Time

9:00am - 5:00pm

Venue

Key Theatre, Embankment Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE1 1EF United Kingdom

Cost

See booking page for prices.

Hosted by the CIWEM East Anglian branch

Event description

CIWEM’s East Anglian branch, supported by the Society for the Environment is holding a one-day conference on 25 March 2025 in Peterborough. The conference will focus on creating a collaborative environment to discuss professional ethics in decision-making. This will facilitate discussion around the interplay of professional codes of ethics and/or conduct established and maintained by organisations and professional bodies, including institutions.

Ethical dilemmas and challenges are encountered daily by those working in water and environmental management. It is crucial that we recognise how these arise, how they can be managed, appreciate how we support colleagues, and prepare those developing their early professional careers. This conference and series of workshops are relevant to those looking to secure better water and environmental outcomes across a variety of sectors. It is particularly pertinent to members of CIWEM, SocEnv, IEMA, and other similar institutions or professional bodies.

The conference and workshops will explore scenarios, experiences, insights, good practices, and recommendations for inclusion in a summary report. This report will be shared with conference participants, relevant professional institutions, and universities for consideration in the evolution and maintenance of codes of ethics and/or conduct. The report will also include suggestions for incorporating environmental ethics into further and higher education courses.

Registrations for 25 March 2025

Getting involved

We welcome anonymous suggestions of scenarios and lived experiences that represent potential ethical challenges or opportunities. These will be worked through and navigated by delegates on the day through facilitated workshops. To offer a scenario, please complete the form here.

If you are interested in supporting the event and demonstrating thought-leadership, please contact Barbara Woods.

Why attend the conference


  • Enhance decision-making and business practices by gaining a better appreciation of ethics and how they can help navigate complex challenges, decisions and/or behaviours
  • Support growth by exploring how “honesty”, “integrity” or “transparency” can be better enabled in the workplace to engender trust and accountability
  • Understand approaches to develop your career, and work within the scope of your professional knowledge and expertise.
  • Share good practice approaches in applying your organisation's or institution's code of ethics and/or conduct during business as usual.
  • Connect and learn from peers and thought leaders as they share experiences, insights, and solutions.
  • Proactively manage risks and opportunities by better appreciating potentially evolving dilemmas and challenges in water and environmental management,

Programme

The programme has been designed to enable networking, learning and self-reflection at a comfortable pace. To accommodate those travelling afar, the conference starts at 10am and finishes by 5pm. There are three main sessions:

  • Ethical concerns that challenge individuals – sharing and exploring scenarios where ethical dilemmas are being faced in the workplace
  • Professional ethics in society – an interactive panel discussion with speakers covering ethics and profitability, ethics in leadership, and philosophy
  • Prioritising ethical decision-making in water and environmental management – a collaborative, reflective workshop that discusses potential scenarios, and personal experiences of navigating ethical challenges where outputs will potentially inform and inspire future good practice

For news on speakers and chairs, please follow the CIWEM East Anglian Branch LinkedIn page here: and this events page. Speakers confirmed at the moment include:

  • Hannah Burgess, CIWEM’s President, and a Regional Delivery Director for Binnies.
  • Prof. Catherine Rowett, Green Party Councillor, former Member of European Parliament and a professor in philosophy.
  • Omar Abdelwahab, PhD student from the University of the West of England researching ethical behaviours of professional bodies and environmental consultancies.
  • Peter Matthews, CIWEM Past-President, co-creator of CIWEM’s first Code of Ethics and co-author of A question of ethics?

In keeping with codes of conducts, we encourage delegates to choose nature-friendly travel modes, such as using LiftShare.

About the chairs and speakers

Professor Catherine Rowett

Catherine Rowett is a British academic, an elected Green Party councillor at Norfolk County Council, and a former Member of the European Parliament before Brexit (2019 to 2020). In contemporary philosophy she is interested in recent work in epistemology, the concept of truth, rule-following and ethical dilemmas. She also covers various issues in metaphysics including the notion of 'matter' and the location or usefulness of 'values', and in the role of the imagination and literary sensitivity in ethics.

