Disruption is being felt everywhere. From global trading rules and internal political systems to old alliances and business models, the established order is being challenged and re-evaluated. In the global water sector however, the story is a refreshing one of collaboration and consolidation. The Global Water Summit 2019 will address these trends as part of the ‘Disruptive Designs’ theme, with an Opening Plenary Keynote given by Gillian Tett, US Managing Editor, the Financial Times.
What the leaders of the water sector need to make the most of this new volatility is a clear global view and the right contacts. This is what the Global Water Summit 2019 offers: the opportunity to sit alongside a high level delegation of thought leaders and industry experts, at the forefront of developments in the industry, seeing a truly global overview of the water market in 2019 and beyond.
The event is a high-level knowledge sharing platform that gives delegates access to expert contributions, ideas, and intelligence, from the speakers that represent the most significant opportunities in the global water sector.
The Summit will also see the Day 2 opening plenary panel, ‘Disrupting Cities: Catalysing The Future of Water’, chaired by Roger Harrabin, Environmental Analyst for the BBC, and featuring Katrin Bruebach, Associate Director, Solutions Development and Innovation for Urban Water for 100 Resilient Cities. The panel will discuss the ways in which technological advancements and migration from rural to urban environments are making cities a key disruptor for the water sector and asking questions like, how will the future of water and sanitation provision in cities play out, and how will this disruption spread to the wider water sector?

Other sessions within the two-day agenda include:

• Industrial Opportunities in Asia, exploring the opportunities for providing water services in Asia due to an increase in stringent wastewater regulations and expanding economies.

• Digitial Strategy Part 1: ROI Framework, discussing the key problem for expanding digital involvement in water: the lack of a common framework for evaluating digital solutions. How does the lack of clear understanding about their return on investment impact procurement and the development and implementation of new offerings?

• Next Generation Water Future, a new generation of utility executives present their vision for the future of the water industry. How do these young leaders dream of reshaping the water sector? What are their priorities and how will they remodel how the sector does business?

Agenda

The Global Water Summit 2019 will be held at the Sofitel London Heathrow Hotel. Featuring over 5 hours of One-to-One networking sessions and expert-led roundtable discussions, as well as a full 2-day agenda with breakout sessions focused on Industry, Desal, Digital, Finance, Technologies, Wastewater, and Leading Utilities of the World.
The ‘Disruptive Designs’ theme will be explored further in many of these agenda strands and sessions, for example ‘The Future of Water Finance’ will discuss the limited supply of attractive new projects for infrastructure investment, inviting key players from the global frontier of water finance to speak about the redefinition of the private water proposition.
The Summit will also see new utilities inaugurated into the Leading Utilities of the World, a global network of the world’s most successful and innovative water and wastewater utilities.

Global Water Awards

The Global Water Awards will also be presented as part of the Global Water Summit 2019 Gala Dinner, on the evening of 9 April 2019 at the Natural History Museum, London. The Global Water Awards recognise the most important achievements in the international water industry within several categories, and reward those initiatives in the water, wastewater and desalination sectors that are moving the industry forward through improved operating performance, innovative technology adoption and sustainable financial models. Nominations are open and will be accepted until January 31st.
Further information:
Find out more about the Global Water Summit 2019 here: www.watermeetsmoney.com Find out more about the Global Water Awards at the dedicated awards website: www.globalwaterawards.com