Hearing Unheard Voices: the Dividends of Incorporating Diversity
CWiW and Arup are pleased to co-host this public event.
Many unheard voices work on water-related challenges. One such group is women, who are 50% of the population, 47% of the global paid workforce, but less than 20% of paid employees working on water issues globally. Stakeholder consultations and professional teams that lack women risk projects being less financially successful, less innovative, and less sustainable. In this discussion, our panel of experts will touch on how inclusivity creates better, sustainable outcomes for projects.
Everyone is welcome 18:00 BST (17:00 UTC) Thursday October 16th
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Speakers
Keynote speaker Professor Mala Rao, CBE, is Director of the Ethnicity and Health Unit and Senior Clinical Fellow, Imperial College London. She is also chair of WHO South East Asia Region’s Expert Group on the Environmental Determinants of Climate Change and Health, Clinical Adviser to the UK General Medical Council on equality, diversity and inclusion and Visiting Professor Anglia Ruskin University. She will be stepping down from WaterAid UK in September 2025, having served the Board as Vice Chair for 8 years. Her most impactful achievements have been in workforce development, strengthening health systems and environmental health in the UK and in the global arena. Mala is recognized for championing greater awareness of the health impacts of climate change, safe water and sanitation and for her research and advocacy on the intersection between race, gender, health and climate.
Panelist Alan Nicol is a Principal Researcher – Water Policy and Politics at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). He leads development research that can achieve transformational change in water systems across a range of geographies. He is also a public speaker with a focus on using collective action to help solve complex problems facing the vulnerable and most marginalized. Alan’s career spans three decades of development and change and has involved strategic thought leadership, inclusive and dynamic team building, complex project delivery and a consistent commitment to achieving a fairer and more equitable world.
Panelist Jenna Browning is an Associate Director at Arup leading on flood resilience strategy and delivery. She works across Arup’s Water and Cities teams to support clients in implementing integrated strategies that bring together placemaking, funding and financing, and long-term resilience. A chartered civil engineer, Jenna’s experience spans infrastructure masterplanning, public realm design, and the delivery of complex developments, including along the Thames in London. She is committed to inclusive and fair project delivery and design, and promotes meaningful engagement with diverse and representative stakeholder groups.
Moderator Kathryn Pharr is the Founder of the Community of Women in Water. For over a decade, Kathryn’s work on water policy has included issues relating to climate change, gender & inclusion, transboundary, urban resilience, IWRM, governance, finance, and WASH. Kathryn has worked with the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA), Arup, the U.S. Department of State, USAID, the University of Oxford, and WaterAid.