Advisory Board
Richard Lancaster
Global Bioresources Director, AtkinsRealis
Richard is a globally recognised expert in Bioresources, a member of the UK Chapter of the Select Society of Sanitary Sludge Shovellers (a prestigious honour awarded for outstanding and meritorious service), an AtkinsRealis Global Technical Fellow, and highly experienced senior leader with 38 years extensive experience in the water industry.
Ryan Welsh
Deputy Director, City of Cincinnati
Ryan is Chief Engineer at City of Cincinnati, Metropolitan Sewer District in the USA – at WEX 2022 he is joint chair of the critical session, Decarbonising Wastewater Treatment. This session explores the quest for net zero wastewater treatment, which creates an ever-increasing burden on both utilities and industrial users striving to cut the emissions of greenhouse gases from their operations. Ryan comes to WEX ‘“To get new ideas for how to deal with situations by learning from people in other parts of the world.
Frank Rogalla
Director of Innovation & Technology, Aqualia
Based in Madrid, Frank leads the innovation team of aqualia, almost 50 people distributed in research hubs among the main operations of the company, which serves 45 M people with water and wastewater services in 19 countries. aqualia participated in 25 Horizon projects and 15 LIFE projects of the EU.
Stacia Eckenwiler
Assistant Administrator, City of Columbus, Columbus Water & Power, Division of Water Reclamation
Stacia Eckenwiler is an Assistant Administrator with Columbus Water & Power, Division of Water Reclamation. In this role, she supports the operation of the city’s two water reclamation plants, biosolids composting facility, treatment engineering group, laboratories, and the industrial pretreatment group.
Harald Bier
Secretary-General, European Biochar Industry Consortium
Harald Bier is heading the European Biochar Association “Biochar Europe”, fostering the growth and development of the European biochar and pyrolysis industry. Pyrolysis units are integrated bio-refineries, converting a broad range of feedstock into carbon-rich materials. The treatment of biosolids is of particular interest, yielding a phosphorus-rich fertiliser and potentially end-of-waste status.
Pavel Policar
Chairman of the Board, VAKHB
Pavel Policar is Chairman of VAKHB in the Czech Republic, where he oversees the strategic direction and governance of one of the country’s key regional water utilities. With a background in science and engineering, he brings extensive experience in water management, infrastructure development and public sector leadership.
In addition to his role within the utility sector, Pavel is actively engaged in regional governance, contributing to the development of sustainable water and wastewater systems at both municipal and national levels. He is a regular participant in international water forums, including WEX Global, where he contributes to discussions on energy, resource recovery and the transition towards circular water systems.
Nuno Brôco
Chairman, Águas do Tejo Atlântico
Nuno Brôco is Executive President of Águas do Tejo Atlântico and a senior leader within the Águas de Portugal group, with more than 25 years of experience across the water and wastewater sector. He has played a central role in advancing large-scale wastewater treatment and resource recovery programmes, with a strong focus on transforming wastewater infrastructure into platforms for energy generation, nutrient recovery and circular bio-resource systems.
His work places particular emphasis on the management and valorisation of biosolids, supporting their integration into agriculture, energy and wider circular economy value chains. Through the development of innovative treatment processes and operational strategies, he has contributed to positioning utilities at the forefront of the transition from waste management to resource recovery.
Nuno is actively engaged in research, innovation and international collaboration, bringing practical experience in delivering complex infrastructure projects and scaling solutions that support the emerging bioeconomy.
Chris Thornton
Secretary General, European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP)
Chris Thornton coordinates the European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP) since 2013, promoting nutrient recycling and sustainable phosphorus management. ESPP is engaged in EU, national and global policies, e.g. revised EU UWWT Directive, (esp. art20 phosphorus reuse & recycling rates), EU Fertilising Products Regulation, Taxonomy, Industrial Emissions , agricultural policy.
Peter Grevatt, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer, The Water Research Foundation
As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Water Research Foundation (WRF), Peter Grevatt directs the world’s leading One Water research cooperative. Dr. Grevatt has dedicated over 30 years to the implementation of public health and environmental protection programs, including significant national leadership experience in the water sector. He previously served as Director of the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water, where he was responsible for ensuring the safety of the nation’s drinking water supply.
Dr. Bill Barber
Technical Director, Cambi Inc
Dr. Bill Barber is a leading expert in biosolids management and sewage sludge treatment, currently serving as the Technical Director at Cambi Inc. USA. His work primarily focuses on modernizing wastewater treatment to improve resource recovery and sustainability through advanced technologies, in addition to gaining insight into the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment. Following his degree and PhD in Chemical Engineering, Bill has worked in various roles including research, consulting, technology development, and as a technical specialist for the UK Water Company United Utilities. There, as technical specialist for biosolids, Bill was part of the team which developed the award-winning thermal hydrolysis facility at Davyhulme. Bill has worked with the Asian Development Bank to advise on uptake of biosolids technology in China, as well as numerous global clients across Europe, Asia, China, Australia, New Zealand and North America. Bill is an award winning technical author and has written the IWA textbook on thermal hydrolysis in addition to numerous peer-reviewed articles. He is a reviewer for several academic journals related to wastewater and sludge management.
Dr. Arnt Baer
Geschäftsführer, GELSENWASSER Stadtwerkedienstleistungs-GmbH
Dr. Arnt Baer advocates for drinking water protection and sustainable water supply in dialogue with policymakers. He is involved in water management committees of associations at state, federal, and EU level. Through close collaboration with environmental organizations and his presence in lectures and panels, he brings his expertise on resilience and supply security into political discourse.
Fredrick Royan
Global Practice Area Leader, Frost and Sullivan
Fred is one of the leading thought leaders in the sustainability field with more than two decades of experience focused on water and resource management – is able to bring together a system thinking and data driven approach to tackling some of the complex sustainability challenges.