Peter Matthews, retired, CIWEM Past Presidents Group

Peter Matthews is Chartered as a Chemist, Water and Environment Manager and Environmentalist. He was the Founding Chair of Natural Resources Wales and was a Past CIWEM President. He plays an active part in the Institution’s Past Presidents Group, where his mantra for water and environment conservation is: Learn from the past, plan for the future, but act in the present!

Peter has worked in service delivery and regulation of water conservation since 1965. He has fulfilled many roles in IWPC, IWEM and CIWEM. He still contributes to the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators as a Past Master, and to the Institute of Water as a Fellow.

During his career Peter’s roles includes Founding Chair of the Utility Regulator of Northern Ireland, Board Member of the Port of London Authority, Trinity House Lighthouse Authority, the Environment Agency and the Royal Commission for Environmental Pollution. He was a Visiting Professor at Imperial College and Anglia Ruskin University (where he was also a governor). He was also a founder of the Society for the Environment.

Omar Abdelwahab, PhD student, University of West England

Omar has a background in Aerospace Engineering and an MSc in Environmental Consultancy. He gives lectures on environmental consultancy ethics. He will submit his PhD research around September 2025. It is expected to be published in early 2026.

More chair and speaker profiles to be published shortly.

Booking and joining information

This event is open to members and non-members of CIWEM. There are a limited number of places available at a discounted rate for students and retired professionals.

Please note there is limited capacity at this event. Bookings must be made through 'My CIWEM' using the above booking link. Non-members who have not registered for the MyCIWEM system can create an account on the booking page in order to reserve their place.

If you have any questions about your booking or would like to cancel your attendance, please contact barbara.woods@ciwem.org.

Please note that registrations close at 9:00am, two working days before the event is to take place. If you have not registered by then, unfortunately we cannot add you to the event.

If you have any queries about this talk, please contact Barbara Woods.

About the venue and getting there

The Key Theatre is situated on the River Nene in the centre of Peterborough, on the east side of the town bridge.

As part of CIWEM’s commitment to tackling the climate and ecological emergency, we encourage delegates to use the most environmentally sustainable means of transport possible.

By foot | cycle

The venue is 0.8 miles from the nearest railway station, taking less than 20 minutes if walking, or less than ten minutes if cycling. The Queensgate Bus Station is 0.7 miles from the venue, taking around fifteen minutes if walking, or five minutes if cycling.

By Bus | Coach

There are five local bus stops served by Stage Coach buses:

  • Lido (PE1 1YE) for numbers 4 and 61
  • Rivergate South Bound (PE1 1DT) for numbers 1, 4 5, 6, 23A, 60 and X4
  • Rivergate North Bound (PE1 1DT) for numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 5A, 6, 24, 24X, 25, 25X, 31, 33, 60, 61, X4 and 415
  • Town Bridge Corner on Oundle Road (PE2 8AT) for numbers 1, X4 and 23A
  • Town Bridge Corner on London Road (PE2 8NY) for numbers 3, 5, 6, 31, 33, 33, 60 and 415

By Train

Peterborough railway station is the nearest mainline railway station to the Key Theatre and is at Station Road, Peterborough, PE1 1QL. Cross Country, East Midlands Railways, Grand Central, Greater Anglia, LNER and Thameslink run train services for all those coming from outside the city.

By car

There are limited parking spaces at the venue. If you are coming by car, please consider sharing the journey with others to reduce your environmental footprint. The nearest car parks are:

  • Riverside, PE1 1EG (161 spaces with disabled spots)
  • Bishops Road, PE1 5AP (251 spaces with disabled spots)
  • Car Haven, PE1 1YX (218 spaces with disabled spots)
  • Bittern Way Multi-storey, PE2 8UE (386 spaces with disabled spots)
  • Pleasure Fair Meadow (314 spaces)


As this is an in-person event, please remain vigilant to control the spread of COVID-19 and stay safe.

We request that if you think you might have contracted COVID or have recently had the disease, that you do not attend the conference.

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