CIWEM announces appointment of three new trustees

CIWEM announced the appointment of three new trustees at its AGM yesterday (July 22nd), who will take up their roles in September.

The Trustee Board consists of up to 15 Trustees (including a Presidential team of three Trustees) who volunteer their time and expertise. They meet regularly during the year to consider, determine and review the Institution’s strategies and policies. The role and function of the Trustee Board are laid out in the Institution’s Royal Charter and Bye-laws.

We introduce them below and find out what their hopes are for their new role.

Hannah Coogan – FCIWEM Technical Director and Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion Champion JBA Consulting

Hannah has nearly 20 years’ experience in Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management and is also a respected leader and expert in my field. Hannah has worked at the Environment Agency, in local government and in environmental consultancy and is also a dedicated champion of equalities and diversity and mental health and wellbeing.

What impact do you hope to make on CIWEM and the wider WEM world in your new role as trustee?

I’ve been extensively involved in CIWEM for over 15 years in group, branch and panel work and I won the CIWEM Young Members Award in 2008. I am really excited about taking this next step with my CIWEM work, building on my voluntary experience to date and bringing my enthusiasm and passion for leaving the environment in a better state than we have found it.

I’d like to bring my perspective from senior roles within both the public and private sectors to inform and guide future decisions on the strategic direction of CIWEM. This is especially important as we emerge from the global pandemic seeking a green recovery.

I’d like to inform and influence how CIWEM engages with the increasingly interested wider public to help develop an informed and balanced opinion about the climate and ecological emergency the world faces. This could help to bring about political and cultural reform and encourage people to take action themselves to mitigate and adapt to environmental change.

I’ve also led national work on equalities, diversity and inclusion and I’d like to bring my perspective to the Trustee Board to support CIWEM to continue with their work in this area.

Hanae Bezad – Founder Douar Tech

Hanae has worked at the intersection of business, technology and social innovation, advising and collaborating with governments, corporations, philanthropies, NGOs and social entrepreneurs to democratize knowledge and strengthen gender equity and inclusivity in education systems, particularly in emerging markets.

What impact do you hope to make on CIWEM and the wider WEM world in your new role as trustee?

Through this mandate I aspire to contribute to broadening CIWEM’s impact by strengthening its ties to change makers, particularly innovators, business leaders and decision makers from the global South. In the context of a renewed strategic alliance between Europe and Africa putting climate action at its core, we have an opportunity to amplify CIWEM’s collective intelligence to come forward with expert-backed solutions and ideas on environmental resource management.

Lila Thompson – Chief Executive British Water

Lila is the Chief Executive of British Water a dynamic trade association with a membership of companies across the supply chain of the water and wastewater industry.

Lila has over 20 years of international experience supporting business growth, innovation, policy development and stakeholder engagement in a variety of industry sectors.

What impact do you hope to make on CIWEM and the wider WEM world in your new role as trustee?

I am delighted to be joining the CIWEM Board and support the development of CIWEM’s next five-year strategy. I am particularly looking forward to meeting CIWEM members and to learning about their breadth of experience and insight to help tackle current and future challenges. I am also keen to take the CIWEM membership journey and use my international experience to support those members that are based overseas.