RiSWP Leadership Team
Jade Pereira is the Chair of the RiSWP Leadership Team. Jade is a Water Resources Engineer at Jacobs where she specialises in modelling and optimisation of collection systems. Jade is enthusiastic about using innovative tools and systems thinking to help clients make informed decisions about how to best manage their water infrastructure and develop sustainably. Jade enjoys learning about new perspectives and hopes to accelerate the adoption of smart, data-driven solutions by supporting the exchange of forward-thinking ideas in the water sector.
Naisargi Dave is a hydraulic modeler at HDR where she helps utilities in design and optimisation of collection and distributions systems. She has a civil and environmental engineering background and has experience in performing data analysis and modeling for several industry sectors including environment, water & natural resources, and agriculture. As a constant learner, Naisargi looks forward to engaging the Rising Water Professionals community by exchanging ideas, trends, lessons, and opportunities so that together we can better plan, manage, and improve this critically essential water and sewer infrastructure.
Dan Lavelle is the Product Manager for Thames Water’s Smart Water programme, with over a decade of experience in operational leadership and water system optimisation. His expertise spans data-driven operations and cross-functional project delivery across the UK’s largest water utility.
Dan leads the development of the company’s next-generation digital twin platform, transforming how its clean water network is monitored and managed. As a key contributor to the wider Smart Water strategy, Dan is driving digital transformation with a focus on scalability, innovation, and long-term impact for customers and communities. Passionate about attracting new talent into the water industry, he thrives on working with motivated teams who are unafraid to challenge convention and push the boundaries of what’s possible in the era of Industry 4.0.
Joelle Solowiejczyk is currently completing her MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management at the University of Oxford, where her research focuses on advancing approaches to leakage management in urban water systems. Her thesis introduces a decision-support framework that enables utilities to assess the transferability of successful leakage interventions from global reference utilities with an emphasis on context sensitivity and fit-for-purpose solutions. She is an incoming Management Consultant in Arcadis’ Water Resilience Business Advisory team, where she will help water utilities deliver digital transformation, optimise operations, and build future-ready infrastructure portfolios. Joelle’s prior experience spans technical civil design, and water quality research at the University of Miami, where she earned her BSc in Environmental Engineering.
John William Brelsford is the Head of Sales at Optimatics. He is currently focused on maintaining and developing relationships with both consultants and water companies in ANZ. Over the past few years, John has been fortunate enough to work in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand which has given him a really good understanding of the challenges facing our industry and the impact that SMART solutions can have. Before relocating to Australia, John was highlighted as one of the top 5 emerging talents in the UK Water industry (Future Water Association, 2020) and has also recently been published in the Institute of Water Research Journal. John’s paper titled “Tapping into Totex” focused on the impact of the total expenditure framework on UK water industry investment behaviors. Outside of work, John is both an avid runner and baker.
RiSWP Ambassadors
Alfredo Villalobos is a Hydraulic Engineer with over 7 years of experience in consultancy for large-scale mining projects. My work bridges technical modeling—using HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, and QGIS—with environmental management, including sectorial permits and water availability characterisations for watersheds like the Maipo and Maule. Currently at Stantec, I specialise in surface runoff, water balances, and hydrogeology. I am passionate about leveraging data and monitoring technology to improve water resource sustainability in complex industrial and natural environments.
Hi, I’m Ammar Riyadh, a water engineer working at the intersection of water resources, data, and AI at Arup. My work focuses on applying digital tools and analytics to improve water quality, system performance, and decision-making, with experience across research, consulting, and international projects.
Andrew Nicholson is a Project Manager at Urban Utilities with background in Mechanical Engineering and Project delivery. Having worked with multiple tier 1 and 2 contractors in Queensland and Western Australia Andrew transitioned 6 years ago to working on the client side, joining Urban Utilities as a Project Manager delivering the Wastewater Capital Works Program. During his time with UU, Andrew has delivered multiple major projects including a new Treatment Plant, new Sewer Pipelines, Major Concrete Pipeline Condition Assessments and Repairs.
