-photo\" src=\"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/PoojaHalvawala.jpg\" alt=\"Pooja Halvawala photo\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\">\n    <div class=\"winspeakers-head\">\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-name\">Pooja Halvawala<\/p>\n      <p class=\"winspeakers-affil\">R&amp;D engineer \u00b7 Lenntech Water Treatment Solutions<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n  <div class=\"winspeakers-body\">\n    <p class=\"winspeakers-bio\">\n      Pooja Halvawala is a Research and Development Engineer at Lenntech, specializing in applied research for industrial process-water challenges. With five years of hands-on experience and a foundation in water treatment technologies, her work focusses on advanced water treatment technologies \u2013 especially pressure driven and electrochemical processes \u2013 to turn complex industry needs to practical solutions. Passionate about circularity, reuse, and recycling, Pooja contributes to efficient water treatment strategies across diverse industrial sectors, with a strong focus on water and salt recovery, brine minimization, and the recovery of valuable chemicals. She focuses on turning research findings into practical improvements for industrial water treatment. Outside of work, Pooja enjoys strength training at the gym, exploring nutrition, and dancing.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Speakers On this page we present invited speakers and Young Water Professional panel members featured in the WIN2026 programme. Invited speakers Welcome [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-382","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":462,"href":"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/382\/revisions\/462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/win2026.nl\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}