Caleb Steenkamp is a Smart Water Professional working within the City of Cape Town‘s Water & Sanitation directorate. His work focuses on the integration of telemetry, SCADA, data analytics, and automation to enhance the reliability, efficiency, and resilience of water and wastewater infrastructure. With a strong interest in renewables, digital transformation, and industrial programming, Caleb combines practical engineering experience with a systems-thinking approach to modernise water networks. He is particularly passionate about leveraging real-time data, intelligent monitoring, and automation technologies to improve operational decision-making and long-term asset performance. Caleb is committed to advancing smart water solutions that are both technically robust and contextually relevant to the South African environment.
Freddy Waldron-Cokayne is a Junior Analytics Developer at United Utilities.
Imogen Hollis is a Programme Manager at Anglian Water, currently leading the inspection and remediation programme for treated water storage assets. I progressed from project management into programme leadership early in my career, and I work at the intersection of operations, regulation and digital insight. In April 2026, I’ll be moving into Anglian Water’s System Optimisation team as System Optimisation Programme Manager, where I’ll focus on improving system performance through smarter use of data, analytics and operational insight. I’m passionate about using data‑led approaches to improve asset performance, manage risk and support better decision‑making across the water sector. As a RiSWP Ambassador, I’m keen to learn from global peers, share practical operational experience and help bridge the gap between smart water innovation and real‑world delivery.
Joanna Power is an Innovation Technical Specialist at Yorkshire Water, where I focus on identifying technologies that support key business goals and leading their trial and testing to enable successful implementation. With a background in design engineering across both the energy and water sectors, I’ve always been driven to research and develop practical solutions to complex challenges. I’m particularly committed to the future of water, ensuring systems are resilient, sustainable, and open to innovation. Alongside my industry role, I’m the founder of Lylo, developing circular water reuse products to reduce household water consumption.
Laura Chan is the Vice President of LVI Associates APAC, specialising in senior and executive recruitment across the water, wastewater, and environmental infrastructure sectors throughout APAC and the Middle East. Based in Singapore, she leads the Water practice, partnering with utilities, engineering consultancies, and technology innovators to build high‑impact leadership teams. A psychologist by training, Laura brings a people‑centric approach to solving talent challenges in the global water sector and is deeply passionate about strengthening the young professional network to future‑proof the industry.
Oliver Signorini is a data and digital professional working within the Hunter Water. My work focuses on bridging infrastructure operations with automation, analytics, and systems thinking to improve decision-making and service delivery.
I have a background in mathematics and finance and I am particularly interested in practical digital transformation—designing tools, processes, and architectures that make utilities smarter, more resilient, and more efficient.
Olivia Bergmann is a Water/Wastewater Engineer at HDR in Tampa, FL, specialising in water infrastructure and environmental engineering. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Florida in May 2024. During her undergraduate studies, Olivia led a winning design project for the University Student Design Competition, where she developed an AI-based solution to optimise stormwater clarification systems and improve nutrient reduction performance.
At HDR, Olivia supports resiliency and modernisation initiatives within the firm’s expanding water practice. She contributes to major water treatment plant expansions and Integrated Master Planning projects designed to meet Florida’s growing water demands. With a strong interest in data analysis and visualisation, Olivia focuses on applying analytical tools to enhance natural resource management, improve system performance, and guide sustainable water infrastructure solutions.
With a background in Electronics Engineering and professional experience in the water metering industry at Leeroy Systems, Pearl Mokgosi‘s expertise centers on integrating smart technologies to improve efficiency and sustainability in water management. This work emphasises the application of data-driven solutions to support resilient infrastructure and advance global best practices. As part of the Rising Smart Water Professionals Ambassador Programme, Pearl hopes to focus on fostering collaboration, promoting innovation, and strengthening knowledge exchange across the international water community.
